monochrome | alan frost photography

Posts from the ‘monochrome’ category

Downhill shopper – returning to a forgotten image.

I am rather impatient when it comes to processing a SD card full of images. I get home, download them into Lightroom and with luck a number will jump out at me and the processing begins. More often than not these are the pictures which I remember taking and I simply can’t wait to see whether or not I have captured something I like.

I have been told that it can be beneficial to do nothing with a card of images, just download them and then leave them to mature for a good while, perhaps six months or more, before taking a more in depth look at what you shot on the day. Given the passage of time you no longer remember all the shots that were taken, and images which might have been written off on first viewing are in fact worthy of consideration. Perhaps a different or new processing technique will reveal an image which works after several months but might not have done had it been processed within hours of the shutter being released.

‘Downhill shopper’ is one such picture. It was the third shot I took in the lovely city of Bath on the ABC of Camerawork workshop with Andy Beel at the beginning of November last year. Whilst I can recall taking the picture it didn’t say much to me at the time, but a year on and given a high contrast and grainy look to the photograph, I now think it’s worthy of sharing on my blog. There is little or no detail, just outlines of backlit figures, long shadows and the knowledge that you are looking at a busy street scene of shoppers. The rest is down to your imagination. The elderly lady and what appear to be ski poles, give the image its title.

Here is a link to the entry about my day in Bath with Andy Beel.

ABC of Camerawork course with Andy Beel in Bath

The old A5 – Nant Ffrancon valley in Snowdonia

The road from the western end of Llyn Ogwen to Bethesda in Snowdonia passes though the deeply glaciated valley of Nant Ffrancon. Now a typical ‘A’ road the original road featured in this post is a single track road with just a few passing places. It is rarely used so parking is not really a problem. You just stop in the middle of the road and hope that no vehicles come along while you jump out of the car and take a few photographs.

The road twists and turns with a variety of fences defining field boundaries. Wire and post fencing, stone walls, but perhaps most interesting of all are the slate fences, nestling in the grasses which lean from left to right and undulate in harmony with the lie of the land.

It’s a fascinating area to explore and really does feel like you are stepping back in time. There are very few buildings along this stretch of road. The ones that are here are isolated and when I visited this part of Snowdonia at the end of October the weather was favourable. I tried to imagine what it might be like in the depths of winter, with rain or snow being swept through the valley by a cold and strong wind. Pretty bleak I thought to myself.

The first two images below are taken from the existing A5, looking down into the valley. The line of the old road can be seen in the top right of the frame of the first shot.

Nant Ffrancon valley

Wire and stone

Valley road

Valley farmhouse

Tree of light

Slate fence

Old road

Do click on any of the images to view a larger version which will open in a new window.

The appeal of ‘light on dark’ in Snowdonia

Burning mist

What makes a good black and white photograph? There are of course many answers to this question, so for this post I want to concentrate on one particular aspect and that is the use of a light subject set against a dark background. Put another way it is the natural contrast between two key elements of a composition. Finding suitable subjects in the landscape is not necessarily that easy and may require side lighting or even back lighting to give the desired effect. I have chosen four images for this post all taken on my recent trip to Snowdonia.

Blessed on a number of days with lovely sunshine, the chances of capturing a ‘light on dark’ image were improved as the bright light increased the amount of contrast. Exposing in such conditions can be a challenge, as it’s vital not to blow the highlights but I still wanted some shadow detail which I could bring out later in post processing. There are though occasions when I don’t want any shadow detail and the blacks can be deep, dark and even mysterious as they provide no information to the viewer whatsoever. This technique may not always be appropriate for a landscape image but even so, the contrast between light and dark can be enhanced when required from a purely artistic point of view.

The first image at the top of this post was taken as the last of the early morning mist was being burnt off by the strengthening sunshine which was still low in the sky. The light is coming from about 10 o’clock (from where I am standing and pointing the camera), but had the sun been behind me this shot would not have worked. It totally relies upon the light coming from a certain direction to illuminate the autumn leaves on the tress, so they stand proud of their darker background. Do click on the image to view a larger version as you will see there is still detail in the back drop of trees which are shrouded in mist.

Llyn Dias reflections

In the second image the light is coming from the left. Like the first shot it was taken fairly early in the morning. The sun lights up the fence and the trees, which like the first image stand out against the dark background. The water in the foreground is reflective adding another dimension to the picture.

Tree of light, Nant Ffrancon

The third image, above, is I think a very good example of ‘light on dark’ and why this type of shot makes a good monochrome photograph. Here I have focused on the tree in the top left of the frame. The yellow leaves catching the bright sunlight, creating virtually a silhouette of light against the darker tree behind it. The wire and slate fence leads your eye into the picture but being out of focus and dark does not detract from the brightness of the tree. This time the light was coming from about 2 o’clock. Personally I like the chimney, it just adds another point of interest but is still secondary to the main event.

Lastly I had to include a picture a sheep. How could I visit Wales and not have a sheep shot? Not literally of course, just photographically speaking! It’s not the greatest image taken on my trip but it does once again illustrate that the natural contrast between the subject and the background works in black and white. In colour this picture really wouldn’t be very pleasing to look at. What is critical to this shot is the detail which has been retained in the highlights in the sheep’s coat. A minimal depth of field has also been used to blur the background.

Welsh sheep

As mentioned earlier, all of these images are worth viewing ‘large’, so do click on each one to see the photograph in a new window.

Tryfan – a majestic mountain in Snowdonia

Tryfan

Never having been to Snowdonia in Wales before, my mind conjured up an image of what I might expect to see. Mountains certainly, deep valleys, yes of course, brooding clouds and light casting its spell on the landscape; well hopefully all of these combined in one picture.

With this imaginary view in my mind, I was delighted to make this photograph of what must be one of the most majestic mountains in Snowdonia, apart perhaps from Snowdon itself. Tryfan is just over 3,000 feet high and its dramatic profile leads the eye down towards Llyn Ogwen, a lake which lies at the foot of this rocky peak.

From a vantage point on the northern side of the valley I waited for the morning light to break through the clouds, illuminating the lake and the valley in the distance – and the view I had visualised became a reality.

At the mountain’s peak there are two monoliths, which from the valley floor given the appearance of two people who have reached the summit. They are called ‘Adam and Eve’ and are only 1.2 metres apart. For those brave enough to step from one rock to the other, it is said that you gain the ‘Freedom of Tryfan’.

I’m no climber so I am just happy to admire ‘Adam and Eve’ and Tryfan from a distance!

To view a larger version click on the image.

Lake District – A new gallery page

In February 2013 I stayed in The Lake District for a few days in the company of Paul Gallagher, a very well renowned black and white UK photographer. I spent three days in the field, followed by a fourth day in his studio learning post processing and printing techniques.

We were fortunate with the weather given the time of year. It was cold but dry and there were some snow capped mountains, not to mention of course the beautiful lakes themselves.

I have just added a new gallery of Lake District images to this website. In this entry there are a few photographs which were taken on this trip but I hope you will click on the link below to view the full gallery.

Lake District Gallery Page.