Keeper of the Plains in Mostly Black and White
Just a Little Color
A nighttime view of the Keeper of the Plains statue in Wichita, Kansas, mostly in black and white, with a little red mixed in.
A while back, I shared a color view of the Keeper of the Plains at night. And while that one was interesting, I thought I might take another look at the photos that I took that night. While my photos all looked similar, except that some were zoomed in more than others, I felt like there were enough differences to share another photo or two.
In processing this photo, I almost went with a pure black and white look (see below). But instead, I decided to mix just a little color back in. To do this, I turned the red slider up slightly. The Keeper of the Plains is mostly red in color due to the patina on the statue, and that is accentuated by the red light from the Ring of Fire flames at night. Yes, a few other things ended up having a slight red tint to them as well. But I believe most of your focus here is drawn to the statue as it stands out against the black and white backdrop.
As you can probably guess by the number of Keeper of the Plains photos I have shared, I enjoyed seeing the statue, both in the daytime and at night. So there may be a few more photos shared here in the future, too.
Why Choose?
When I was working on this photo, I had a difficult time choosing between total black and white and some partial color. I went back and forth several times, looking at the different versions to try to choose which one I liked the best.
Have you ever been faced with a choice that was difficult to make? Have you then ever realized that you actually do not have to make a choice?
Sometimes we do have to make a choice, of course. You will find yourself in situations where you have to pick one thing or another. I understand that.
But there are other times when we try to force ourselves to choose something. Do you like this one or that one? Why can’t you like them both? That might not work if you are buying a car. After all, you probably can’t afford to buy two of them and drive whichever one you feel like driving that day.
But there are other times when choosing is just silly. What is your favorite movie? Which restaurant is your favorite? If you could go to just one place on vacation, where would it be?
Sometimes, making a choice is difficult. And sometimes, you just don’t have to. Keep on reading.
About the Photo
As I mentioned above, I almost went with a pure black and white photo here. So for those of you who might prefer that, or for those who might think you do, or for those who just are not sure, here is a black and white photo:
Yes, these are slightly different photos, but still quite similar. I actually started with this second view before deciding to use the first photo instead. I liked how that first one gets a slightly better profile of the Keeper. For this second view, we had moved slightly farther down the river.
But I still liked this view. And I liked it in black and white, too. So instead of choosing, I just included both of them in this post.
Why choose when you don’t have to?
Photo: Each photo is a single RAW exposure, processed in Luminar AI. Read more about photography tips, photo software, camera gear, and more at Steve’s Photography Tips.
Camera: Sony Alpha A7 II
Lens: Sony FE 28-70mm f/3.5-5.6 OSS Lens
Date: January 8, 2022
Location: Keeper of the Plains, Wichita, Kansas
Who is the man who fears the Lord? Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose. - Psalm 25:12
