Pollution ?

This is actually a measure put in place to combat pollution. Mist sprinklers… Foshan, China, X100F

Mist sprinklers in Foshan photographed against the light — an anti-pollution measure that becomes an atmospheric subject. The X100F and backlit water mist: the droplets catch the light and the frame becomes about atmosphere rather than subject. Monochrome intensifies the graphic quality, turning the sprinkler heads into silhouettes and the mist into a mid-tone wash. See the China series on China: The Final Frame on IJM Photography.

Crossing the road…

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Waiting for the scooters to cross the road. Foshan, China, X100F

Waiting at a Foshan crossing — the patient street photographer’s natural moment. The scooters and figures create a layered scene that monochrome simplifies into a clear visual hierarchy. The X100F’s fixed lens means you work with your feet, finding the frame through position rather than focal length. The slight motion blur on the scooters in the background gives the still figures their stillness. See the China series on China: The Final Frame on IJM Photography.

Waiting to rehearse

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Just looking up in a theatre before rehearsing in Shenzhen, China, X100F

Looking up into a Shenzhen theatre before rehearsals — the X100F pointing upward at the rigging, the lights, the architecture of performance. Backstage spaces in available light are a challenge: functional illumination that is unflattering in colour but stripped to tone, the cables and battens and the bodies waiting below become a genuine composition. See the full article: China — Shenzhen Day 3 on IJM Photography.

Clément

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

My Friend, and fellow horn player, Clément, Shenzhen, China, X100F

A portrait of Clément — fellow horn player, Shenzhen. The X100F held close for a natural light portrait in the moments before or after a performance. The 23mm equivalent at this distance keeps the environmental context while the available light does the work. Monochrome brings attention squarely to expression and light without the colour cast of whatever room you’re in. See the full article: China — Shenzhen Day 3 on IJM Photography.

Where’s my luckin coffee??

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Taken during my December 2024 Orchestral Tour to China with the Symphonique des Bords de Loire, in Yong Zhou, Hunan Province. With one letter change, this could have been very funny…

Yong Zhou, Hunan Province — December 2024 orchestral tour with the Symphonique des Bords de Loire. Street photography on tour is opportunistic and quick: the X100F stays in your pocket, and you shoot the thing that makes you stop mid-stride. The Luckin Coffee sign needed one careful letter change to be very funny indeed. Monochrome was the obvious choice — it is, after all, a graphic image at heart. See the China series on China — How a Journey Transforms a Man on IJM Photography.

Northumberland

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

Fields, dry stone walls, and sheep. I love this countryside so much. You can see this photo and more like it in my UK Chronicles series on ijmphotography.net. For those of you who are interested, shot with the X100F, edited in Lightroom.

Fields, dry stone walls, and sheep — the Northumbrian countryside with the X100F. Monochrome landscape photography is about simplifying a scene that is already simple: the tonal relationships between sky, stone, and grass are all the picture needs. The X100F’s fixed 23mm lens works well for this kind of expansive framing; you include sky rather than trying to compress the scene. See the full UK Chronicles series on IJM Photography.

Castle near the border in Scotland

Black And White Photography, Ian, Photography

A photo from my recent trip to the UK. I was out exploring the Northumbrian countryside with my son and my X100F, and came across this castle… It was a good day.

A castle discovered while exploring Northumberland with my son and the X100F — the kind of find that justifies driving without a plan. Monochrome suits castle photography naturally: grey stone, geometric form, and sky are a tonal study without needing any conversion. The fixed focal length forces you to work for your composition rather than relying on zoom. See the UK Chronicles Part IV: Alnwick to Rothbury on IJM Photography.

Teaching

Black And White Photography, Joseph, Photography

Image taken with a Fujifilm X100F

I took this image through the window of a blacksmiths shop at the Old Bethpage Village Restoration while the blacksmith was describing metal heating techniques to the other visitors.