Black And White Photography

Basket case

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Nikon FE with Tri X stopped right down. Sometimes you just need some grain.

Nikon FE with Kodak Tri-X, shot stopped right down in Clisson — because sometimes you want grain, not despite it. Tri-X at box speed with a small aperture gives a dense, deliberate quality; the grain structure is coarser than HP5+ and reacts differently to flat light, producing a heavier, more graphic rendering. The basket’s weave becomes an exercise in tonal compression — light and shadow reduced to simple geometric shapes. See the full article: The HP5 Plus 100 ASA Experiment: A Happy Accident? on IJM Photography.

Where They Worked and Lived

Black And White Photography, Laurie, Mobile Photography, Photography

In my previous post, Hallway for the Enslaved, I told of visiting the Aiken-Rhett House in Charleston. Purchased by the Historic Charleston Foundation in 1975, the house is being “preserved as found” and represents a stark example of the wealthy vs the urban enslaved, c 1820s.

From the website we learn that “while many dependency buildings in Charleston have been demolished or adapted, the Aiken-Rhett House’s kitchen, laundry and quarters – with their original paint, floors and fixtures – survive virtually untouched since the 1850s, allowing visitors the unique chance to better comprehend the every-day realities of the enslaved Africans who lived on-site, maintained the household and catered to the needs of the Aiken family and their guests”.