Fence Line

Posted on Wed, 17 April, 2013 by LensScaper

Spring is slowly making its presence felt, but there remains a strong disconnect in the landscape. We have daylight that stretches way beyond 8pm, the overall quality of light tells us it is mid April, and yet trees and hedgerows remain stubbornly barren. None of our fruit trees show show any sign of bud or blossom. It just doesn’t seem right.

I walked one of my familiar walks around the edge of our village yesterday in sunshine and failed to find a single field that had evidence of a crop growing. But armed with a camera I was determined to return home with something worthwhile and eventually found it.

The two images today are of a long fence line enclosing paddocks for horses. I was attracted by the long shadows thrown on the grass.

Processing was in Photoshop and then in Topaz B&W Effects which I am slowly getting used to using and certainly has the capacity to add drama to B&W.

About LensScaper

Hi - I'm a UK-based photographer who started out 45+ years ago as a lover of landscapes, inspired by my love of outdoor pursuits: skiing, walking and climbing. Now retired, I seldom leave home without a camera and I find images in unexpected places and from different genres. I work on the premise that Photography is Art and that creativity is dependent on the cultivation of 'A Seeing Eye'.

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This entry was posted in Black & White, Landscapes and tagged Black and White Photography, Fence Line, Paddock, Paulerspury, Photography. Bookmark the permalink.

19 Responses to Fence Line

fredodonnellphotography says:

Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 08:28

Two top shots there, Andy. Great use of the light and shadows. Excellent!!

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 20:53
  
  Thanks Fred
  
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Len says:

Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 11:33

Terrific use of the fence as a leading line Andy. The B&W choice takes the lack of color out of the scene and adds great tones.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 20:55
  
  Thanks Len. The grass was very green but it didn’t really contribute anything else. Processing with Topaz B&W effects is producing some nice B&W images
  
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seekraz says:

Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 13:59

Very nice images, Andy…I especially like the second photo…that portrait orientation allows so much of the “full” picture with the shadows and the clouds…. Always nice when you can come home with a little treasure like this. 🙂

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 20:56
  
  Thanks Scott. I agree with you, I find the portrait one the more satisfying of the two
  
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oneowner says:

Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 18:24

I like these images, Andy, especially the second. I am using the Topaz B&W plug-in as well and it’s seems very comprehensive and easy to use.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 20:57
  
  Thanks Ken. I used one of the Infrared options in Topaz as part of the development of these images.
  
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Michael Criswell says:

Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 19:56

Super B&W shots, love the lines and contrast. It is the same way here, spring is way behind.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Wed, 17 April, 2013 at 20:58
  
  Thanks Michael.
  
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Earl says:

Thu, 18 April, 2013 at 00:26

Andy, fence lines, wandering paths and roads leading off into the horizon are all among my favorites. Of course you did a wonderful job making those grid fence shadows the stars of the shot as well. Nice.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Fri, 19 April, 2013 at 10:27
  
  Thanks so much for commenting. It was the shadows that first attracted me to this fence line. Finding the right composition was not quite so easy.
  
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smackedpentax says:

Thu, 18 April, 2013 at 07:14

superb images…I love the way your eyes has to follow the lines…

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Fri, 19 April, 2013 at 10:29
  
  Thanks very much SP. I’ve walked this route countless times before but never before seen the possibility of an image here. It was the shadows that caught my eye.
  
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pinkshamrockphoto says:

Thu, 18 April, 2013 at 15:44

Andy, these are truly fantastic. As many have mentioned, the contrast and leading lines really work well here. I’m partial to the second image, it really “completes the thought” with the inclusion of the clouds.

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Fri, 19 April, 2013 at 10:33
  
  Thanks Erin. Those who have expressed a preference like the second one best and I agree. I’m not entirely happy the way I’ve processed the first one – it looks rather like an engraving rather than a photo. Sometime, I’m going to have another attempt at processing it. Meanwhile I’ve got a stack of images to work through from the latest trip around London.
  
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George Weaver says:

Sun, 21 April, 2013 at 17:43

Oh, I see you have Topaz Black and White. I just recommended it! 🙂 I like it. These images are perfect! You have a light touch in using the plug-in. Very well done, Andy!

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- LensScaper says:
  
  Sun, 21 April, 2013 at 18:48
  
  Thanks George – yes,I’m enjoying using the Topaz bundle, I’ve tried most of the elements in the bundle. Have to admit I’m somewhat puzzled that when I reach a good point in Topaz and then exit back to Photoshop, the appearance that I had reached is somewhat corrupted back in Photoshop. I must spend some time reading the background info to see what I am doing wrong.
  
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  - George Weaver says:
    
    Sun, 21 April, 2013 at 19:39
    
    Mostly, I think I am getting okay results when I go back to Ps. I noticed it though, but I think the photo looks different to me in Ps because of the difference in the sizes from one to the other. If you figure it out, let me know. That is disappointing when you think you have the image the way you want and it changes! ;-(
    
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