Photography

Lambs Ear

Black And White Photography, Joseph, Photography

LambsEarTwo (1 of 1)

 Sony RX100 Mk 1 (compact camera) in macro mode – 1/100 @ f/4.5

To me photography is not always about beautiful scenic landscape images.  It’s about simple every day things. What attracted me to the leaf of this Lambs Ear plant was the shape of it.  It looks like it was sticking it’s tongue out at me 🙂

More of my images can be seen at – The Visual Chronicle

Little Mouse

Black And White Photography, Elina, Photography

mouse_ElinaK

We met this little mouse in an abandoned building. Three photographers trying to capture a photo of a tiny mouse that was running around the room was a wonderfully joyful moment. I think it was the only time we were laughing and having real fun during our visit to those abandoned homes that have been left behind and are falling apart, no-one taking care of them anymore.

Haunts of the Rich and Famous

Black And White Photography, Emilio, Photography

Haunted Storefront

 For a high res split tone version, please click on the image

(Though the following history of the property is quoted directly from Wikipedia, it is definitely interesting and worth reading.)

Lake Las Vegas is a 320-acre man made lake surrounded by 3,592 acres developed by 5 companies.

When first opened in 2003, the area included several hotels and casinos including the Monte Lago Village Resort, the Westin Lake Las Vegas Resort, the Hilton Lake Las Vegas, and Casino MonteLago.

Lake at Las Vegas Joint Venture, LLC filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on July 17, 2008. Debts were estimated at between $500 million and $1 billion.

Lake Las Vegas emerged from bankruptcy in July 2010. The creditors have filed a lawsuit against the former insiders. In a related action, resort property owners are suing lender Credit Suisse as part of a multi-billion dollar lawsuit claiming the bankruptcy was caused by a scheme between the bank and resort developers.

The golf course was purchased by Nevada South Shore LLC, a Hawaii based corporation for $4.5 million on February 17, 2011.

The Ritz Carlton, Lake Las Vegas, closed after 8 years of operation on May 2, 2010.

The former Ritz Carlton was reopened on February 11, 2011. The property was renamed Ravella at Lake Las Vegas. On April 30, 2013, Kam Sang Co. announced that the Ravella would be renamed the Hilton Lake Las Vegas. The Hilton opened June 6, 2013. The casino closed in October 2013, as a result of a lease dispute between Kam Sang and the casino’s operators.  

From a TripAdvisor.com review dated October 18, 2014:
“Ghost Town”
The golf course is closed, the casino is closed (“seeking a buyer”), the village is eerie and empty. There are “For Sale” signs on several properties around the area. Everything shut down when the economy crashed in 2008. Will not return any time soon.

Photo Shoots

Black And White Photography, Photography

Silhouettes against Central Park fountain

Those of you who are familiar with Visual Venturing may recognize this photo from a while back. Being on the road this week, I thought it would be okay to revisit one of my favorites. I took this in Central Park while on a trip to New York City in September 2012.

I would like to say I planned every aspect of this shot, but I have to be honest: I was focused on capturing the young men silhouetted against the fountain and I had to fire off a quick burst of photos before they walked out of the frame. I was definitely surprised (and delighted) when I opened the file on my computer to find what else I had managed to capture. Had I tried to purposefully frame this shot, I doubt I would have been as successful. Have fun discovering the “extras”!

Visit VisualVenturing.com for more of my work.

Guest Post: David Jensen

Black And White Photography, David Jensen, Photography

DavidJensen (1 of 1)

I am David Jensen and my love of black and white photography goes back to the day I bought my Nikon FM at the recommendation of a co-worker. He also took me under his wing and helped me understand the basics of the camera and of composition. After that I was on my own to explore this new way of seeing the world around me. I find that, for many images, removing the color allows for a less distracted viewing of the subject. It also aids in seeing the line, shape and texture of the subject, intent becomes more clear.

Originally from Rochester, Minnesota, I have moved around a bit and now reside in Duluth, Minnesota. Living in northern Minnesota exposes me to a rich variety of subject matter for photography, but I often find myself attracted to seeing the abstract in the natural and in the human made world. The abstract is something I began exploring more in depth after return to school late in life to study filmmaking and photography.
Drawing inspiration from the book, “The Tao of Photography, Seeing Beyond Seeing” I now find myself being much more aware of my surroundings as I wander with a camera.

David Jensen
Northern Visions Media

Fallen

Black And White Photography, Joseph, Photography

Goodbye

Nikon D610 and Nikkor 24-85mm AF-S G VR lens – 1/250 @ f/5.6 – ISO 400

“Fallen Fireman”

Rest now my fallen brother
Lay soft your suffering back
Rest well and forever
Your memory shall not lack
Rest your tired hands
Wipe clean your weary brow
Rest with St. Florian
Your spirit now endowed
Rest here your breaking heart
We know you gave your all
Rest easy, you’ve done your part
You’ve answered your last call
Rest knowing that in god we sought
Oh lord, watch over another who just fell
Rest assured your troubled thought
As we ring the final bell.

Author: Unknown