Photography

The Salt Pond

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Photography

 

The Salt Pond

The Salt Pond

Vacation and another early morning walk, this time along the Salt Pond.

Seriously! How could a person not feel more peaceful just by gazing upon this reflection?  I try to remember this lovely scene as I balance the demands of life and while I may not always balance them as perfectly as this reflection, I do know that life is good and I am fortunate.  I hope the same for you.

Please visit Life on the Bike and Other Fab Things and the blogs of the other fine contributors to Monochromia.

Buckle Up

Black And White Photography, Photography

Older woman getting ready to put on her bike helmet as her male bicyling partner waits and watches.
Standing in a park, dozens of bicyclists swirling past me,
I caught sight of the woman’s hands first. Hands with a history.

As I turned my full attention to her, I saw her lovely face,
lined with the same history as her hands.
I saw her companion quietly and patiently waiting
as she readied herself for their ride.
I saw a simple scene that filled my mind with so many thoughts.

I knew I had to capture it.

Visit VisualVenturing.com to see more of my photos, black and white or otherwise.

Nine

Black And White Photography, Elina, Photography

nine_ElinaK

I have a hard time taking travel photos that would actually show the place. I end up taking lots of photos like this one, of details. So let it be, a photo from my vacation in Tartu, Estonia. A beautiful brick wall that I felt had to be photographed.

Guest Post – David Williamson

Black And White Photography, David, Photography

David Williamson is the fourth photographer in our guest post series . Along with shooting digital David also still admires film photography. I have a soft spot in my heart for the Nikon FE2 which I owned and was the aperture priority sister camera to Davids fully manual Nikon FM2.  Some of the best photos I have ever taken were with that camera.

Untitled-4

My name is David Williamson. I am a Brit who has lived in Krokstadelva, Norway for the past 20 years.  I would like to thank you for inviting me to contribute as a Guest to Monochromia.

I’ve had an interest in photography since the early 70’s but it was not until the 80’s that I got around to doing something about it. That’s when I purchased my first real camera, a Canon EOS 600.  That didn’t last long though, and I swapped it in for a Nikon FM2 which I still own and use to this day. The digital medium is not easy to ignore these days and it seems everyone has one, so I also shoot with a Nikon D800 and a Leica M9P.

I have a very eclectic film camera collection and at any given time depending on the mood I am in I will shoot on any of the cameras in this collection.  Sometimes the deciding factor is the availability of film for that particular model.

What do I like shooting?  People are my first love whether it be on the street or at family gatherings. I also have a mate who drags me around to a lot of derelict places to take shots of too. The whole Ubex thing interests me, however It’s creepy walking around alone in an old psychiatric hospital so I don’t do it often.

I love film, and black and white is a passion. My favorites are Ilford XP2 and Rollei 80s and T-max 100. I’ve recently tried Adox CMS 20,which impresses me. That said I don’t have a darkroom so I adopt a 50-50 approach of developing myself, and scanning the negatives on my Epson V700. I print my favorites off on my newish Epson 3880 printer using Adobe Lightrooms print module.

This picture was taken of my son some 20 years ago, only 10 minutes old and as you see he was in an incubator. It was taken on my FM2 with Ilford Xp2

Well thanks for giving me your time.  Now go out and shoot something 😀

When you come back you can check out my blog here – My Photographic World

Signal When Turning

Black And White Photography, Emilio, Photography
Henderson NV

Henderson NV

 On a back road leading to our house, not 5 miles distant, we found this replica of an old Signal gas station! While we took photos, we could hear a pool party going on beyond the brick wall of the back yard adjacent to us as the smell of barbecue wafted our way.

After you fill up, why not cruise on by Photos By Emilio for refreshments?

And thank you to the multi-talented Jaytee59 for my new gravatar. I love it!

thehorrible2_aug14_jaytee59_15

Morning in the Woods

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Photography

_MG_7487

Depsite the rain and cloudy skies that I encountered while riding through the hills and hollers of Kentucky, I was none the less, struck by the beauty of the area.  Walking into the mist during an early morning hike in Breaks Interstate Park, I was surrounded by the quiet sounds of morning in the woods. The light coming through the trees let me know that the canyon was not too far off, but once I arrived, I had to use my imagination as to what lay before me.  No disappointment though … just peace.

The return to work, and life in general, has so far been a barrier to sharing the tales of my recent travels.  I will get it done, however, and I’ll hope you’ll come on over to Life on the Bike and Other Fab Things to ride those roads with me.

Be sure to check out the blogs of the other Monochromia contributors, too!

Guest Post – Stacy Fischer

Black And White Photography, Photography

This is the third post in our Guest Post series featuring Stacy Fischer. Although Stacy is quick to point out “I am a photography newbie” her images certainly don’t reflect that. I guess thats what is so great about photography. Whether you are a professional, amateur or newbie, a great image cannot tell the difference.

working-horse

My name is Stacy Fischer and I was born in Huntington, New York (shout out to Joe!). My family moved from Long Island when I was about three years old, and I have spent the last 19 years living in McLean, Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C.

Joe’s invitation to guest post on Monochromia took me totally by surprise. In fact, I asked him if he didn’t want to rethink his offer!

You see, I am a photography newbie. That’s not to say I haven’t had my Nikon D90 for years – about five years at this point — but until recently I used it on family vacations or at family events, shot only in automatic (I just couldn’t wrap my head around F-stops!), and knew nothing about composition.

That all changed in February with my foray into photoblogging. Visual Venturing, “Because everyone likes pictures,” grew out of my passion for visual design, but I never imagined what I would find: a wonderful, welcoming, supportive, incredibly talented community, a community I absolutely credit with my growth as a photographer. From studying your amazing photos, following your links, asking all kinds of questions, and receiving invaluable feedback, you have inspired me to learn everything I can about this wonderful art form.

My appreciation for black and white photography comes from participating in Leanne Cole’s and Laura Macky’s Monochrome Madness Challenge (http://leannecolephotography.com/category/mmc/). Learning to see the contrasts, shadows, and light that translate effectively into black and white photos has provided me with countless “aha” moments that have better informed my photography in general. And much to my surprise, I have come to truly enjoy the purity of black and white images. Also to my surprise, the two most liked photos on my blog are in black and white, though I chuckle that the most liked one is of nothing more than a wire attached to a tree stake, shot while I was experimenting with creating a shallow depth of field (see, I AM learning photographic principles!).

Monochromia is a wonderful forum in which to explore and to share this wonderful genre of black and white photography. Kudos, Joe, for creating this blog and many thanks for standing by your invitation. I am honored to share my story.