MPC #145: BLACK AND WHITE 12/1 - 1/2

[Fuzz]

MPC #145 - BLACK AND WHITE 12/1 - 1/2 (extra long for the holidays)

I was having a conversation last night with a friend while shooting about colour vs black and white. While most of us probably shoot mostly in colour, I've been getting more and more into b&w landscapes and seascapes. B&W, at least for me, requires more thought, since not all scenes work in b&w for me. It emphasizes textures, patterns, and contrasts. B&W removes distracting colours and can draw the eye in specific places.

So let's see what we can come up with. Since it's the holiday season, I've made this MPC extra long (Jan. 2). Holiday festivities mean lots of people/portraiture possibilities as well.

I personally like b&w with a lot of punch (as opposed to an overall midtone grey). For inspiration, here are some top b&w photographers (Sebastiao Salgado is a favourite of mine): http://www.photographydo.com/black-a...-photographers

And some contemporary examples: http://photography.tutsplus.com/arti...hs--photo-3018

RULES:
1. Photos must be taken within the time period of the contest.
2. You may submit 3 photos during the competition.
3. The contest moderator will choose 5 (or 6) photos to be voted on.
4. The winner will get a happy feeling in his/her pants. (That is a rule by the way, not an option.)
5. In the event of a tie, the contest moderator will have the deciding vote.
6. Winner will be the contest starter/moderator for the next comp.
7. The winner has 3 days to start a new contest or 2nd place becomes the new winner.
8. And have fun.

[Fuzz]

Past MPC's

#144 Splash of color #143 Transition #142 Long exposure #141 WIDE OPEN #140 FREEDOM #139 STILL LIFE #138 ELEMENTS OF SPRING
#137 DOORS-WINDOWS #136 Wes Anderson #135 Cell Phone #134 Eyes #133 Roadscapes #132 Flight #131 Alpenglow #130 Urban/Street #129 CHANGE #128 Autumn Fog#127 Depth of Field #126 The Trail

#125 Renewal #124 Sky #123 Blue-Jeans #122 Las Montanas / Vertical Relief #121 Shopping Cart #120 Journey #119 Out of Your Comfort Zone #118 Water #117 Opposites#116 Resolutions #115 Celebration #114 Santa #113 Leading Lines part Deux #112 Story #111 Sunstars #110 Noise #109 Structure #108 Vast #107 Reflections #106 Monochrome #104 Your Beach #103 Relationship #102 Decay #101 Juxtaposition

#100 Tilt-Shift #99 Zoom #98 Signs #97 Artificial Light #96 Portrait as pertains to orientation #95 MACRO #94 Framed #93 October #92 White Line #91 Harvest #90 Where you live #89 Geological #88 Big Machinery #87 Hot/Heat #86 Stress Relief #85 Dirty #84 Transportation #83 Of Yourself By Yourself In Context #82 Long Exposure: Urban Edition #81 Old School #80 Energy #79 Need #78 Weather #77 Action Sports #76 Stress

#75 Anticipation #74 Foliage #73 Unreal #72 Speed #70 Old Technology #69 Plan B #68 Atmosphere POLL #67 Plants #66 Patterns #65 Weathered #64 WINNING #63 The End #62 Food #61 Seeing Double #60 Normal #59 Tranquility #58 Silhouette #57 Waiting #56 Night #55 Fire #54 Wheels #53 Small Sensors #52 Blur #51 Found Faces

#50 Portraits #49 Panoramic #48 Light & Shadow #47 Timing #46 Coffee & Beer #45 Community #44 Potential #43 Solitude #42 Holidays #41 Ominous #40 Imbalance #39 Transition #38 Unsightly #37 Self Portrait #36 Music #35 Summer #34 Passion #33 Home #32 Electricity #31 Bridges #30 Old & New #29 BW #28 Winter #27 HDR #26 Shadows

#25 Circles #24 Bars #23 People #22 Architecture #21 Wild Beasts #20 Water #19 Bulb #18 Celebration #17 Sunrise & Sunset #16 Out of Place #15 Altered #14 Angles #13 Pain & Suffering #12 Unusual Perspective #11 Depth #10 Contrast #9 Festive #8 Reflection #7 Leading Lines #6 Minimal #5 Abandoned #4 Perspective #3 Airborne #2 Straylight #1 Motion

[Supermoon]

Outtake from a work shoot, but it fits the theme pretty well I think.

[splitter]

[geomorph]

black and white sunset over dome by geomorphology, on Flickr

Mollie in a box by geomorphology, on Flickr

[ridinshockgun]

If it wasn't for the deep blue sky after sunset this would have made it's own B&W image, even though it was shot in color. The white glacial waters of the Hooker River were swollen after a recent rain storm and the skies cleared a couple hours before sunset, after which Mt Cook still lit up the sky well into the late evening.

HookerValleyBW by Clinton Koontz, on Flickr

[Fuzz]

If it wasn't for the deep blue sky after sunset this would have made it's own B&W image, even though it was shot in color. The white glacial waters of the Hooker River were swollen after a recent rain storm and the skies cleared a couple hours before sunset, after which Mt Cook still lit up the sky well into the late evening.

Hey, you're in NZ? How're you liking it so far? What else have you got on your itinerary? Let me know if you come up to Auckland -- we can meet up for a beer or something.

[skialpy]

Submissions #1

Pike Place Market After Hours

[smmokan]

Entry #1: The mighty Colorado River from the Tonto Trail on day 3 of a Grand Canyon backpacking trip:

[grskier]

Some great submissions so far!
#1

[andrew]

Current conditions at TGR's backyard. Flipping between color and monochrome, this image doesn't look all that different.

[BaNosser]

#1

[Supermoon]

2)

Trillium Crossing Bridge, Portland, OR by Phil Herbert, on Flickr

[HankScorpio]

Snapped this behind my in laws garage last weekend.

[From_the_NEK]

#1

[BaNosser]

#2

[skialpy]

Submission #2

[zartagen]

[Supermoon]

3)

Three Sisters, Bend, OR by Phil Herbert, on Flickr

[smmokan]

Taken last week, playing tag with my 4-yr old niece in the park:

[crashtestdummy]

The Womans Tonic by Harvey Richards, on Flickr

[From_the_NEK]

Two more:


BurkeFenceBW by Tim_NEK, on Flickr

[east or bust]

#1

DSC03430 by AD, on Flickr

[Fuzz]

Great submissions so far. A few more days to go, so for anyone who hasn't submitted, get out there and shoot!
grskier, your image is missing (shows "Photo not found").

[smmokan]

Entry #3:

Taken this morning in the Indian Peaks Wilderness while XC skiing at about 11,000 feet. This is Mt. Audobon (13,250ft) just before the snow came in.