Black & White 5 Day Challenge: Day 5

Truth Revealed

If a smoke screen hides the truth then I supposed inverted smoke perhaps reveals the truth.

 

Recently I attended a workshop by Andre Gallant and was so inspired by his work. Andre is a Canadian photographer whose works have appeared in numerous photography magazines, has published 5 books and  conducts workshops on occassion. I purchased his book "Inspiration - Creative Photography Projects which I plan on working through this winter. I fully intend to hibernate and avoid the cruel cold and deep snow they are promising Southern Ontario. It is a great book that goes into expressive photography techniques, alternate processes, post-processing and creative exercises. 

That is the end of my Black & White 5 Day Challenge and I learned a lot but also got inspired again to pick up my camera. Sometimes photographing gets stale and finding these little projects helps to get the creative spirit going again. The smoke photography was very relaxing and I really love the look of the inverted one. I will revisit this exercise again I am sure.

A good video on how to set your flash and additional lighting for Smoke Photography

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Black & White 5 Day Challenge

Day 5: Black & White Inversion

Black & White 5 Day Challenge: Day 4

 

The Un-Seen World

Things seen are temporal and things unseen are eternal. ~ Helen Keller

 Infared (IR) Photography is the light we can't see with the naked eye. It is the colours at the end of the rainbow after red or so the photo gurus tell me. For me - it is an action I hit in Lightroom that turned my leaves on the white side for an unusual effect! 

I took the photo at a local conservation park - Purple Woods in mid October. It was just after a rain so the leaves were really jumping out in colour. When we got to the bottom of the hill deep in the woods we saw a sign saying black bear spotted in July. Look left - look right.... lucky for us no bears seen that day!

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Black & White 5 Day Challenge

Day 4: Infared

Black & White 5 Day Challenge: Day 3

 
 Mad Hatter Tea Party

There is no great genius without some touch of madness

 ~ Seneca

Aren't we all a little bit mad? Ah yes, this is the same hat you saw Kodee wear on Halloween. My daughter has the best props so I raid her closet often!

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 Black & White 5 Day Challenge

Day 3: Hi Key

Black & White 5 Day Challenge: Day 2

 

 Empty

What do you mean there is NO DINNER?!

Poor Kodee she was completely baffled why I was not telling her "OUT" as I usually do when she climbs in the fridge. Instead I was pointing to the fridge and saying "LOOK" encouraging her to spread her dog hair about my food... plus hiding cookies and smears of peanut butter in it. 

I wanted to try my hand at either an ipad front lit or fridge rim light photo. In these photos often you have to use a higher ISO, but I wanted to try a grainier look. My only regret is my kitchen layout didn't really allow for a wider shot.

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Black & White 5 Day Challenge
Day 2: Side lit with a little rim lighting effect, high contrast

Black & White 5 Day Challenge: Day 1

Simple Things

"Marley taught me about living each day with unbridled exuberance and joy, about seizing the moment and following your heart.  He taught me to appreciate the simple things - a walk in the woods, a fresh snowfall, a nap in the shaft of winter sunlight". 

~ John Grogan

I am embarking on a week long quest to improve my black and white photography. I am such a huge fan of it but rarely like my own attempts. So this week I am setting out to get a better understanding of how best to go about this! 

Meet Calvin, the sweetest Cavalier from Utah - one of Becky's first nephews.  I loved this photo in colour but was surprised how much more I love it in B&W. Without colour I find I am really drawn to the dog's face and his pure expression of love and enjoyment! To me the bond of this pair is evident and B&W only helps to convey that message more.  
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Black & White 5 Day Challenge
Day 1:  Soft focus conversion with a mocha tint

Black & White Sunday: Slipping in the River

March can bring on challenging conditions to photograph outdoors. Lots of gloomy gray skies, muddy tracks, barren trees and sloppy slush. Not exactly inspiring stuff to photograph. This weekend we got together with a local group of photographers for a 2 hr hike. Our challenge was to process our photos in black and white only.
 

This my favourite capture of the day. I love how he is posed and concentrating. The final image with warm tones and a high key look suits him. 

 8 people crossed over the river with no trouble along a frozen section - except me that is! My right foot went crashing through the ice and I ended up soaked up to my knee! Good thing it was not too cold because I still had a good 30 minutes walk back to  car.

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Adding both dogs to my

100 Dog Strangers Series

The Canine version of "100 Strangers".

A photographic record of all the wonderful dogs I meet in my travels. 

 Began in 2012 and ending... TBD. 

Also joining in the fun at "Black & White Sunday"

Black & White Sunday: The Still of Winter

If Becky were human I imagine her as a poet or philosopher - she always appears to be deep in thought. With such a cold winter, the dogs have been a little more laid back just like me. I often look over and they appear to be daydreaming - probably of greener and warmer days too!

In B&W I always think the mood of a photograph can shine through more. Being an almost all black dog, in colour she can get lost in the background of a photo. 

As part of my The Visual Toolbox: 50 Lessons For Stronger Photographs study group, week 7 is all about "wide angle lens inclusion". Sometimes when you shoot with a wide lens you feel a vastness. This week we were to use a wide angle lens but make the viewer feel like they were included - like they were right there with you.

Both Becky and this landscape were shot with the 10-22mm. In this photo I up to my thighs in snow, crouched very low to the  ground and just a foot away from the rabbit feet.Hopefully you get the feeling of being there right with me.Looking at this photo I also realize it will be some time before we walk on grass again. Let the slow melt begin!

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Participating in Black & White Sunday

Horror Film Wannabee ~ Black & White Sunday

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Joining in the fun for

inspiring Black & White pet photography.

Do Not Disturb

Cappuccino Hangover

In the depth of winter, I finally learned that within me there lay an invincible summer .
~ Albert Camus

Espresso Required

Perhaps I am a bear, or some hibernating animal underneath, for the instinct to be half asleep all winter is so strong in me.

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

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Becky was still lying low last week while on the mend from her agility injury so the mood here was all about hibernation. Lots of comfort food, herbal teas, Cavalier cuddles rounded out my week - I'm not complaining!

On Friday we were hit with a snow storm which produced the season's first deep powder snow. Suddenly there was no containing Becky - she let me know she was ready to cut loose.

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Participating in Black & White Sunday