Monday, January 12, 2015

Black and White Photography

Thank you for the overwhelming amount of comments last Wednesday on my IWSG introduction post.

Elizabeth S. Craig pointed out that I'd failed to mention my roller coaster addiction. How could I forget?

Several commented on my photography, in particular the black & white. I started taking photos when I was 12 and learned to do B&W photography in high school through classes and the yearbook staff. I loved working in the darkroom and trying new tricks.

I acquired a Nikon 8008 in 1990 and purchased a friend's old B&W enlarger. I started selling stock photos the following year to places such as Cat Fancy and Homes Illustrated. I then moved into wedding and on-site portrait photography.

These days, I just shoot for fun. But my passion is still B&W, as I tend to see the world in shapes and textures over colors. I thought I would share some of those images with you.

A few are from my print days and were scanned into the computer:



(A hand-held, 15 second exposure taken from the top of the rotating Space Needle)


The rest were all taken digitally, including a couple with just a point and shoot:









And where did my love of photography and B&W come from? My father. He could take amazing photos and just by guesstimating the exposure. (He had no light meter.) He took hundreds of shots when he went hiking in the Rockies, including this one:


Did someone inspire one of your hobbies or passions?

54 comments:

Rhonda Albom said...

Wonderful. I love black and white shots, but I always shoot color. This are brilliant. I pinned a few of them.

Elizabeth Spann Craig said...

I love these pictures! Black and white somehow brings so much atmosphere to a photo.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

Nice shots

Natalie Aguirre said...

Awesome pictures. You're so talented. I bet your color photos are amazing too.

M.J. Fifield said...

I love photography—especially black and white.Your pictures are beautiful.

shelly said...

Love these pics. Especially the creepy house.

L. Diane Wolfe said...

Rhonda, thank you.

Karen, that was Calvin in one of her photographic moments.

Chrys Fey said...

I love photography and try my hand at it all the time, but I'm not as talented as you. I wish I knew how to work in a darkroom. Your photography is amazing!

Bish Denham said...

Absolutely fabulous photos! My dad was an amateur photographer too and had a darkroom. I have only a few of his pictures. A couple are from the 1940s. I think between him and my mother's artistic talent I inherited a fairly good eye for framing shots and, with an aged point and shoot Canon digital, have taken some amazing pictures that have surprised me.

cleemckenzie said...

I'm in love with your black and whites! Thanks so much for showing them to us today. I pinned several and I hope you don't mind if I post your alligator on my Alligators Overhead page. It's a beauty.

Sarah Foster said...

Your photography is amazing! I used to take more pictures but I was never all that good at it, but the best ones were always when I just took a walk somewhere and took some nature shots.

~Sia McKye~ said...

I enjoyed your pictures. Love the katydid shell. I need better macro to take some of the close ups I like. I've used BW and Sepia. I like both for different reasons.

I've always enjoyed photography. Kinda gotten out of the habit of late altho I do take quick snaps now and then. Something I'll be getting back to this year--camera walks.

Sia McKye Over Coffee

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

Those are cool. Dig the one of Seattle.

H. R. Sinclair said...

Beautiful! The pattern on the gator (or croc) is so gorgeous! Oh, and the kitty with his face in the birdie - hah I just got it! Adorable.

My love of art was inspired by my mom. She was an amazing artist.

Susan Gourley/Kelley said...

Those are great pictures. My older sister is amazing with knitting or crocheting and I took it up because of that though I'm no where near as good as she is. One of my other sisters and I share a passion for jigsaw puzzles and each year on our birthdays we try to find one that the other one can't put together.

Jay Noel said...

I love every single one of those! Especially the old house. I have a fascination with abandoned old houses. I wonder about the people who used to call these empty shells "home."

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Diane - the shots are amazing ... I love the bug and the horses with their ethereal filtering ... but black and white images are so effective .. cheers Hilary

Peaches Ledwidge said...

I started picking out the ones I liked and then I just had to give in. I love them all.

Karen Jones Gowen said...

You are truly an artist with the camera. I love black and white shots as well. My favorites above are the city scape and the horses. Thank you for sharing your addiction with us. I hope you'll continue showcasing more of your black and white photos on your blog!

Notes Along the Way with Mary Montague Sikes said...

Nice photos, especially the beautiful horse one! Black and white are very artful, but I prefer to work with color. So glad you continued with your photos after your high school days!

Jemi Fraser said...

Love black & whites too! There's something so powerful about the images! Beautiful shots :)

J E Oneil said...

I guess the blogosphere knows more about you than you do :).

Lovely photos. You're really good!

Lynda R Young as Elle Cardy said...

Blogger ate my comment...
I said something along the lines of being super impressed by your talent at capturing those black and whites. So gorgeous!

Anonymous said...

Your photographs are amazing. I'd like to explore photography. Of course, I'd first have to get a real camera, not just use my phone.

klahanie said...

Hi Diane,

Black and white captures a stark ambience that can have quite the impact. I can see that your father inspired your love for photography.

Gary

Unknown said...

Wow, amazing. You really have an eye. I'm terrible at photography.

Anonymous said...

Oh my gosh! These are excellent. They inspire me to dig deeper with my photography and start doing the light metering and learning my flash!

Carol Kilgore said...

These are so good. I don't know which is my favorite - all of them!

My mother inspired my love of cooking. She could make anything, and she could turn leftovers into an entirely new meal.

Ella said...

You have a poetic eye! I love black n' white-the mood is elevated when color isn't the focal point! My father too was into photography. He use to develop his own photos~
Thank you! You inspire me-I haven't blogged since losing my 4 legged best friend after New Years. Yes, my beagle who has been in many photos on my blog. He had cancer and Cushing's disease~

You are so talented!!! @>--------------------

Unknown said...

Wow, your black and white photos are all so artistic! I especially love the one taken from the Space Needle

Carolyn Howard-Johnson said...

It's amazing how many authors Iknow who are also photographers. I guess talent doesn't necessarily have to specialize--especially when one liitle bod posesses so much of it! Maybe one day we can collaborate on a poetry book, Diane.

Tammy Theriault said...

Wow, those ARE amazing pics!! I'm gonna have to snag your camera!!

Anonymous said...

Diane, the pictures are great. I'll have to share them with my hubby, as he enjoys taking pictures.

Elana Johnson said...

Such great pictures! My husband is a professional photographer, and he recently bought a black and while film camera. It's from like, 1975 or something. Very cool!

Dean K Miller said...

The photos are amazing. I believe B&W produces more eye for detail as we aren't "wowed" by the colors. The contrasts in B&W are amazing.

Denise Covey said...

B&W photos are my favourite! I follow some amazing professional B&W photographers on facebook and are constantly amazed at their creativity. Love the shot from the Space Needle and also the cat and the shuttle. Fantastic! I wonder, have you sold many stock photos?

Happy New Year L Diane!

Denise :-)

Mason Canyon said...

Amazing photos. There's just something about black and white photos that quickly draws you in.

Michelle Wallace said...

Wow, you have an eye! Really lovely.
The B&W pics are something else...

David P. King said...

I need to be a better photographer. Need to capture those moments before they slip away. Excellent photos! I could frame and hang some of those in my house. :)

Stephen Tremp said...

I used to have an Ansel Adams. Loved that picture of a tree on a hill. I dropped by camera years ago and cracked it. So now I use my outdated S2 cell phone for pics.

LD Masterson said...

I dabbled in photography at one time but never got into shooting B&W. Yours are wonderful.

Now, sadly, most of my pictures are grabbed on the run with my phone. (But no selfies!)

M Pax said...

Those are fantastic. I envy your eye for the shot. You know I love taking photos. It's something I do for fun.

Rawknrobyn.blogspot.com said...

You have a sharp eye and raw talent. I love all these images, especially the cat hiding (?!) from the camera. Cute.

Arlee Bird said...

Nice work. I really like black and white photography and films. That old boarded up structure is especially cool. My attempts at photography never seem very artistic, but I rarely take pictures either so I guess I haven't developed any style.

Lee
Tossing It Out

Tyrean Martinson said...

Wow! Beautiful work!

Cherie Reich said...

Wow! Amazing photographs! The kitty with its face in the shuttlecock was so adorable, and I love the picture with the dinosaur.

Joylene Nowell Butler said...

In a word: O U T S T A N D I N G! You, dear Diane have an excellent eye.

Robin said...

B&W pics always say two things to me (not necessarily at the same time): old and classy. Old because there was a time when color wasn't an option. And classy because it just IS. Classier, that is.

Sherry Ellis said...

Those are all great pictures! I like the one with the cat's head stuck in the birdie.

Nas said...

Amazing photos. They are so brilliantly done.

Stina said...

I love B&W photos and those are gorgeous.

I love photography but haven't had a chance to do much lately due to my writing. So of course I have lots of heroines who love photography instead. lol

Now that I have a cat, I need to do some B&W photos of her. :)

tree said...

I really love your photograph. There's just something about black and white images that brings a different feeling than color images. Maybe it's because my mind is allowed to play guessing games at what the colors could be. Nice.

Tara Tyler said...

you never cease to amaze me! another talent for b&w photos! my faves are the view from the space needle & the old bldg. the croc was startling! excellent!

Vanessa Morgan said...

These are all beautiful. Of course, the picture of the cat is my favorite ;-) Have a lovely Thursday.