Photography Archives - Page 22 of 54

Published March 5, 2019 by avardw

Changing colour into black and white

Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 2019, black and white, — Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Although I’m not a big fan of digital manipulation and do almost none to my images, I make an exception when I convert colour images to black and white. To my eye, some scenes just look better in monochrome.

I have always thought of black and white photography as an abstract medium and colour photography as a psychological medium. American photographer Elliott Erwitt said, “With colour you describe; with black and white you interpret.” So, there is more left to the imagination and perhaps more attention paid to graphic details.

When I first heard the version of Kodachrome on Simon and Garfunkel’s The Concert in Central Park, I realized that the lyrics had been changed from the original. According to Songfacts Simon sometimes sings the line “Everything looks worse in black and white” as “Everything looks better in black and white.” He changes it a lot, and claims he can’t remember which way he wrote it.” Neither is better, just a different view of the world.

I used to shoot my digital monochrome images using the b&w mode on my camera until I saw a documentary on Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama. He was going over images on the computer with his assistant and telling him which ones he wanted to be converted to black and white. I started shooting everything in colour and doing the conversions later–it leaves more options. If it’s good enough for Daido Moriyama, it’s good enough for me!

Here are some recent photos that I have converted.

Wentworth Creek, Nova Scotia, 2019, black and white, — Wentworth Creek, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019, black and white, — Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Black and White Photography

black and white conversion monochrome photography

Published March 5, 2019 by avardw

Today I took some storm photos

Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019, storm photos, — Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Unusual weather conditions often create interesting photos. Today I had to make an 80 km drive to Halifax, and took the opportunity to get some storm photos. I didn’t spend much time out in the elements–most of the photos were taken in the car–but got a chance to walk on the streets in the snow and freezing rain. It’s a challenge keeping the camera protected then quickly pulling it out and getting the shot.

I’ll keep taking storm photos in the blowing rain and snow. It keeps me in touch with the seasons and the passage of time.

Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019, storm photos, — Halifax, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Bedford, Nova Scotia, 2019, storm photos, — Bedford, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Blogging Documentary Photography

Halifax storm photos winter

Published March 3, 2019 by avardw

Street Scenes in New York City, 1983

5th Avenue and East 36th Street, New York, 1983, New York City, — 5th Avenue and East 36th Street, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

I have only been to New York City three times in my life, but each visit there holds vivid memories. It’s an interesting experience to walk around Manhattan with a camera–so much human activity and so many interesting buildings and sights. But I must admit that I never felt very comfortable there. From my Canadian perspective, large American cities seem dangerous and in 1983, New York City was a bit run down and dodgy in certain areas.

These photos were taken on a Ryerson school trip in early November, 1983. I used a Rollei 35S with Tri-X film and shot about six rolls of film over two days. I was looking for interesting scenes and bits of human interaction. Decades later when I scanned the negatives, I found information about the photos that I didn’t know at the time. For instance, the busker playing saxophone was an 18 year old Vincent Herring–a noted jazz saxophonist. Also the invasion of Grenada had just taken place–something I wasn’t really aware of at the time.

Looking at these photos makes me want to go back again, to capture new images and form new memories.

5th Avenue, New York, 1983, New York City, — 5th Avenue, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

New York, 1983, New York City, — New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver – “Perspectiva Mundial” – Spanish monthly for the Socialist Workers Party. Taken in early November, 1983, about two weeks after the American invasion of Grenada.

Vincent Herring, New York, 1983, New York City, — Vincent Herring, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

MoMA, New York, 1983, New York City, — MoMA, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver – Jackson Pollock, “Number 1A”, (1948)

Three-card Monte, New York, 1983, New York City, — Three-card Monte, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Meatpacking District, New York, 1983, New York City, — Meatpacking District, New York, 1983 – © Avard Woolaver

Black and White Blogging Photography

New York New York City street photography

Published March 2, 2019 by avardw

Getting back to the 50 mm lens

Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019, habit, 50 mm lens, — Windsor, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Photographers can be creatures of habit–returning to the same locations again and again, seeking out the same golden light, and even habitually using the same gear. But sometimes it’s good to change it up.

Yesterday my trusty kit zoom broke down. It’s practically the only lens I’ve used for the past several years. Its range is roughly 28mm – 85mm–convenient and versatile. I was forced to bring out my 50 mm lens that I use as a back up. It took me back to my early days doing street photography in Toronto using a Rollei 35S. That camera has a fixed 40mm lens.

The 50mm lens was the lens that came with SLR film cameras. Boomers will remember this well. Many people who didn’t get into photography seriously never used another lens. It is said to cover the visual range that the eye normally sees. Apparently it was the lens that Cartier-Bresson used for his pioneering street photographs.

Rather than being limiting, I found the 50mm lens to be unexpectedly liberating. It made me view scenes in a different way, and take photos in a different way. A welcome change for an old-timer like me.

Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019, habit, 50 mm lens, — Newport, Nova Scotia, 2019 – © Avard Woolaver

Blogging Photography

50 mm lens photography

Published February 27, 2019 by avardw

Photo series: Wish You Were Here

Kentville, Nova Scotia, 2012, Wish You Were Here, — Kentville, Nova Scotia, 2012 – © Avard Woolaver

When I was a teenage boy in the mid-Seventies, living in rural Nova Scotia, I spent hours studying the album covers created by Hipgnosis, the London-based design group. This was before I grew interested in photography, but, as LPs like Pink Floyd’s “Wish You Were Here” or “Ummagumma” played on the turntable, I scrutinized the covers, trying to penetrate the mysteries of the evocative, layered visual compositions. My “Wish You Were Here” is an ongoing photographic project that’s been in the works for several years. I aim to capture images that have a sense of the surreal yet are readily seen in everyday life. Additionally, I try to capture the sense of whimsy and humour that I liked about those album covers. The images come about through observation, rather than with Photoshop or other manipulations. For me, that’s an important aspect of the project–there’s no manipulation of the image. Reflections, juxtaposition, and scale all come into play.

More photos in the series can be seen in the book Wish You Were Here – available through Blurb Books.