Cats and Trails and Garden Tales
Musings on cats, travel, gardens and life
Playing in Light Room – Black and White in Hawaii
I’ve already shared a few times from our trip to Hawaii last month, but I thought I’d take another look for this week’s Sunday Stills Color Challenge, #Black & White.
There’s a lot of black to be found on the Big Island, because of the volcanic eruptions that created it; lava of all ages is everywhere.
There’s plenty of color too! I’ve used the slide show option in the next two sets of pictures from Puʻuhonua o Hōnaunau National Historical Park, so you can compare.
Here are a few more snaps from the Big Island, a gecko I found on a jungle walk to Akaka Falls,
and Liliuokalani Park in Hilo.
And how could I forget Punalu’u Black Sand Beach
and the gorgeous turtles resting there?
Moving on to Oahu, we found this spooky scene at Kualoa Ranch where dozens (hundreds?) of TV shows and movies have been filmed, this one, Kong: Skull-Island.
Finally, I’ll close this Hawaiian adventure in black and white with a beach scene from Waikiki.
Fyi, I recently subscribed (again) to Adobe, for Light Room Classic, as it makes it much easier to edit my pictures in fewer steps, than the free tools I’ve been using.
That’s all for now.
~ Susanne
Cats and Trails and Garden Tales 
Hawaii is a great place to play with the color black and b&w, Susanne! Light room really does the trick. I like how you made some into a pale green monochrome, too. I also like your comparisons in the slide shoes. The BW look stunning! All that volcanic black sand doesn’t need much editing, either. The Waikiki shot looks like an old fashioned postcard. Exquisitely done, my friend 🖤🤍
Aw, thank you so much for your kind words! I figured the Big Island was a good place to start for the challenge, since black dominates the landscape! And I was pleased with the mellow look of Waikiki, though all in all, I prefer a world of color!
I’m all about color too, but sometimes black and white or monochrome is fun to explore.
Yes, indeed! I love to use your challenges to try new things!
Excellent photos, Susanne!! I think of BW as Grayscale. 😊
Thanks so much, John!
😊
So cool!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Beautiful selection Susanne. The Big Island lends itself to B&W photography.
Thanks, Graham. Seemed like a good place to use for the challenge.
Great photos, and good use of editing software. I suppose for me that Hawaii will always be a place of lush colours, as that’s how I imagine it. But it was worth showing the contrast for comparison.
Best wishes, Pete.
Thanks, Pete. It’s fun to try different techniques for the challenges. Hawaii is indeed lush and colorful. But many are surprised, I believe, when they first arrive on the Big Island and see ancient lava flows and black sand everywhere.
I wouldn’t have expected Hawaii to look as good as this in B&W but your shots really work. I love the cute gecko and the shapes and textures of the lava rock outcrops.
Thanks so much, Sarah. The Big Island has so much black everywhere from ancient lava flows so it seemed like a good place to start. I liked how the gecko turned out in b&w and the beach scene in Waikiki.
I prefer color. I see why some pictures are good in B&W, (makes me think of memories), but for the most part, I think color is best. It is more realistic.
It’s fun to try different techniques for photo challenges, but I also prefer a world in living color.
These are beautiful! Makes me miss my college days in the dark room. Hope you had a great time in Hawaii!
Thank you! We love Hawaii and never get tired of visiting!
These are great!!!
Thank you! 😊