Sakuras in black and white

As I had mentioned before, I realised that I have nothing new to show for the sakura season. I have been to the same places for the past two years and had taken the same pictures from the same angles without realising it until I got home and compared the pictures.



So, as I was walking along the path, I realised I should shoot some black and white pictures instead of the sakura flowers, just to see how it will turn out. I don't have many macro pictures of the cherry blossoms; most of my pictures are of sceneries.



Since the day was hazy, it made shooting in colour a little bit difficult (or rather, I wasn't skilled enough to make the best of it). But through the haze, the sun rays still managed to edge their way through, giving the flowers a lovely soft glow. Perfect.



The light wasn't too bright because of the haze and the fact that it was still early in the morning, so I got pretty good effect for the black and white pictures. Although, I still have to adjust the brightness and contrast a bit to get the best effect.



I just love the translucent petals of the sakura. They are so soft and delicate. The way the light shines through them. Gorgeous. And they dance prettily in the sun when the wind blows with their petals falling like blessings from heaven.



I have to say that it took me quite a while to get the best conditions for the pictures. The wind was crazy that day, so I had to stand there waiting for the wind to die down. Because I was adjusting the shutter speed, ISO etc, I stood there at the same spot shooting for quite some time. Got quite a few looks from people who were obviously wondering what on earth was I shooting at for quite so long. Thank goodness it was still early and there weren't many people around, so I was not in the way or people were not in my way.



But it all turned out for the best. I very happy with the pictures. They turned out the way I wanted them too. Usually I have little success with B&W pictures.



So, if you ever get tired of shooting in colour, why don't you try the black and white mode instead?



You can see more pictures of the sakura blossoms in black and white in my flickr set : Sakuras in black and white



I will post more sakura scenery pictures in the later post. Finally went for a light up today and I will post those pictures up too. Also, I have an interesting batch of pictures from the tropical section of the botanical gardens. Till then, have fun during the weekend!