Simple assignment, black & white photography.  Harder assignment, why you choose to photograph or present your photos in B&W. Scott Thomas just had to throw that last part into his current photographic assignment. I was hoping I would be able to get some fresh images for this assignment which would also help me answer the tougher question, but my opportunities dwindled as the deadline approached. Luckily the daylight savings time change last weekend provided the necessary extra light after work and I created time earlier this week to explore the creek behind my house. It is a favorite playground of mine and late in the day always manages to provide me with interesting subjects.

Around the Bend
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/5s, 90mm, f/18, ISO 200

Beware the S-curve
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/5s, 62mm, f/20, ISO 100

Straight on to you
Nikon D5100, Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6, 1/2s, 55mm, f/20, ISO 100

Of course these images are an easy fit for conversion to B&W. Color can be an important ingredient when making an image. Our eyes are automatically drawn to bright or contrasting color areas of an image. A B&W image relies more on the lines, composition, and a balance between light and dark areas. Shadows and highlights become more obvious in a B&W image. The details in a B&W image tend to stand out more for me than in the corresponding color version. I’m not sure it is a real phenomenon or just my perception. I find when I specifically set out to create an image in B&W I look for slightly different things before I press the shutter.

These three images in particular where about capturing the flow of the dark water and the texture of the new, puffy snow. You might also notice that these are not exactly B&W images. I prefer either a platinum tone or a silver tone to a lot of the images I convert. The silver tone especially handles the slight tonal differences better in the mid tones. I like the way a platinum tone brings out the subtle differences in the highlights of the snow.

This winter I felt like I needed something to keep me motivated and get me to drag my lazy butt outside with the camera. I decided to create a series of images I called Monochrome Winter. I have tagged all the posts in this series so they can be viewed as a set. There is a link under the header image on my home page or you can use this link: Monochrome Winter.

I know this might sound cliche but I recently discovered Ansel Adams’ work. I tend to troll certain sections when I am at the library with no clear direction on the book I am looking for until something catches my eye. I brought home his book Ansel Adams: Our National Parks and was hooked. I have been working my way through everything the library has to offer. I know it has had an impact on how I approach my photography and even some of my processing. I definitely want to take a trip out west and view Yosemite for myself.

Another big influence on my desire to create B&W images is Nate Parker. I first found Nate on Google+ and was immediately captivated by his images. Nate lives in Acadia Natinal Park in Maine. His coastline images have me planning a return trip to Maine, just going farther north along the coast than I have in the past. If you haven’t viewed his work you can check it out here: Nate Parker Photography.

Well, the sun is out and the sky has some nice clouds. The battery is charged and the temps are rising. Time for me to go exploring…