Monochrome Monday - The Power to Create Other Worlds - Pfiffer Beach - Big Sur, California

Applying monochrome or black & white effects to photography can result in powerful and sometimes dramatic images. I thought I would fiddle around with that idea using a few of my pictures from Pfiffer Beach in Big Sur, California. I was there at sunset and the light was soft and soothing...the following photos are nothing of the sort.

This photo is like a value and texture scale all at the same time going from heavy to light from bottom to top. My focus was obviously on the foreground and the kelp woven together by the tide. It feels to me like it longs to return to from whence it came...perhaps in a few hours it will receive its wish.

This photo illustrates a world that we may not always acknowledge...the one right under our feet. It reminds us that we are not alone.

I rarely venture into sepialand but this shot was so interesting, I had to share it. It really shows off the texture of Keyhole Rock / Keyhole Arch. During the winter, at sunset, you can catch quite an ethereal glow through the opening. I arrived a few minutes too late for that so I am making due. As you look at the bottom of the image, the tide, rocks and the beach seemed to have journeyed into an altered state with the contrast being what it is. I think it looks pretty cool!

These last two images are basically the same shot but I was able to get a couple of distinctive looks...

This was right as dusk was fading into night but with the extreme contrast it looks like it's white hot from the midday sun.

Then there is this trippy shot that looks like different landscapes layered on top of each other. I mixed in a little bit of long exposure on this one for some added interest.

Thanks for joining me this afternoon as I created worlds that didn't exist, at least as I was seeing them. I always enjoy experimenting for the experimenting's sake.

This post is my contribution to MonochromeMonday initiated by Hive account@old-guy-photos.

Would you like to see Pfiffer Beach in color? Here is my post featuring the incredible purple sand that makes an appearance in the winter and spring months. Enjoy!