WHAT I'M WORKING ON: "Bunker Art"

Another in my series of photographs depicting the details of military fortifications along the west coast. In this case, I converted the image to black and white and then let just a bit of the underlying color image come through. Gotta say, I like this effect!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

What I'm working on: BUNKER ART

There’s one project I’ve been working on for years, and it revolves around photographing military bunkers and forts throughout the Pacific northwest. The subject matter is usually considered strange, the pictures are mostly abstract, and the colors are mottled and subdued. But my heart races when I go out to shoot, which tells me I’m doing the right thing.

Why is this project a good idea? Because it gives me a purpose. At the end of all this, maybe there will be a book, a gallery exhibit, a photo essay. Or not. It doesn’t really matter. What matters is that I have a focus, one that makes me explore the wonders of black and white photography rather than the instant gratification of color.

And it makes me happy.

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your understanding and kindness.

In the studio . . . old papers and a bird nest

Cleaning up the studio, still, and I wonder how this bird nest would look on these old Japanese papers. Well, pretty damned good! So I take some time, take a few shots, and then move on.

Nothing says I HAVE to clean the studio. But something says yes, you HAVE to take this photograph! Always lean toward “yes” seems a good motto . . .

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

In the studio . . . papers, pods, and barnacles

Every time I try to tidy up the studio, I see things I suddenly must photograph.

There's a pile of papers on one table, poppy pods on the light table, and a flat rock covered in barnacles on yet another surface.

Hmmm, what would the poppy pods look like on this old Japanese paper? And the barnacles? Well, they're here, aren't they? Just a quick shot before I move them somewhere else . . .

And I know that this morning, when I go out there to once again do some cleaning, I'll just have to shoot the big feathers I found along a lake yesterday . . .

What a wonderful, never-ending problem to have!

All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh. Thank you for your kindness.

Recent work: "Ladder in Truchas, New Mexico"

It’s fun, isn’t it, to wander around little towns you’ve never visited, seeing new things with fresh eyes? So while in the small town of Truchas, I walked up and down the roads, just to see what I could find. 

 

This ladder was just the best! It leaned against a textured adobe wall, everything in the shade except for the ladder and a bit of the wall. 

 

I opted for a black and white rendition (with a bit of brown toning) of my original color photo. Why? The lightest elements are the wall and the ladder. I emphasized the contrast so that the ladder and wall stand out and the rest of the scene retreats into darkness. There wasn't nearly this much drama in the original shot.

 

Wandering without expectations and then finding a small, intimate scenario, well, it doesn’t get much better! 

 

I uploaded this image to Fine Art America the first day of this year. If you'd like to see it larger and with more detail, click this link and then hover your cursor over the picture to use the 100% enlarger feature.

 

©Carol Leigh 
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Christmas snow

first snow
   the neglected yard
   now perfect

      -- Elizabeth St. Jacques

 ©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Compare and contrast . . .

Both of these fishing boats were photographed along the docks in Newport, Oregon. I'm liking how the black and white treatment really emphasizes lines and shapes.

I also like how different these two boats are -- the "Last Straw" obviously extreeeeeeeemly beamy, making the "Judy" boat look very thin and upright.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Latest work: "Number 20 Cracked"

This is an image I uploaded to Fine Art America this morning -- a composite of peeling paint, a dumpster, and the number 20 from another dumpster.

The color version didn't have the impact I was looking for, so I converted it to black and white, made a number of adjustments, and then let just a hint of some grungy blue color come through here and there on the numbers.

Is it great? Nah. But I do like it. Always a sucker for grungy stuff, numbers, letters, rusty metal, and peeling paint. So, really, what's NOT to like?

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

From color to black and white (parts 6 and 7 of 7)

There's a challenge going around in my corner of Facebook at the moment where someone challenges someone else to create one black and white image a day and to post it on Facebook. The "rules" are "no people and no explanation." Well, here's the explanation.

I took this picture of an agave stalk in 2006 and turned it into this weird color. Today, I'm not sure why! But I wondered how it would look if I converted this blue horror into black and white.

I like the black and white version much better, but going back to the blue version, I noticed how the background was out of focus, but there was a shadow back there that echoed the same angle as the (and I don't know the scientific word for it) thing sticking out on the right.

The lights and darks in the background are interesting, add depth and interest and mystery, yet aren't overly obtrusive.

And then there was the great blue heron landing on a piling in South Carolina. The picture could have been sharper, but I loved the outstretched wing, the beak, the lower legs. They all angle sharply from right to left.

Intuitively I allowed more room in the left two thirds of the photo, room for the concept of horizontal movement to establish itself.

But what about the subtle lack of sharpness? I gave the image a soft, painterly look (lemons/lemonade) and also toned it a warm pinkish color. But would that translate to black and white?

I think it does. It's light, soft, and it keeps me looking. Is it better? I really don't know.

This black and white challenge was indeed challenging. The benefit of participating in it was it encouraged me to look at my (and everyone else's) pictures with new eyes and to experiment. Always a good thing.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

From color to black and white (part 5 of 7)

There's a challenge going around in my corner of Facebook at the moment where someone challenges someone else to create one black and white image a day and to post it on Facebook. The "rules" are "no people and no explanation." Well, here's the explanation.

I fell in love with this cellphone app and used it a lot before it died, and the creator never updated it. Alas.

The beauty of the app was how it created a watercolor-ish appearance to the subject matter, a sort of painterly look that was soft and textural.

I would walk around the house with the cellphone, just searching for something to shoot.

My Oregon neighbor Juanita gave me this fishing net float, made of soft green glass. It sits in a powder room window, next to a sea-glass aqua bottle, a bottle that has feathers in it.

In hindsight, maybe I should have removed the bottle to the right of the float, but I do like the mystery of it.

The scene looks good in black and white as well as the sepia. Can't decide between the two which one I prefer, but I'm leaning toward the sepia version.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

From color to black and white (part 4 of 7)

There's a challenge going around in my corner of Facebook at the moment where someone challenges someone else to create one black and white image a day and to post it on Facebook. The "rules" are "no people and no explanation." Well, here's the explanation.

I  found this bit of architectural detail in Balboa Park, San Diego. When processing the image, I toned it, and was quite pleased with the result. Seeing the black and white version, I'm finding the B&W more appealing. But why?

It's stronger. It has more depth. There's more contrast between light and dark. And it shows more details, brings out the artistry of the builder/designer/artist more than the softer, more ethereal look of the original.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

From color to black and white (part 3 of 7)

There's a challenge going around in my corner of Facebook at the moment where someone challenges someone else to create one black and white image a day and to post it on Facebook. The "rules" are "no people and no explanation."

This is one of my favorite photographs. We were in a Chinese restaurant, waiting for our food to arrive, so naturally I took out the cellphone to find something to shoot.

At the time, I was enamored of a particular app (alas, it's no longer available, no longer works) and was delighted to see the textured sepia image it created. I was equally delighted to see how well the image works in black and white.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

From color to black and white (part 2 of 7)

There's a challenge going around in my corner of Facebook at the moment where someone challenges someone else to create one black and white image a day and to post it on Facebook. The "rules" are "no people and no explanation."

For my second photograph, I selected this picture, also taken in South Carolina. Whereas a number of people really liked my first picture, not many liked this one. And I can understand why.

As a black and white it looks even weirder than it does in color. I like both versions, however, and it doesn't bother me that it was less popular than the first. Also, by looking at it in black and white, I think it might just work in a photomontage of some sort. We shall see.

What is it? I was standing on a grassy bank, looking across a bit of water, to a pier. It was the almost Roman numeral-ish look of the pilings that caught my eye, not the actual pier itself.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

From color to black and white (part 1 of 7)

There's a challenge going around in my corner of Facebook at the moment where someone challenges someone else to create one black and white image a day and to post it on Facebook. The "rules" are "no people and no explanation."

Sounded good to me: a new way to look at my images, no "people" photography (yay), and no need to write anything.

The second part of the challenge was to nominate someone ELSE to do the same thing. And so it would go.

Here's the first picture I attempted, a color image I'd taken in South Carolina a few years ago. I had toned it and applied a painterly look to it. Would this work in black and white? And why?

I was pleasantly surprised how nicely this image turned out once I removed the color. The lights and darks in the trees stand out more. The mysterious things in the distance show up more as well. And the dark tree trunks stand out better.

Which version do I prefer? Hmmm... I'm going to say the black and white version. And I never would have created it had I not been "challenged" on Facebook.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Latest black and white images

I'm experimenting with black and white photography these days, which, because I usually gravitate toward brilliant color, is kind of weird, but I'm enjoying the process. And sometimes I'll add a bit of color here and there, very subtly, as you can see in the second and third pictures.

A hood ornament on a 1933 Oldsmobile stands out nicely against the soft background. Even nicer when it's all black and white, no green and red cars back there to distract our attention from the lovely lines of the hood ornament.

The second picture was taken on the Oregon coast. The original, color version contained way too much bright (fluorescent) algae growing on the big door to the right as well as here and there throughout. Way too distracting, and takes your eye away from the weathered and old feeling that I wanted to emphasize.

And then a black and white (plus a bit of color) shot of an old Volkswagen photographed in Port Townsend, Washington. I like how the touch of color adds some warmth to the otherwise cold black and white version.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

B&W vs. Color

Here are two versions of the same picture. I converted the top (original) photo into black and white, just wondering what might happen.

I like them both. And I like how I let just a bit of color show through in the B&W bottom version.

The original picture tells a story while the B&W is more moody and mysterious.

Is one "better" than the other? Perhaps. I'm more drawn to the top shot, but more intrigued by the bottom picture.

Luckily I don't have to decide today.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Experimenting

This picture was taken years ago in Tillamook, Oregon. It's the headlamp on a very old water truck from the Corvallis fire department.

I like the repeating vertical lines on the left, the diagonal line on the right, and how the round shape of the headlamp softens the strong, straight lines in the rest of the image.

The bright orange color is a bonus. Or is it?

If what I like is the DESIGN of the photo, the color overpowers the design, making ORANGE the first thing you notice. How can I change that?

Would a black and white treatment emphasize the lines, the circular element, and make the photograph more about composition rather than color?

So yeah, that's what I did. I turned the image into a strong black and white, but then allowed just a hint of color to come through here and there to add interest.

What do you think?

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Rudder repair . . .

It was a wonderful day of exploring yesterday. Off to Fort Flagler on Marrowstone Island to check out the gun emplacements. To Mystery Bay, just because it had a cool name and there was a dock and there were boats moored offshore. To test out a new restaurant in Port Townsend (Alchemy). And then to the boat yard to just walk, walk, walk, look, look, look, and shoot, shoot, shoot.

The fort was fine. Not "wow" fine, but worthy of a photo visit. A bald eagle in a tree. A beach full of driftwood. A number of big barnacles to bring home, to tell people that no, these are whale vertebrae!

Mystery Bay is no longer a mystery, and certainly would be worth another go under different weather conditions.

The restaurant was wonderful, with a to-go box of mushroom ravioli to have again at lunch today.

And the boat yard? Well, it may sound strange, but that's my favorite place. Boats in all sorts of repair and disrepair, being built, being sanded, being painted, holes being patched, and this rudder being de-barnacleized.

The rudder caught my eye because it was all a lovely blue color except brushed silver where it had been sanded. The blue and silver colors were mesmerizing. In a small photograph, however, I decided that changing it to a black and white image, rotating the picture 90 degrees, put more emphasis on the mysterious patterns the boat worker had unwittingly created.

"The first hour of the morning is the rudder of the day." (A quote from Henry Ward Beecher, a minister who lived in the 1800s.) And my first hour of this day was to work on a photograph of a rudder. A good start, methinks.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Waiting . . .

Various printers, papers, techniques aren't coming together well right now regarding my handmade book.

My Epson Stylus Photo died. So I replaced it with a Canon Pro-100. The rice paper I want to use in it won't feed. I tried a variety of techniques and finally got it to work. Hooray.

But the Canon inks are different. They don't play well with the various techniques I was hoping to use to stain and blend into the papers I'm creating for the book. Very weird and ugly colors have been the result.

So I switched over to my HP LaserJet printer. Which prints black and white. No problem, since I'm going to be staining the pictures anyway. But the paper won't feed. The resulting paper jams caused the printer clutch to disengage and horrible grinding sounds ensued. Chris, being mechanically inclined (versus me, who can't even figure out how to use a can opener), fixed it.

So now what? I'm thinking that maybe the brand of rice paper I'm using could be the issue. So I've ordered a package of a brand I used a couple of years ago, and it arrives this weekend.

The result has been a lot of downtime, time away from creating this #$%@&* wonderful book. So I've been making and uploading more images to Fine Art America, playing around with my Lensbaby (version 2.0 -- quite old, but the new ones are quite expensive), and experimenting more with black and white photography.

These peonies were taken with the Lensbaby and then converted to black and white using Nik Silver Efex 2. No clue what I'm doing, but that's okay . . . I'm learning. If nothing else, I'm learning patience!

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.

Calligraphic weed

Yesterday I spent a few hours just photographing textures. And then I saw the weed. I liked the way the leaves splayed out, looking almost like a Japanese Kanji character. And it looked especially nice against this textured wall.

The photo was taken in color, but I felt that the color took away from what caught my eye to begin with: shape and form.

I turned the photo into a black and white image, but it felt cold. I toned it brown, then dialed back the toning to give it this warm black and white look.

What you do not see is my frustration at leaving my tripod's quick release at home, so my shooting was hand-held. The weed was in a photographically inaccessible place. So I picked it and then looked for a good spot on a wall where it could stand out.

I had one lens with me -- 18mm-55mm. So in this shot I'm holding the weed against the wall with my left hand while (having set the lens at 18mm to get the entire weed), composing and focusing and clicking the shutter with my right hand.

It wasn't easy. But if it were, everyone would be doing it, right?

Answer: No, Carol. Everyone else would have remembered the damned quick release so they could do it properly with a tripod, cable release, and maybe even a reflector. Duh.

©Carol Leigh
All text, photographs, and other media are ©Copyright Carol Leigh (or others when indicated) and are not in the public domain and may not be used on websites, blogs, or in other media without advance permission from Carol Leigh.