January 2, 2015

Without Color


The Geezer went off to work the auto show yesterday morning, and I had a whole day to myself.  I confess I did little of any weight.  Perhaps skimming a satire counts.  Eventually I found myself on the computer converting my world into black and white.

Like many of us, I grew up with black and white photography.  Oh, occasionally the old Kodak was brought out but not often.  I helped put my first husband through photography at Art Center when Art Center was the hot school in the early sixties.  What ever he learned, I learned.

When I saw the first photos in the 30-Day Black and White Challenge, I thought I could do it easily.  No, not easily.  The photo at the top is a reject.  Little contrast, little drama if you don’t know the subject, and a very grainy 1955 photo.  That’s not a happy man in the middle of his untreated alcoholism.  The photo doesn’t capture this, and I reluctantly rejected it. 

There are more that aren’t bad at all.  Every day I work a little on this project, and I hope soon to be able to share the good ones with you.





  • Himself:  He’s better.  Had fun at the auto show.



  • Herself:  I’m not bad and had fun with B&W.



  • Balance:  Photos that work well.


  • 10 comments:

    1. I love black and white photography. My Dad took hundreds of photos in Appalachia when he worked for the CCC. Unfortunately they have gone by the wayside over the years, and I have none of them.

      Have fun with your project.

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    2. I look forward to seeing them.

      I've been taking more and more photos -- would like to do something with them, but not sure what, yet.

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    3. Sorry about my last comment. I guess I thought you were on a cruise. I am just now getting back in the swing of things on my blog. Don't know why, but I love black and white pictures too.

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    4. I love those black and whites. I gave all the old family photos I had to my two youngest sisters. Nice to have someone who'll take care of them.

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    5. Black and white photos are awesome. Sometimes there is more detail you can see in these than in the ones that are colored. Good luck with the contest.

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    6. Good black and white photos tell more without the distraction of color, but as I have written before, they are really hard for me to do.

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    7. I don't think I've ever tried black and white photos. I imagine I will since my only plan upon retiring is to learn photography.
      Sorry I haven't kept up. Truly I am struggling to maintain my grip at work. Only four more months. Bonnie

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    8. B&W is specific to photography: something that we have done that no other artistic area does. I play with this from time to time. See most recent post.

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    9. We took some black and white photography when the kids were little. We thought that B&W photos lasted a lot longer. They did in the past, but my brother said the inks changed after a while and they no longer were archival. Now we don't even do prints, but B&W photos are very nostalgic for me. It also takes more effort and talent to do them well since you don't have color to distract you.

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    10. Are you working with a photo editing program, like PhotoShop? I turn many of my color pics b/w using that application. I've been afraid to update my OS on the Mac for fear of losing my Adobe apps.

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