There’s nothing like a blank and white photo to really how off the shape and texture of a subject. Sure, color can be beautiful, but when you’re looking to really focus on shape, it’s black and white that forces you to really focus.
And sometimes you take a color photo and the universe decrees that it must be rendered in black and white.
All of today’s photos were captured in color, but as I was processing them I realized that they were so close to black and white that maybe I should just desaturate them. The black wires against the gray sky were captivating in their starkness. The rough wooden pole was nearly black from the paleness of the light and decades of salt air weathering it. The waterlogged cobwebs softened the joining of these elements, but in a way that was undeniably creepy.
I captured these photos using my Nikon D3100. They sat on the SD card, un explored, for three weeks, until I finally had the time to unload them last night.
These photos provide the perfect opportunity to study form and composition. The dominant lines MUST run neatly parallel to the gridlines of the photo, or drastically violate them, else the photo will appear lopsided and sloppy.
Like I said, you can violate the horizontal and vertical lines and everything will be fine, if you deviate radically.
Until the day I can arrange to get into a decrepit power plant, these are likely going to be some of my best photos of electrical equipment.
But just wait until you see what I have to show off tomorrow…
Your kids can take classes with me at OutSchool, and I will have courses for adults up and running soon. Interact and see more of my art on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, or sit back and watch some of my Maker and travel videos over on YouTube. I also write novels and an ongoing family drama series called In Such Times. If you really like my work you can support me on Patreon.