Everything Is Black & White

I love winter imagery in black & white. Early in the season my dream was to create a bigger collection of monochrome photos, but after looking back have only a modest offering. There were several trials that when viewed objectively, looked best in color. Black & white can be tricky and only a small percentage of images work to my satisfaction. If I don’t see something special in an image, whatever it might be, I prefer to keep them to myself, or better yet, toss them! The images below range from the first dramatic scenes, to the more intimate, such as the slope-side tree surrounded by trails from descending snowballs. And last are some even more intimate nature studies, shot earlier in the season when there was only a dusting of snow. I hope you enjoy seeing everything here in black & white!

‘Winter Steeple’ © Denise Bush

‘Clearing Over Coated Peaks’ © Denise Bush

‘Winter’s Last Light’ © Denise Bush

‘Slope-side Slide’ © Denise Bush

‘Pine Cones & Sticks One’ © Denise Bush

‘Pine Cones & Sticks Two’ © Denise Bush

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Winter Scenes In B&W

Time to get 2021 started with my first post of the year. I’ve been out shooting when the conditions seem promising and my mood cooperates. Sometimes one shot will spark an idea for a self-assignment that gives me something to work on. And while out I’m always keeping my eyes open for subjects that fit any number of the new, or recurring themes on my list. Mini collections that I post here often add to past examples with the same subject, creating larger collections of what interests me most. This post includes rather random landscapes but the common threads are winter, snow, and black and white conversions. What I’ve learned over the years is that not all captures work as monochromes. I like to use DXO’s (f.k.a. Nik) Silver Efex Pro and experiment with favorite settings to discover an image’s potential. Exploring the color filters within Silver Efex or other conversion tools offers variations to compare results, and decide upon the best solution. I don’t venture far with filters because my style is to keep my photographs looking like photographs. Here are some images I feel worked well as monochromes … I hope you like them!

‘Closed Ahead’ © Denise Bush

‘OK Corral’ © Denise Bush

‘Little Tree In Pasture’ © Denise Bush

‘Sneffels Peak Peeking In B&W’ © Denise Bush

‘Winter Wind Among Evergreens’ © Denise Bush

‘Corbett Clearing’ © Denise Bush

Pioneer Artifacts

Another opportunity came up to photograph at a history museum and I grabbed it! This time the shoot was at the Pioneer Museum in Gunnison, Colorado which houses a massive collection of artifacts … from trains to dolls, and everything in-between. I enjoy photographing these everyday, obsolete subjects … they have an interesting history and story to tell about the people who used them. There was so much to see in fact, it was a bit overwhelming searching for the right objects, and finding angles that would work. Here the items were mostly displayed as collections, neatly lined up, one next to another. Like all museums a hands-off policy as well as signs and tags on many items made it difficult to find subjects that I could isolate in an artistic way. The overhead, fluorescent lighting left a bit to be desired but the ability to use a tripod was a big plus. I started with my macro lens in an area full of typewriters and captured a few close-ups to add to my collection. Old dusty mason jars and milk bottles caught a little bit of light in the barn loft and my eye too. It took some time to pick out favorites from the day and I had fun processing them in black and white, adding in a dash of drama. I hope you enjoy looking at them. Feel free to let me know what you think by clicking the comments link at the end of the post!

‘Milk Bottles Geometric’ © Denise Bush

‘Good Luck Atlas’ © Denise Bush

‘Sewing Machine With Cobwebs’ © Denise Bush

‘Faulty Diction’ © Denise Bush

‘Tricycle In B&W’ © Denise Bush

‘Portrait Of Dolly’ © Denise Bush

‘Royal Keys’ © Denise Bush
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‘Old-fashioned Letters’ © Denise Bush
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‘Train Car Lantern’ © Denise Bush

‘Suspicious Baggage’ © Denise Bush
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Iceland V

If you have been following my Iceland posts you are learning how diverse this country is. It is what surprised me most. Here I show more diversity, this time in black & white. Some of the scenes just seemed to call for it. It was fun to see all the different land formations that years of volcanic activity and erosion provided. A field with odd mounds that looked like pyramids interested me as did some sea stacks, similar to those found in our pacific northwest. It seemed obvious that many of the formations were relatively new, especially compared to the rounder more weathered Appalachian Mountains I am so familiar with. In the lagoon, glacier chunks, layered with volcanic material waited their turn to be washed out to sea. Following the Ring Road, the sea was never far away and we were happy to be graced by its company as we traveled. I found Iceland to be magnificent in its diversity and long to go back each time I process another image.

‘Island Between’ © Denise Bush

‘Pyramids Of Iceland’ © Denise Bush

‘Beached Icebergs in B & W’ © Denise Bush

‘Icebergs In Glacier Lagoon’ © Denise Bush

‘Iceberg Close-up’ © Denise Bush

‘Selandjafoss Black & White’ © Denise Bush

‘Sea Stacks’ © Denise Bush

‘Along The Way’ © Denise Bush

‘Seaside Ruins’ © Denise Bush

‘Icelandic Horse & Rider’ © Denise Bush