revised issue 002 of foto-notes (May 2022)
This post is in response to Henry Carrol’s brilliant book ”READ THIS IF YOU WANT TO TAKE GREAT PHOTOGRAPHS OF PLACES.” that I picked up in Seattle earlier this year:
“Shooting in black & white means colors are translated into tones.”
Black & white in its most simplistic form is tonality. Examining scenes in tones has given me the chance to see & continue to see the world in a more sufficient manner that helps me grow as a visual artist. When I first started falling in love with photography around ten years ago, I would generally only shoot during sunrise and/or sunset – times of the day where tonality is fairly the same. I strongly felt that the only time to make “good” photos was during those golden hours as the sun stretches across any given environment. Not only was that mindset hindering but it was also causing me to make repetitive photos. Sure, one could argue that making similar photos helps with forming a style but at the end of the day I believe you have to create different types of work in order to truly grow & get a good sense of what you are capable of making & enjoy making.
“Sometimes you get lucky, but most of the time you just have to be patient.”
I've definitely walked the same path as you in a lot of ways. I definitely have a particular type of light or rather times of day I prefer to photograph during but I am much more comfortable using whatever light is available now to craft an image. Returning to the same subjects or places at different times a day is important and can also be a luxury sometimes so if you can do it often then use it as much as you can, I've noticed with my latest project that I exploring the same route at different times of day and light conditions really helped me get a sense of what light worked best and waited for more days that had that kind of light. Great read my friend, thank you for sharing this!
I couldn’t agree more! We are destined to take many photo adventures together in our lifetime. & yes; plus you increase the chance of catching a moment of magic if you will! I’ve found that on multiple midday outings, I get lucky with specific shadows, light, etc. that I normally wouldn’t encounter at any other time of the day!