I think I'm Stuck in Black and White

I never have been one to follow the crowd with anything that I do. These days it seems that everyone is putting out bright, colorful photographs and here I can barely resist the urge to desaturate or sepia almost every photo I take lately. I just love the depth that a black and white picture has and the way it makes me feel when I see one that really looks good.

Here's an example of one that I did recently.

This house is across the street from my Dad's place. It was a very bright, sunny day and I still didn't have a complete grip on what ISO setting was the best for each situation. I mistakingly thought that since I had plenty of light I could get away with the fastest ISO my camera offered - 1600. Most of the pictures were sadely overexposed, noisy and too soft. :( In reality, it was the perfect opportunity to use the slowest ISO setting - 100 and have a more crisp, clear photograph. Fortunately, I am definately someone who learns from my mistakes and I'm not always one to accept defeat easily.

I spent a lot of time in Photoshop trying to salvage this photo. I had to use several different layers and play with the opacity of each and every one of them until the picture finally had the effect I was looking for. I'm happy with the result, what I'm not happy with is the fact that I can't remember exactly how I did it.