Taxi…

Taxi’s in Cuba come in all shapes and sizes. There are horse drawn carriage type taxi’s which you might share with the locals, Coco taxi’s for two with enthusiastic drivers, and these wonderful old classic car taxi’s which are my favorites. Now that I think about it, most of the taxi drivers liked to race, either against each other, or against the clock, or maybe just for fun.

Speaking of which, I had fun with this photo! These old Chevrolet’s have such personality. The grillwork is amazing and this car has been nudged back into shape after many years of service. I wanted to accentuate the front of the car that has almost face-like features, and at the same time include a little of the surroundings that speak about Cuba.

To create a look as if this photo had been taken long ago, I converted the image to black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro. This is my favorite technique for black and white. It creates a rich beautiful look, that’s nostalgic in this case. My favorite preset to use as a starting point is often High Structure, which deepens the tones and adds contrast. I do a lot of infrared photography, and convert my infrared images to black and white using Nik Silver. You can download the free trial and see how it works with your images. If you like it, please feel free to use code DSANDIDGE for a 15% discount.

We will be covering all kinds of destinations in Photoshop – Enhancing Digital Images and Creating works of art, which will stretch your photographic horizons. Please feel free to email me about the class – deborah.sandidge@betterphoto.com. This 4-week course starts in November and we’ll cover everything from enhancing your digital images, to creating works of art. Plus, it will be fun! I hope to see you there.

Photo tip = Fill the frame with your subject. This is a super simple technique that’s very effective. Move in close to your subject as I did with this car for more drama and impact.

Have fun shooting!