Trees

Trees, originally uploaded by foto-art.

A stark black and white shot taken at Lyme Park, in Cheshire, England. For some reason last year I got into black and white photography - something I have not done much of in over forty years of taking pics. I know that colour pics can easily be changed to black and white on photoshop, but sometimes I think that effect is better using the black and white mode on the digital camera. The difference between takling and colour and black and white as far as the photographer is concerned consists of learning to 'see' in black and white - which means picking out shapes and textures rather than areas of hue and colour.

Valle Crucis Monastery 3 Texture and shape

Valle Crucis Abbey 3, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Valle Crucis Abbey, near Llangollen, North Wales. When I arrived here the light was virtually side-on to the Monastery, so I was able to get a shot like this which highlights the texture of the stonework. I liked this complementary relationship between the rough texture and shape of the stonework, the natural shape and texture of the tree, and the smooth texture of the sky. After about half an hour, I left and took a trip up the nearby Horseshoe Pass, and returned to the Monastery about two hours later to take some more shots now that the sun had moved around in the sky to light up the building in a different way, enabling some different compositions.

Stonewall 1

Stonewall 1, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Stone wall and fence post in the Peak District. A fairly typical black and white texture study. A red filter was used to increase contrast.

Stonewall 2

Stonewall 2, originally uploaded by foto-art.

Stonewall, barbed wire and litter, Peak District. What struck me here was the contrast between the natural elements of stone and grass, and the polluting elements of wire and plastic.