Choosing Mono, Magpie Mine
09th April 2015
Sometimes a photographic venue screams black and white and this was the case when I visited Magpie Mine.
Magpie Mine is a former lead mine in Derbyshire that dates back to the 1700s. Its heyday was in the mid 19th century when its Cornish style engine house was built. The mine eventually closed in the 1950s. More information on the history of the mine can be found here.
As I walked up the path to the mine I could immediately see the translation to black and white: the dry stone walls; the lead in from the path; the strong sunlight reflecting off the cottage windows; the reflected chimney in the puddle; and the side lighting and blue skies. Moreover, black and white seemed to fit with the principle subject matter and its history.
To check that I had read the conditions correctly I changed the camera's picture style to mono and applied a digital red filter. This allowed me to compose in live view with a black and white preview which is such an invaluable tool for mono work. By also changing the camera settings to RAW and JPEG the camera records a colour RAW file and processed black and white JPEG. Back home, I use the JPEG for reference and convert the RAW file for the final finish.
These are some of the results:
Magpie Mine is a former lead mine in Derbyshire that dates back to the 1700s. Its heyday was in the mid 19th century when its Cornish style engine house was built. The mine eventually closed in the 1950s. More information on the history of the mine can be found here.
As I walked up the path to the mine I could immediately see the translation to black and white: the dry stone walls; the lead in from the path; the strong sunlight reflecting off the cottage windows; the reflected chimney in the puddle; and the side lighting and blue skies. Moreover, black and white seemed to fit with the principle subject matter and its history.
To check that I had read the conditions correctly I changed the camera's picture style to mono and applied a digital red filter. This allowed me to compose in live view with a black and white preview which is such an invaluable tool for mono work. By also changing the camera settings to RAW and JPEG the camera records a colour RAW file and processed black and white JPEG. Back home, I use the JPEG for reference and convert the RAW file for the final finish.
These are some of the results: