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Photography: Rainy Day Black & White

The last few days have been rainy and gloomy. I’m not feeling great overall, but I got to spend some time with my darling nephew. During a brief break in the storm, we went outside and took a few photographs together. Let me know what you think of these, both as a collection and as an editing style. Does it tell you a story? Are there enough varied shots? Do you have a favorite? Any constructive criticism is welcome.

Thank you for helping me grow and enjoy the rest of your week.

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#16

#17
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#20

  • These were taken with my Olympus E-M1 MarkII, using a 75-300mm lens and edited with Lightroom Classic.

37 thoughts on “Photography: Rainy Day Black & White”

      • Thanks for the feedback, John. I’ve discovered some limitations of my Olympus camera. Too high of an ISO, I get a LOT of noise, too low, and the exposure seems off. I did use the HDR setting in Lightroom Classic, but I found it made the images look almost fake (if that’s the right word). I think I need to find a way to get better light. Maybe when the sun starts coming out, I’ll have better luck. Tomorrow I’m shooting the zoo again, and I’ll see how things go.

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      • In general, I start with what it suggests (the auto edit) and then go from there. I did a lot more editing on these than I normally do, changing them to black & white, sharpening and playing with boosting texture. I also use presets sometimes to get the same color tone in all the images.

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      • It really is! I wish I could take photos every single day. My kids are close to leaving the nest, my youngest is going to get her license in April and graduate from high school in May. I’m hoping to get good enough to make photography my career in the next few years. Taking a bunch of online classes right now on posing, work flow, and composition. So much to learn! I know I’ll eventually need to upgrade my camera to a full-frame one, but for now, it works great to learn all the basics.

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      • It is both! We still have a lot of bills (college ain’t cheap), so hoping I can supplement my husband’s income with some paid jobs. My goal is to be up and running (business-wise) by this time next year. Scary, but exciting too!

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  2. #16 and 17 stand out to me, partially because I am attracted to flowers and trees, but also because I recently started lessons in ikebana, Japanese flower arranging, which requires a lot of attention to form and composition. It’s hard to explain in words, but there’s a delicate balance between curve and straight lines, upright/vertical and prone/horizontal forms. I had no idea putting together a group of flowers and branches could be so complicated, which is why I seem drawn to images like the one you’ve posted here. Your choice of displaying them in black and white emphasizes the composition and form, which is great.

    Your nephew is cute! Enjoy your time with him, they grow up too quickly.

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    • It’s funny you mention ikebana, as a Facebook friend said the same thing about #17. Without knowing the form and composition, I think our eye is naturally drawn to more interesting depth and complicated twists. What a fun thing for you to be studying. Are you taking an in person class or is it online?

      My nephew is a cutie indeed! And such a willing model for me to practice with. I’m so lucky for him.

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      • The class is in person, taught by a friend, which amps up the pressure a bit! 😅 When I mentioned to her I was interested in learning, I had no idea how complicated the art is: you have to select the flowers according to the arrangement you want to make, evaluate how they will look when positioned in a certain way (you’re encouraged to brutally cut the flower stems into shape), check for color (no faded or brown petals!) and choose the perfect vase, of course. Luckily my friend is lending me a lot of her equipment, as this can be an expensive hobby. The irony is that your arrangement should look completely natural, as if you stumbled across it while walking through a meadow or garden. Which is why your photographs capture that effect so perfectly: the flower or tree branch didn’t arrange itself at all, it simply bloomed. The best gardens also strive for that effect, but it’s so hard to create, which is why we should appreciate nature’s work.

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      • That does sound complicated, but also a lot of fun! I love the idea that something which blooms naturally takes so much careful thought to recreate. Mother Nature is such a beautiful crafter.

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      • In Japan there’s this term—I can’t remember it now, but there’s this idea where the artist has to try to make the art look completely natural, effortless, the way a flower blooms or a tree’s branches curl in a certain way. My friend brought over some ikebana magazines to give me ideas for the next class: they had a “wrong way” arrangement and a “corrected” arrangement. I could not tell the difference between some of them! Though others you could see it, albeit very subtly. The emphasis on natural beauty was clear, but I realize now how difficult it is to create it with cut flowers and other materials. Mother Nature is the ultimate art teacher!

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  5. Hi Bridgette Hope you see the sun soon its been a long winter for everyone. 😊 I like photo number 1 the water droplet on the twig life is just beginning.

    Regards to all your family 😁 Terry

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  8. As I sit here looking at these, it is early morning for me and I look out for inspiration for my own writing while listening to writing music. This morning I choose to look at yours that you recently posted while Fantasy music of Atlantis played on setting the tone in the background of life ever lasting and going on through your pictures, for that I thank you very much.

    Stephni/Danu

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