Magic Wand Massager

OK, now wait! Before you get mad at me for substituting a more provocative title than Hitachi Backhoe (which, now that I think about it, could be considered even more suggestive), let me explain. I was looking up Hitachi on the internet (where else? I think the World Book Encyclopedia is now defunct) for a title prompt and found out Hitachi is a highly diversified company that operates eleven business segments.Take my word for it, the list is terribly boring. But I did find out that you can purchase the Hitachi Magic Wand Massager through Amazon. And, at the time of this writing, if you want it by Wednesday, July 9, you should order within 5 hours 54 mins and choose Two-Day Shipping at checkout. The details are as follows:

1 yr warranty
2 powerful speeds, low 5000 rpm, high 6000 rpm
Most popular massager for over 30 years
Non phallic appearance
Electric for constant, powerful vibration

(No remuneration was offered by the Hitachi corporation or accepted by myself for consideration!)

(Please be sure to check out Photos By Emilio when you get the chance. They have color there!)

Passing through

Black And White Photography, Patti, Photography

It would give me every amount of pleasure to say I picked up the photography bug through the childhood influences of a parent, friend or relative who owned a half decent camera, let alone a dark room or even the tickle of the bug. Economic circumstances limited my childhood photographic experiences. Film and its development were luxuries, clicks to be taken on special occasions, our family photos almost all a set of poses. Yet my memories of such photos all belong outside the frame, to events before and after. How cute we were, sitting on the grass dressed in our Sunday best in the grounds of the hospital where my father took us to visit my sad, unhappy mother.

That was then. It was also a time when photojournalists sent shots over the wire of hyper-reality, from a man bouncing about on the moon to the burning highways of Vietnam and everything in between. Every expression, every feeling known to man, woman and child. Photography could be an adventure, a learning experience, a window into life, anything we wanted it to be. I so wanted to be a part of it.

This is now. After years of recording family adventures, smiles, tears, the whole kit and caboodle on film, I finally moved to digital along with a move from London to New York. Where I knew no-one. Where I now walk the streets shooting people. Where with my camera I am never lonely.

Through the digital process and accumulation of posts at Nylon Daze I have been so grateful to have connected with so many talented photo-bloggers and I thank Joe from The Visual Chronicle for the invitation to be part of this exciting adventure. With the play of light and shadow, the intriguing visuals of Black & White photography lure us in to absorb and reflect. To make of it what we will. To make it our own.

Or so we hope, but then, what is the fun of photography without hope!

It’s All a Part of the Ride

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Photography

It’s All Part Of The Ride

Those of us who ride, love doing so on days when the sun is shining and the skies are clear, no matter the temperature. Sometimes though, the day turns stormy, and we’re forced to pull over and wait out the rain. Once the clouds part, we’re on the road again, knowing that, in time, the wind will have us dry once again.

If you’ve visited Life on the Bike and Other Fab Things, you know that I love to seek new adventures while riding my motorcycle. In fact, the whole reason I started blogging was to be able to share my travels with family and friends who worried about me heading out on my own. I’ve long been the one who uses photography to document the events in the lives of my friends and family, and it’s a natural fit to take the camera along with me on the ride.

While a complete photography amateur, I’ve grown a good bit since blogging with WP. I’m thankful to the professionals and those far more advanced who have helped me along the way. The other contributors to Monochomia will impress you with their skills. I’m just hoping to make you smile with my enthusiasm. I’ll be posting on Saturdays.

Thanks to Joe at The Visual Chronicle for gathering us together, for sheparding us through the process, and for his patience with me, in particular!

Milking Barn

Black And White Photography, Joseph, Photography

1/350 @ f/8.0

My name is Joe and photography has been a passion of mine for a very long time. I have never worked as a professional photographer so it has always been a hobby for me. I was first bitten by the photography bug when I was about five years old. My dad would let me play with his old Kodak “Hawk Eye” camera and I was fascinated with it. Half the time it had no film in it but even when it did most of the pictures I took proudly displayed my thumb front and center.

My family is from Brooklyn New York and like most middle class families of the 1940’s and 50’s migrated further east on Long Island for a more rural lifestyle. I was born and raised in Suffolk County so I am a native Long Islander through and through (and yes I even talk funny just like all Long Islanders).

In my earlier years proper exposure, film choice, developer type and water temperature would determine the outcome of my negatives. After my negatives were processed it was off to the darkroom to choose a paper grade and work on some test prints. It took considerable time and effort and a lot of dodging and burning to produce rich black and white images. I remember dedicating entire weekends to this process. Digital has changed this process and thankfully for the better. Gone are the days of dedicating a portion of your basement to a darkroom and filling it with a bulky equipment. Goodbye to those smelly trays of chemicals and constantly checking for light leaks like a paranoid vampire. Now the same can be accomplished with Adobe Lightroom and a quality inkjet photo printer. Don’t get me wrong I have no issues with anyone who wishes to process film and prints, I give them a lot of credit. Do I miss the good old days ? Hell no, for an old timer like me who is used to doing things the old fashioned way, I welcome the change.

Black and White images always have been my preference because I feel I have more of myself invested in the photo. I have more of an emotional bond with the image when it’s complete. I also think most viewers draw stronger emotions from Black and White images.

Rather than bore you with what I think, let’s hear what you think. Any comments would be welcome.

I hope you will enjoy and follow our new photoblog. Although I am posting today due to unforeseen circumstances I normally will post on Sundays and more of my images can be seen at – The Visual Chronicle

Black and White Flower

Black And White Photography

SS 1/60 f10.0 ISO 400

This image was taken last week during a trip to Grand Cayman Island. I found the flower on the ground when visiting the Botanical Garden and placed it on a fence railing to photograph it. I am not quite sure what the name of this flower is, but am thinking it must be in either the anemone or daisy families.

Monochromia appears to be off to a fabulous start. I am thrilled to be part of this endeavor and honored to have been selected by Joe from The Visual Chronicle to be part of this creative and inspiring group of artists.

This is the first time I’ve posted to Monochromia so please let me introduce myself. My name is Robyn and I am from the Northeastern portion of the United States. I have been interested in photography since childhood but only began working as a professional photographer a few years ago. My complete story, bio, and artist statement can be found on my website, which I will include below.

I love photography and my motto is “Capturing Life One Image at a Time”. Photography is part of my heart and soul. I enjoy both film and digital photography, but because of expense and time, I tend to shoot more digital photographs at present. My work includes portraiture, landscapes, seascapes, animals, and more. My favorite subject is flowers.

As this blog is meant for black and white photography, you will only see my black and white floral work presented within. Some will argue that flowers are meant to be photographed in color, but I believe that statement to be too generalized. You’ll have to let all of us at Monochromia know your thoughts on black and white flowers.

Look for my posts at Monochromia on Thursdays. In addition, to learn more about me and my body of work please visit my blog; Robyn Graham Photography. I’ll look forward to hearing from you both here at Monochromia, and at my own site.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Magical Wonderland

Black And White Photography, Elina, Photography

I was on a walk after the rain and noticed this magical wonderland of droplets.

This is my first post here, so a short introduction…

I’m Elina, an Estonian living in Finland. My journey in photography started about a year ago when I got my first Digital SLR camera and felt I was finally able to capture things the way I had always wanted to.

Taking photos has become an important part of my life and something I really enjoy. It’s fun to see what and how I manage to capture and create. But I feel my photos become “alive” and get a special meaning after they have spoken to someone else.

Bit by bit I’ve started to get an idea of black and white photography and enjoy it a lot. Sometimes colors are too much and removing them helps to see the message or mood in the photo more easily.

I’m glad to be a part of this blog and hope it will bring together people who enjoy black and white photography.

I’ll be posting here on Wednesdays but if you’d like to see more of my photos then check out my blog Capturing Little Moments.

Crash And Burn

Black And White Photography, Emilio, Photography

I am very pleased to announce the premiere edition of Monochromia, the brainchild of Joe Giordano of The Visual Chronicle. My name is Emilio and I will be one of 7 contributors, each of us posting one day a week. It will be a black and white only photo blog to which I have the distinction of being the first contributor by dint of a random drawing of names from a hat! If black and white photography is one of your passions, I hope we do not disappoint. If you do not particularly care for black and white photography, please give us at least a week for one of us to hopefully change your mind. The odds should be with us!

My family comes from Fontanarosa, a small town about 1 hour east of Naples, Italy. They settled first in New York, but now those of us who remain reside in the south-west United States. I first picked up a camera to document my passion for nature, the land, and the effects of the weather on my surroundings. My father was a film editor who worked mostly on television commercials in the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, and had a black and white darkroom in our garage that he built himself. I assume that’s where my interest began.

To document my travels, I use a digital camera, but I feel the lack of texture decreases the effect I am going for, so I play in Lightroom. I began experimenting with black and white images just lately and find they are much more dramatic, I think. So this opportunity to express myself comes at an opportune time.

I have no argument with people who want to reproduce exactly what the camera sees, without manipulation of any kind. But with every choice you make; the type of lens, the use of filters, the aperture, or the setting of the camera, aren’t you manipulating the image? Therefore, I feel justified in reproducing an image with whatever is at my disposal, so that the viewer can see what I want them to see.

Thank you. I hope you will enjoy and follow our new photo blog. I will be posting on Tuesdays and more of my images can be seen at –

Photos By Emilio