Located in a small Catholic cemetery in Haverhill, Iowa is this life size crucifixion display rising out of the farmland. The rural area is dominated by corn and soybean fields, farms and grain elevators. A black and white treatment of the image brings out the contrast of the cross with the Jesus icon and clouds.
A couple of years ago I took some late afternoon photos of nearby Indian Creek at f/22. Photos looked so dark that I played with the name of the creek and location. That post received some interest from Germany. These photos are from a couple of days ago near sunset, ISO 200 and f/22 of the same spot on Indian Creek.
All three of these photos are in full un-retouched color and owe their dark inkiness to a tight aperture and slow ISO.
A few seconds later the sun passed into the tree line and the light changed fast. Maybe one day I can get to the Black Forest and take some real dark green imagery of the historic woods.
Independence, Iowa's static display of an Illinois Central steam locomotive is a favorite spot for photographers. Late Saturday was no exception. Despite 28 F temperatures a photoshoot was underway when I reached the site after a day spent photographing barns, state parks and civil war memorials. This young model reacted to instructions from a student photographer as a mom watched from a warm truck nearby. After talking to the point-and-shoot photographer I covered the scene with several photos of the train with and without the model. In comparison a photo of a young woman model on a train offers a much higher marketing value than those images without – if I were marketing a train.
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What's more fun than a barrel of monkeys? Maybe it's the Graduate's classic movie line about plastics that comes to mind. Otherwise, this storage area for plastic barrels make for a great black & white composition.
Long ago when I started took up photography with a friend, we concentrated on black & white imagery as it was the easiest way to process and print photos in his basement darkroom. Later, courses in college emphasized both the news value and the art of black & white photography.
Today with online photo editors and other powerful image software it is a snap to shoot, edit and publish. Still, composition is the key for basic good photography. Look for lines, contrast, and the moment to capture the IT image. Know that.
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