Tag: Silver Efex Pro

Not Quite What It Seems?

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If you’ve been on the Queen Elizabeth Expressway (Q.E.W.) , around exit 57 you have probably noticed this shipwreck. It is not quite what it seems. Quite a few years ago, some entrepreneurs took a non-descript boat, and started adding bits and pieces to make it appear like a tall ship of sorts. In the process, the ship was made completely unseaworthy, but that was not as issue; it was meant to be a restaurant/attraction. But then disaster struck in the form of a fire, and for many years the hulk has sat close to shore, an eyesore to some, a landmark to others, but regardless, not quite what it seems. This image is not completely what it seems either; although shot on film, it was heavily post processed with Silver Efex Pro. Given the history of the subject matter, I find this quite ironic.

Shipwreck, Sort of

From a Distance

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This image was made with my Nikon D90, and processed using the just released Nik Software Silver Efex Pro 2. We were all on the ferry boat from St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands to Virgin Gorda in the British Islands when I noticed this building on an island, quite some distance away. Luckily, as we left port we got close enough for me to take some images. Even though the original capture was a colour digital image, from the beginning I knew I needed a vintage black and white treatment, so Silver Efex to the rescue:

Entropy

Artificial Flavour

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Today’s image was originally captured back in the fall of 2010. Originally taken on Ilford XP2+ film, I added the toning and the vignetting in Aperture using the Silver Efex Pro plug-in. I am quite happy with how the image turned out, but since I’ve been doing a lot of film recently, I still can’t help but have some mixed feelings, like I’m using artificial vs. natural flavours. Then there is the fact that using the plug-in is fairly quick; I spent about 20 minutes fiddling with the image, compared with what would have been required in the darkroom: two extra chemical steps, and likely multiple attempts to get the burn-in for the vignetting just right.

Dundas Square, Toronto

Am I cheating?