Figure 1 – The path in black and white. Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge, Sudbury, MA. (c) DE Wolf 2016.

There are few sights more alluring then a path not trod. Where does it go? It beckons with a warm and joyous light. In Figure 1 I have such a path. I promised myself that I would do it in black and white and that I would not succumb to the temptation to flood it with noise and making it pictorialist. What I wanted was the full tonal range, and, of course, that is the very problem or challenge. Leave in all the shades of grey from darkest dark to lightest light. Don’t get carried away with dodging the midtones. Leave them to tell their own story, to create a sense of mystery. Emphasize just slightly the beckoning light. Give it a subtle selenium tone to add a sense of warmth. It is in the end a metaphor for so many possibilities that lie just beyond sight in the next glade.

Canon T2i with EF100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM lens at 100 mm, ISO 1600, Aperture Priority AE Mode, 1/400th sec at f/7.1 with -1 exposure compensation.