As much as I carry my camera around with me, I do sometimes find myself without it when there is a photo that needs to be taken. Cell phone cameras these days are pretty nice. I won’t get super large prints from the files, but small to medium sized prints will look excellent from these files. Here is a quick gallery of recent phoneography on the train to New York.
At the end of the year, I like to revisit my images. I like to see where I started and where I ended. I usually choose my favorites from the year. But this year, I am going to share a few of my favorites and a few of my least favorites. I will do several of these. Each with a theme, so they don’t get too long. As always, comments are welcome!
The first one will be still life photography. The next will be night photography. Then we will look at travel photography. After that, it’ll be 2019 and time to start again!
This was one of the first images I shared in January. In the winter months, I have a hard time going outside (cold, ugh). So, I often do some experimenting with still life images. The camera is an Olympus film camera. The case is an old make up case that I found at a garage sale in Winchester, KY. I have this in color and black and white. I prefer the black and white version because it echoes that sense of antiquity and gives it a vintage feel. Definitely, one of my favorite still life images!
This image was taken for the Weekly Photography Challenge. The theme was jewelry not being worn. I love the dirty, grungy background with the smooth silver and beads. The selective color gives it that pop. I want to do more of these next year!
Another image taken for the Weekly Photography Challenge. I love anything pertaining to time – watches, clocks, hourglasses. I finished this with a sepia tone and a vignette to give it an old, timeless feel.
When I say least favorite, I just mean they don’t speak to me the same way the others do. I don’t hate them, or I wouldn’t be sharing them.
The exact same image as above without the vintage finish. The watches feel too new and it just does not speak to me in the same way.
This is my least favorite still life created this year. It’s boring and just does not speak to me. This was taken on a super bright spring day. I did very little planning and spent almost no time on it. Maybe I should try again. Maybe not.
I hesitated on this one. I like it. I love the black and white finish with the white vignette. The shallow depth of field. And the phone itself is a work of art. But I think I could have done something better with this and will keep trying.
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to watch for the next installment of my year end review! Do you have a year end blog? Feel free to share in the comments!
As always, the images are available as prints and other products in my shop!
I posted about my indecision on black and white vs. color photos. This blog is going to discuss when there is no question. It must be black and white.
This image was taken at night in New York City. Often, images taken at night can have an odd color shift. This image had some pretty green tinges. Yes, I can color correct the image. But sometimes it creates other weirdness or I simply don’t like the image in color.
This is another image that looks better as a black and white. The color just takes away from the subject of the image.
The street sign for the Avenue of Americas looks better in black and white. The lights glow more. The color version just feels dull to me.
Thank you for visiting my blog! Feel free to comment and share the link to your own blog.
This is an interactive blog. I would like your feedback and opinion on this images. I have a hard time deciding if I like the black and white or color versions better. Of course, in the end, I usually offer both in my shop. But it is nice to get feedback. So let me which you prefer and why.
When on the train to NYC, I met a lady who told me I had to go see the Public Library. She did not lie.
I love this tunnel. I have seen other photos and was excited when I came across it while wandering the park. I had to wait for a few people to come along and walk through to get this image. I prefer the black and white. It emphasizes the shapes and textures better. What do you think?
When I looked up and saw this, I knew that I had to take a picture of it. I am torn on which I prefer. I like the more modern feel of the color version. But I really like the classic touch of the black and white.
The thing I love most about traveling in large cities is this. When modern meets historic and a classic in between. I can’t pick which I like better. Maybe you can!
I found the simplicity of this sign to be eye catching. Shoe horned in with the big showy marquees of Times Square, it caught my attention. The black and white image feels like classic, like it could have been taken in the early days of photography.
I look forward to your input on these images! Also, feel free to link to your own blog in the comments below.
Prints of all images are available in my shop.
I recently had the chance to enter a local photography competition. The theme was the human element in black and white. The only two rules were that it had to be black and white and have only one person in it. If you have seen my portfolio, you know that quite a bit of my work is dedicated to street photography. I was torn between entering a photo representing what I do best or trying to do something different. I decided to leave my comfort zone.
I do try to hide my legs because of the fact that I no longer shave them. I get angry with myself for not just owning it. I mean, I shouldn’t be doing it, if I’m going to be ashamed of it, right? And it’s not that I worry about people making fun of me. I don’t really care about that. But I know that it does gross some people out. I don’t blame them for that. It’s outside of their scope. We’ve been told that smooth women are sexy and clean. If they aren’t smooth everywhere, then they are dirty. The hair on my legs is course and thick. I had to use that horrible hair removal stuff that stinks and itches. Shaving too me ages and I would go through razor blades like cookies. So, I decided I just was not going to do it anymore. It’s been two years.
I entered “De Feet” into the Human Element competition. When I got there to drop off my image, I felt weird. I knew that people would ask who the model is. Most people thought it was a man’s legs in a skirt. Then the other photos were mostly portraits or street photography and they were amazing. I got a little angry with myself. The part that hates myself was berating, “why do you always get it wrong?!” But the part that loves myself, the one that’s been fighting to get out for years, said, “different isn’t wrong, dammit.”
And that is true. I won 5th place out of 28 entries, not bad for an image so different from the others. I had several people tell they love it. Although, one person said she loves it, but still “wants to shave them legs.”
I don’t have much to say today. But I want to share some photos. Feel free to comment!
As I’ve said before, I like to experiment with my photos. I might revisit a photo weeks, months, or years later. Recently, I’ve been on a black and white kick. Sometimes, I like the black and white version better, sometimes, not really. I’d love to hear which version you like!
Purchase any of these as prints.
I needed to break a rut. So, I left my comfort zone and did some new and different stuff.
Weekly Photo Challenge – Layers
