Which way around Mdina?
Let’s take the monochrome route!
This week I’m opting for Black & White images for Cee’s Which Way Photo Challenge.
I’m also still working on images from 16th century Mdina, Malta’s Silent City.
The narrow streets and bright, albeit intermittent, midday sunshine were a challenging combination when trying to get shots that “worked”. This was made trickier as it was too bright to see anything on the LCD back-screen and using the viewfinder when wearing sunglasses doesn’t give the clearest view.
Oh, the obstacles we photographers have to strive to overcome! Ha! Shooting in RAW format lets me get away with all sorts of mistakes and allows me to rescue lots of images that would otherwise be binned.
All these images were taken with my trusty Fuji x100s with its fixed 23mm lens. Any other camera is too heavy to carry around on holiday and there’s always the iPhone for slightly wider-angle shots.
I’ve processed these in Photoshop using the Nik Plugin Silver Efex Pro2. I’ve tended to go for a high key effect on these particular images to remind me of that wonderful Mediterranean sunshine.
Street Corner in St Publius Square ©HelenBushe
Lantern in St Publius Square ©HelenBushe
Mesquita Street ©HelenBushe
Shutters and a Streetlamp ©HelenBushe
To see more of Mdina in Monochrome click here.
To see more of Mdina in Glorious Technicolor click here.
To see lots more Which Way posts from fellow bloggers click here.
10 Comments
paulfraser11 · 14 June 2017 at 11:45
Great pictures Helen, I really must start shooting in RAW, the results are fabulous as you show here 🙂
HMB · 14 June 2017 at 11:47
Thanks Paul. You won’t ever go back to shooting only JPEG, I reckon.
Amy · 11 June 2017 at 19:08
Absolutely beautiful!! Love how you turn these photos into artworks. Brilliant, Helen! 🙂
HMB · 11 June 2017 at 19:23
Thanks Amy. So kind of you to say that.
Cee Neuner · 11 June 2017 at 18:32
These are marvelous photos for this week. 😀 😀
HMB · 11 June 2017 at 18:38
Thanks Cee.
hbs1991 · 11 June 2017 at 18:16
Good Afternoon Helen, I loved reading your post today, I am liking the monochrome or black white here, as they are not so gloomy like a lot of black and whites I see around. Some remind me of a minimalistic version of charcoal on paper really. I have to say whether Mdina is in black & white or color, it looks like one super clean town/city.!
HMB · 11 June 2017 at 18:23
Hi Mitch. Thank you so much. Mdina has only 296 inhabitants! It used to have many thousands. It is a small 16th Century walled/fortified city. It is of great historical importance and well cared for and cherished by locals and the many tourists who go there. There can’t be very many places like it left in the world.
hbs1991 · 11 June 2017 at 18:43
I have heard of Mdina, but must plead ignorance, thanks you your photography of it and writing, I will go to Youtube and also Google it and find out more about it. You are so right there cannot be many places like this left in the world today. I would imagine with 296 inhabitants left in a city that used to hold thousands, it would feel either empty some times of the year to them or like they live in a little Kingdom all their own. 🙂
HMB · 11 June 2017 at 18:46
I think it might be like a little kingdom. There are enough palazzos (or is that palazzi!)