This ice sculpture is seated in the center of historic Wakefield village in South Kingstown. It's a fitting symbol of our desire to sculpt a future of our own design, but, as the ice melts over the course of the next couple of weeks, it also serves to remind us of the fleeting and transient nature of time itself. It reminds me of the profound words of Shakespeare: "Come what come may; time and the hour run through the roughest day."
My "Photo a Day" project has now entered its second consecutive year. The project will have a heavier emphasis on Black and White photography than it did in 2012. I have found that I prefer the power of the black and white image, and one purpose of this project will be to improve my conversion technique and overall presentation. That doesn't mean that you'll see 365 b&w shots; it just means that my first inclination will be in that direction unless the color image is truly dominant. There are also several themes that I'd like to focus on. Expect to see many historically oriented shots, specifically regarding King Philip's War, the Gaspee Incident, and the Dorr Rebellion. I'm hoping to improve my street photography skills, and incorporate more people into my shots. Expect to see a focus on specific lenses with an eye towards improving overall composition and shooting a unique scene with an atypical lens choice. I'm also hoping to incorporate some nighttime shots. I don't believe I posted a single night shot in 2012, so the possibilities out there are endless.
Post processing today started with a classic filter in Topaz B&W FX. I went for a very high contrast effect, wanting to turn those background trees almost black and to really draw attention to the details in the ice. Color sensitivity sliders were adjusted followed by adaptive exposure, regions, contrast, boost black, boost white, and protect highlights. A levels adjustment followed by a brightness and contrast adjustment was added in PSE. The top layer is a sepia photo filter.
What a great sculpture to celebrate the new year! Sounds like you have given your project lots of thought... look forward to seeing what you come up with!
