B&W: Lost in the rain

B&W: Storm clouds in the city

B&W: Caution

Holy crap! Is the end of June nearly here? Shoot, it's time for a new theme. Thinking back to my themes post, I'm leaning toward doors & windows. Any ideas/suggestions?

B&W: Cowgirl

In other news, happy birthday to my dear old Dad who turned the big 6-0 today!

B&W: Colorless sunset

B&W: Unseasonal foliage

That's right, no more pictures of mountains. We made our way back to Houston today, which is devoid of any natural beauty. Unless you count the "astrodome" as being "mountainous".

B&W: Dark haze

I love the natural beauty of Utah, and I hate that I have to leave it tomorrow.

B&W: Home

B&W: Wide-eyed; Beard discovery

I am such a slacker. Or just really busy. Not only did I not post a photo yesterday, but I also didn't take a single photograph. Why? Well, between spending time with old friends, seeing Toy Story 3 (which, by the way, is an excellent, fun, and very touching movie (yes I cried)), and lots of eating, I simply forgot.

Yes, I am a failure. I blame it on vacation.

So here's another photo from the wedding on Saturday of Matt & his nephew to make up for it. Enjoy!

B&W: Bowie's in space

B&W: In old bottles

I apologize for the delay. Yesterday, we attended Matt's sister's wedding, which was incredibly cute and quaint. After a long reception and a stupid freeway closure, we didn't arrive back at our hotel until nearly midnight completely beat. And I had no energy to go through the 300 plus photos I took last night to find one to post.

Tessa & Adam's reception was out in Mapleton in a big red barn which amazing scenery. Wow, I really miss Utah. And it's topography.

B&W: Skipping rocks

B&W: Well-read Buddha

B&W: Old fire

I was debating whether or not I should leave Matt's black & white photos as today's daily photo post, but I decided to go ahead and post a photo today, too. However, I think his photos are better. Be sure to check them out below!

Guest Black & Whites

When Matt & I went to Ireland for our honeymoon, we were both fairly confident in our picture taking abilities. Matt, however, was quite sure that his artistry and skill were much better than my own. He liked my pictures, but mostly thought his were "better".

Then we went to Denmark, and we got quite competitive photographically. I felt my skills had improved, and I was ready to take some awesome pictures. He really liked (dare I say, even loved) some of my Denmark photos, and he said to me that my own skills just might be surpassing his.

And now, after months of practice with a SLR camera plus a photo class, I think unequivocally, we can all agree that I am the better photographer in the family.

The end.

Wait, I had a point. Matt is actually quite the photographer. I think he's particularly good at seeing the shot before he takes it and having all of the patience in the world to make sure he gets that shot he sees in his head. He took some wonderful photos (with a point and shoot, nonetheless!) while in Africa a few weeks ago, and he thought it'd be fun for me to share some of his edited black and whites. It is, after all, the theme of the month. And I absolutely love these.



I forget exactly where this photo was taken, but I believe it was in Cape Town and might even be on Table Mountain. Matt, can you confirm?

I loved the texture of both the tree/bush in the background and on the water fountain thing. Matt particularly loved the shadow behind it.



This is in Cape Town from atop Table Mountain. I thought this was a fantastic shot of the whole of Cape Town (well, most of it, I assume). And I think the black and white brings out all of the details in the city. And for you soccer/World Cup fans, that's the Cape Town stadium in the upper right hand corner.



This was Matt's favorite. He was up late one night editing his photos, and he giddily told me about this one in the morning when I woke up. I think I was expecting more (of what exactly, I'm not sure) because of his excitement over the photo, so I didn't love it at first. But after an explanation of where this was and the purpose behind this photo, I now think it's an incredible image.

This was taken at Robben Island in the prison where Nelson Mandela, among others, were imprisoned during the apartheid. Matt said that it was sitting there in one of the prison cells (not Mandela's) lonely and decrepit, a survivor of more bleak times on the island. I love how the tattered state of the bench blends almost seamlessly into the peeling wall behind it, a testament to its lonely and forgotten state. I think in color, although devoid of most of it naturally, the cold, harshness of this photo did not come through. Matt made the right choice turning this photo black and white to evoke the lonely decay of this sad, little bench.

Thanks for letting me share, Matt!

B&W: Spines in the sky

B&W: Grip

B&W: Withering

B&W: A loving touch

This is from a session I did today. I absolutely loved working with this couple! Even in the humidity of Houston, good times were had.

B&W: Stasis

B&W: Scene

B&W: Watchtower

B&W: A light in the dark

I just realized that this is my 100th photo! Look at me go!

B&W: Reach

B&W: Drip

B&W: Summertime

I took this of Hazel this morning at the Heights 5K. Yes, I ran another 5K!

P.S. Running in Houston in June is awful, but I finished!

B&W: Sticks & Stones

B&W: Waterspout

B&W: Peeling away

B&W: Telegraph, telegram, telephone

A black & white June

It's June! Which means that I've finished the first quarter of my photog challenge! (Can you believe it?)

And it's also time for a new theme. I appreciate everyone's input last week, and as I thought about it, I really liked the idea of doing a theme based on aesthetics rather than a subject. That being said, I decided to do black & white.



Now, this does create an interesting challenge for me. While I can choose any subject I wish (freedom!!), I have to create a photograph that will translate well into black and white.



In my experience, a photograph that's monochromatic or lacks a dynamic nature is usually well suited to black and white. Photos such as "Torn" or "Granite Waves" are prime examples.

"Torn" was (almost) completely green, and I felt that it lacked dimension. Giving it the B&W treatment, I felt, brought out all of the wonderful details of the leaves while bringing out the dynamic nature I thought it lacked in color.

"Granite Waves" was too dull and monochromatic. The door was a dark, dingy brown, and the granite was expectedly grey. By turning it into a black and white photograph, I thought it brought out the main feature of the photo, the sculpted granite, in a way that was impossible in color. You notice the granite and can feel it's static movement thanks to the B&W.



You may recognize this photo. I posted it's color version just last week. Many times, if I think a photo will benefit from a B&W treatment, I'll try it out. And in this case, I loved how it turned a bright and beautifully colored photo into a moody, gothic photo. I couldn't choose between the two versions, so I saved both! Decisions are hard to make sometimes.



This was taken during a family session last month, which, by the way, I'm still offering! If you're interested in The Nama Sessions, please feel free to contact me!

I'm looking forward to thinking in black and white this month, as I am prone to naturally thinking and wanting my photographs to be bold and colorful. I can't help but turn away from a beautifully blue sky or, heaven forbid, turn it black and white! It breaks my heart. So this, I feel, will be a fun and interesting challenge, and I'm looking forward to seeing the world without color this month. Seriously, I've been dreaming in photographs for three months now.



I love this photo. And it brings a huge smile to my face. Not just because it was taken in Scotland or that it's just of Matt, but because it's of Matt genuinely smiling (which is difficult to capture) and joyfully happy because of the falling snow. Also, it could be the fact that I really miss him. And this is the best I have right now.



Enjoy these black and white photos, and many more to come! And please keep leaving kind and helpful comments. I really do appreciate them! And I know that there are many lurkers out there, so get to commenting. :)