I’m going out out of order this week. The timing seemed appropriate for the subject matter.
Spring break was over for the school kids, and the reality of the new normal of the coronavirus was sinking in. I was walking to the car dealer to pick up my car, strategizing at how I would minimize physical contact and optimizing the use of my small bottle of hand sanitizer. It was a walk filled with anxiety and depression about the world around us and our ability to get through the weeks, or months, ahead. Then I looked down at a chalk drawing on the sidewalk, and hope flickered back to life. This became my favorite image of the week.
You Can Do This
iPhone 11 Pro
Digital Darkroom. I knew from the outset that this would be a black and white photo, and that my primary focus was making the letters crackle with bright energy. I started by using Lightroom’s B&W 10 profile. I then lowered exposure by almost a full stop. I increased highlights (+84) and whites (+44). Dehaze (+22) added more oomph. I played around with increasing texture, but this brought up strong patterns in the grass and sidewalk that I didn’t want. I ended up decreasing overall texture (-6). I then brushed over the letters, increasing texture (+26) and clarity (+41) to finish the image.
WIRR stands for Weekly Image Rich Ruh. This regular feature on Das Has von Ruh will show and describe my favorite photo created during this weekly period. My weeks start on Mondays, as does the WIRR. I’m hoping to include commentary on the story, the setting, the specs, or the sentiments, depending on the circumstances.
Das Haus von Ruh 