Just Messin Around

Typically I’m not a fan of black and white pictures. Ansel Adams is a superb photographer but his photographs would be so breathtaking in color! I agree the detail is so much clearer in black and white but, I love color, particularly in things that are truly colorful!! What a shame to take away their natural beauty and vibrance! Recently I saw some pictures that our niece, Trish, took that she had edited in black and white. I LOVED THEM!! She’s a wonderful photographer and her work has completely changed my thinking – in some cases. She has truly inspired me. Well, here are some pictures I took and was able (made myself) to edit to black and white. Thanks Trish for your encouragement and great examples!

Believe it or not, this elevator is still operational in the fall. Trucks and truck traffic through our little “burg” double the population! Well, our population of trucks anyway.

This is the front of the “shop” where my hubby’s father, uncle and grandfather had an Oliver dealership/repair garage. This building was finished in 1946 and remained in business until 1971. I often wonder how many hundreds of gallons of coffee had been consumed during that time. A time when folks had time to visit, when someone’s word was all it took to seal an agreement and an honest day’s work was really hard work. The stories these wall could tell. I’d like to hear every one of them.

Now I must say that the detail of the grass by the tires and to the left where the sun is shinning on it is absolutely remarkable!! It’s things like this that you don’t notice in a color photo because the colors distracts your eye.

I particularly like this picture because of the detail in the grain of the planks as well as the grass between the support beams. Black and white. Gotta give it credit for bringing out the details.

This is just my favorite. Our neighbor’s old pump and bucket.

Glad you’re sitting down for this one. Looking from the bottom up of a grain bin. If it feels queazy to you, you should’a seen it from my lens. But again, due to the black and white, you notice the shadows from the rungs, the sandy looking texture of the concrete and the imperfections in it. I compared it to the original and it’s like you see it but then you really don’t notice it so much.

Ok. That’s it for the black and white. If you’re still with me, I wanted to show you a few full color just to reset your eyes.

Yes, he’s a turkey but he’s really quite the ham. Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. Just some of the things you see in small towns.  Personally, we just have a dog.

Looking at this picture you may be thinking perhaps I was leaning or my camera was crooked but, “nope” to both. This cob burner (looks like a grain bin) is actually leaning and yes, the tree is growing from the center of it. But, that’s not why I shot this picture on a warm April afternoon at about 4:30/5:00. When I stumbled onto this scene I was transported back into time; I was 10 years old again standing in the backyard of my grandparents’ farm. The long shading shadow from the sprawling stand of trees on the left was very similar to the canopy in their backyard. The breeze coming from the north carried the scent of the freshly worked field and the aroma of grass and plants that had long been damp without sun.  It’s an earthy smell, a rich smell that can’t be defined or described adequately. It’s just what it is. It’s comfort. It’s reminiscent of a time that I miss.

I like this in color much better just because I think the rust color really contrasts the concrete as well as the grass. Don’t think I’ll switch this to black and white.

Before I went totally black and white, I tried taking the saturation and vibrance down just a bit. I started gradually and came up with these.

It became easier and easier just to slide the indicator to less and less color.

I love this one with the old bike.

Well I hope that these pictures have inspired you as our niece, Trish, inspired me. Go grab your camera and get out there and start shooting pictures! Try different angles (opposite side of “the right side”, from the bottom up, from the top down, from the front and from the back).

Offset the “subject” so it creates a bit of a blank canvas to one side. Just use your imagination. Look on Instagram and PBase for inspiration as well. Shoot sunrises or sunsets, clouds and the shadows the sun’s backlighting provides. Shoot eye level pictures of dandelions, both yellow and those going to seed. If you don’t like the way they turn out, delete those and go out again. You’ll eventually get to where you wanna be. Just have fun with it. Discover new ways of editing but most importantly, have an open mind and be willing to try new things!! I did and I’m glad I did.

Please, if you can give suggestions/constructive criticism to either the pictures that I’ve taken or tips and tricks that you’d like to share, please feel free!!! I’d love to hear from you!