I began my study of photography in a black and white photography class where I processed my own film and developed my images in a chemical darkroom.  I went through a lot of paper and chemicals to achieve the image that I was looking for – but I was forever captivated with the development of photographs.  Not just in the darkroom – but in the camera where the process begins.

I learned to create a photo with black and white in mind, to look for varying tones throughout the image, shapes, texture and light to give the feeling of depth.  When a photo is created with black and white in mind, the lighting becomes apparent, softness or sharpness of features and details are more pronounced and composition is first and foremost in the image.

What is it about a black and white photograph that sets it apart from color photographs?  Black and white images are known to be more elegant and are considered by many to be "classic" photography.  An image in color can be distracting, but an image in black and white focuses attention on your subject.

Most cameras today give the operator the option to shoot their photos in black and white.  While this may seem appealing, I would advise against this.  Once you let the camera take control and shoot in black and white all of the color information is lost - never to be recovered.  With post-processing it is a simple step to convert a color image to black and white.  So shoot in color - and then convert to black and white.

Tent Rocks 1 contains contrasting tones, texture and shape.  Leading lines from the foreground and background draw your attention to the lone pine tree seemingly growing out of rock.

               Tent Rocks 1

Tent Rocks 1

I took this photo last year at Tent Rocks National Monument located southwest of Santa Fe, NM.  Because of the unique rock formations I used a fairly wide angle lens – 40 mm – and remember my back being against another rock formation as I composed then shot this image.  This national monument is unique – some call it the Slot Canyons of NM.  I recommend a visit if you are in the area.

This image is in my West of the Mississippi portfolio - click this link to go there http://www.colleensternberger.com/p1058933451/e20a65d44

Thank you for sharing your time with me - I truly appreciate it.   Colleen

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