To Colour or NOT to Colour?

I've been thinking about going Black and White in my photography for a while... and lo and behold, my favorite magazine comes along with their annual issue on Black and White photography.  Now I'll be honest... I love colour photos just as much as anybody else... and I've been guilty of taking a colour photo that didn't quite work and making it into B&W to salvage it.  Some photos, just simply DESERVE to be made into B&W because they take on a whole new life that they don't have when left alone.

There are some distinct advantages to shooting in Black & White... It forces you to see a little bit differently, and it also makes you spend more time on composing your photo, because a badly composed B&W photo is criticized more harshly than were it colour.  And when you learn how to see the textures and and tones that B&W photographs can convey, you can truly start to get some powerful shots.

Take, as an example, this shot of a bridge.  In colour, it was just kind of a mess.  It was a neat idea when I took it, and then as I thought about it, I decided that it needed to be converted into Black & White.  A couple of darkroom tools later, out comes this photo which is full of texture, detail, warmth, and life.  Which is perfect, because the whole hike was lively, and the weather was perfect for it.  I could have used a few other techniques to bring everything out of this photograph, but I felt that simple was best for it.  The photo is busy enough as it is.

Other things that I've seen have just simply begged to be photographed in Black & White. A snag in the forest simply leapt out at me and demanded to be photographed... and it was clear that colour would not work. A clump of toadstools on a stump almost screamed it at me. That photo, while good in colour, took on a whole new life in B&W. Winter photos are very well suited to Black & White photography; particularly when you have a subject that is ALSO well-suited to it.

Like I said... a couple of these in colour would be good shots anyway... and a couple of these just simply DON'T WORK other than in Black & White.  Black and White photography is something that I think all photographers should explore in more depth than they normally do, and I intend to.  Am I going to forsake colour?  Certainly not... but I am going to spend more time looking for shots that are going to be taken in Black & White.

What do you think?  Does Black & White photography speak to you?  Is good B&W photography something that you want to hang on your wall?



Welcome to the Blog!

I read in different articles how a good photographer needs to have a Blog.  Okay... I'd like to fancy myself a fairly decent photographer, and so, I'll start writing a blog.  So what am I going to write about?  Well... photography, of course.

I've been doing a lot of action photography lately, since I've become the photographer for the Terrace Speedway. Sounds easy, doesn't it? Push the button, let the camera go clickety-click as it snaps off three or four shots quicker than you realize, and then look at the results in your viewfinder and call it all good. That's part of it, but a big part of it also is learning to anticipate what's going to happen.

Gone for a ride OFF the track after losing a wheel.

Some things you simply can't predict, like a racecar losing a wheel between corners 3 and 4 and ending a team's racing for the day.  A case like this, you sort of end up going to check out afterwards, and hope like hell you're going to get something interesting.  Thanks to a proper roll-cage and harness, the driver of car number 12 came away from this little ride with nothing worse than a heckuva tale to tell.

Some things just sort of come across as being naturally interesting, like a couple cars that are neck and neck for the whole race and end up finishing the race with one winning by a BUMPER-length. Ask any racecar driver... THAT'S the way to win a race. It sure had the spectators excited, I can tell you. And the old joke about "rubbing's racing?" It's true. There aren't very many racecars out there that have all of their original paint left. Or that don't have some other color that wasn't there to begin with. But it's done in a gentle-personly fashion (I say gentle-personly because a lady friend of mine races... and she's learned to swap a little paint here and there, too... Good job, Tracy!) and all in the spirit of friendly competition. 

Winning by a bumper

Rubbing IS racing!!!



Some times when you're out there you can just TELL that things are going to happen... like when the track is a little bit wet and everybody's feeling a little bit of pressure. The oil starts to float up out of the asphalt and people are running a little bit harder than normal. And sooner or later, somebody ends up sliding all over the track. It makes for a great show for everybody, and ends up providing some really cool pictures.

Yeah... shooting at the track is a gas.  It's never boring, sometimes tough to get to where you need to be at the right time...  And you know what else?  The people are pretty cool.  All the people are interested in everything being safe and entertaining.  If somebody loses a belt, another person loans one to them so they can all keep on racing and making the crowd happy.  The whole place carries an atmosphere of goodwill, fun, and energy.  It's great being a part of it.