Fine-tuning the everyday...

When I first started this blog what seems like four score ago, the purpose behind it was to encourage my photography- more specifically, to challenge myself to try things I had previously claimed to hate, which was my way of avoiding them out of fear.  Of course, my quest for pictures somehow transformed itself along the way into a odyssey of words.  Yet, here I stand wordless. 

So, I will take advantage of this emotional dichotomy I am so lucky to have.  Whilst my words deny me, I can hang on with my photos.  I've blogged before about how my two passions have, through no effort of mine, interacted with each other to bring about a better and more fulfilled me.  So, now I will lean on my photographer side and give my writing side a short rest.

My first challenge came to me whilst dining at the Sun Dizzle this week on the single greatest burger ever to have been in existence.  The Sun Dog is a little diner at the beach that displays and sells local artists' work with zero percentages taken.  I have had some photos hung there myself in the past.  Normally the pieces tend toward hokey beach art, but today they had some black and white photography on display.  I immediately liked them.  This surprised me.  Normally I hate black and white photography.  It seems to me that you could have your cat take a picture of its butt in black and white, and it would look striking.  But as soon as the word hate entered my brain, I stopped.  Ahhh, I must hate B&W because I'm afraid of it!

Strangely enough- and predictably, as I have found the universe to deliver things you need at the precise moment you need them, my father-in-law sent me a link to some primo examples of black and white photography at its best the very night I had decided upon my latest venture.  The timing couldn't have been more perfect.  Looking at amazing art can sometimes discourage me, when the demons of low self-esteem are lurking.  But this time, these images inspired me.  I can do this, I thought.  I've always believed B&W can be moving when used at the appropriate times.  A lot of photographers just apply it at random.  And so, today I embarked on my first jaunt into the world of B&W.  I will be traveling the wide and expansive regions of my house, searching for the everyday and mundane, playing with the light and shadows, and basically creating a bunch of bullshit photos in an attempt to discern the shit from the art.  It will be a beautiful journey, and I encourage you to join me by letting me know which, if any, bring forth the biggest reactions.  Yes, I realize we're looking at toilet paper rolls here, but I believe true photography can make even the lame look amazing.  


B&W Study: Phase 1- The Bathroom