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Photography: Monochrome Nature

“Well, we all make mistakes, dear, so just put it behind you. We should regret our mistakes and learn from them, but never carry them forward into the future with us.” -L.M. Montgomery

Yesterday I took family photographs of a dear friend and her beautiful family. It was a wonderful opportunity for me to stretch my photography skills and offer this service to people I love. What I learned was…I need to learn a lot more. Although it went well, as far as flow and everyone staying in wonderful moods, I didn’t do great with lighting or poses. While some of the photos were beautiful, others fell short. Ultimately, I failed in a lot of big ways.

When I woke up this morning I felt defeated and upset. I wanted to do so much better. While I could let this setback derail me, after coffee and a long hot shower, I’ve decided to keep going. I think after the new year I’ll enroll in some photography classes, invest in some new software, and keep trying. Everything is a learning experience and the only way to get better is to keep going.

My photos this week were all taken before the family shots and were edited to be black-and-white. I hope you enjoy them and have a wonderful week.

  • Photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW

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50 thoughts on “Photography: Monochrome Nature”

  1. I love these photos, they represent being calm and at peace with nature. One photo has some nice bokeh too. Well done, Bridgette! ❤️☺️

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  6. I have had similar experiences when photographing people- choosing poses especially. Love your idea about taking some photography classes. I may look into that sometime- for things like how to photograph the moon and for macro shops and low light situations. (PS I’m the same Jessica that chatted with you on Michele’s post recently. I have 2 blogs.? Love the black and whites.

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    • Thank you for understanding, Jessica! Yes, I can’t photograph the moon at all. I think it’s a function of not really understanding my camera. There are a million settings but I don’t know how to use them. After I get through the New Year I decided I’m going to start by reading the user manual in its entirety.

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  7. Good works Bridgette. Try taking the photos in B&W, you can see much more than converting from colour.
    A bit more post photo manipulation and you would be amazed to see the results 🙂

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    • Thank you! They did love the photos, but I had a hard time not seeing the flaws. It’s the same with my writing. I read somewhere you can’t judge your learning efforts against the finished product of others. I can’t expect my writing to be publish worthy yet. I’m still learning and growing. I can’t expect my photography to be perfect because I’m still growing and learning. The beauty is in the learning…I need to keep reminding myself. I’m so much further along than I was this time last year. Thank you for the reminder.

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  11. Wonderful black& white photography. All photos are very nice! I like. You always make me happy. Always wondered nature photos post.

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    • That’s great advice, Roy. I know I set unrealistic goals for myself. It was my first time doing family photography, but I love this family and wanted each one to be a work of art. It’s ridiculous, I know!

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  13. Beautifully stark images, Bridgette! I’m sorry you felt defeated after the shoot, but kudos for not staying there! I look forward to hearing your adventures in learning! 💞

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    • Thank you, Dawn. The family loved the photos, I just see the flaws and all the ways I could have done better. I’m working on not being so hard on myself. I hope I get the opportunity to try again.

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  14. I love black-and-white photography – it seems to have so much depth to it. I’m sorry you were upset by not being able to achieve what you set out to do. I expect everyone else was really pleased with the photos. Sometimes, we are our own worst critics. I imagine setting out to learn even more will, I hope, be very enjoyable and productive for you, Bridgette. Thinking of your and your family, especially your daughter, as I always do. Xx 💓🌼💓

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    • Thank you, Ellie. I am very hard on myself. I’ve always been this way. I want to give my absolute best to everything I do and when I fall short even a little bit I take it really hard. It’s a huge character flaw I’m working on. Writing this blog has really helped with my prefectionism. Before I started the short story project, I would rewrite the same paragraphs over and over without moving forward because they were never “perfect.” Now, I am forced to have a finish line and when I cross it, there’s another looming so there’s no going back, only forward. I think, for me, it’s the only way I can express my creativity. I have to set and keep deadlines in order to not crumble under some unrealistic expectation I set for myself. Thank you, as always, for loving and caring for me and my daughter. The last few days have been a bit better and I hope we are headed in a new direction.

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  16. Most of my photos are a failure I only show the success stories. Investing in oneself is always a good idea, you can also look for YouTube tutorials they are free. Joining local photography groups and club as also helps. And locally, mikes camera and action camera have cheap introductory workshops you might want to check out.

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    • Thank you! I’ve been hesitant to show up to any of the photography groups or clubs because I have an Olympus and I’m such an amateur. I’ve watched some YouTube videos, enough to know I need to learn A LOT more! Thank you for the Mike’s Camera tip. I’ll check them out.

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  18. Lovely photos. There’s just something about black and white. I know how you feel. I love photography, but have so much to learn! I shot a bff’s daughter’s wedding. They were pleased, but I can’t even look at them. I cringe. Here’s to working to improve our craft…

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  19. I can totally relate to feeling so defeated at times. I’m glad you’re using that as inner fuel to keep going with doing what you love. It’s always admirable and refreshing to be around people like you who keep moving with forward momentum to get better and do better. Even if it is a little harsh at ourselves at times, as long as we don’t quit we will inevitably get better. And as a side note, great job for taking the courage to try something new and expanding your horizons with your art. As you of course already know, that’s not easy at all. SO GREAT JOB! ❤️👊

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  20. Woah! The depth of these pictures are outstanding. I wish I saw these when I was trying to learn atmospheric perspective because these are perfect.

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