Silver September - The "How Is It For You?" thread ...

pdh

Legend
I thought it worth starting a reflective thread for people's experiences of the SS challenge.

For me, it's been difficult to keep to a daily shot, mostly because the way I do photography doesn't really lend itself to daily posting (this is only slightly to do with the fact that I now use film almost exclusively; it's mostly because while I always have a camera with me, I'm much more parsimonious with my shutter-clicking these days than before, whether I use flim or digital). I find it slightly amazing that a couple of years ago I completed over a year of a PAD - how did I ever manage that :rolleyes:

As a result I'm ending up posting very sporadically, which means I feel I'm not really participating fully.

It's also been difficult to keep up with other folks' contributions, which is a shame because there are some fine pics being taken; unfortunately the daily threads get quite long quite quickly with a lot of requoted images, some several times so that I keep seeing the same images repeated and repeated, which I find distracting. But of course chacun à son goût I suppose.


How are other people finding the challenge ?
 
I have found that black and white photography is not just color photography with the color removed. That should have been obvious to me, but I never got into it that much, so it's been a bit of a revelation.

I prefer to go through a gallery when it is quiet and there is no one around, rather than on opening night and everyone is discussing the images. I just find I can savor the images more in isolation. Unfortunately, there is no way for me to do that here, but I still am very impressed with this group of image makers. Keep up the great work everyone.
 
Having suffered a blank phase during the selling of my former house and my move back to the city of my birth, Plymouth, I was really looking forward to this challenge, and so far it hasn't disappointed. I've been able to take photographs every day and post a photograph taken on that day for each of the daily threads. Perhaps I have some advantage since I'm exploring territory I've either not visited for many years or which is new to me.

I was a little unstructured to begin with and my first days shot was certainly not what I intended, however it set something of an intermittently running theme along the lines of dereliction, decay, something cast aside, that sort of thing. Now living in suburban Plymouth, but hopefully not succumbing to a suburban mentality, I have easier access to a wider range of photographic subjects including some industrial and run down areas that are well adapted to the black and white treatment.

I can also feel a series on historic Plymouth coming on, so this challenge would seem to have rekindled my photography interests, albeit in directions that others might not have thought I would be traveling in, so bring it on.

Barrie
 
How do I express approval of this without sounding condescending? But it's such an important point ...

I wouldn't feel it condescending in the slightest. I've seen your photography book purchases (that you've shared here) over the years. You reference great photographers all the time. You are both a student and practitioner of black and white photography. I'm a rube that likes to play with cameras and take pictures of his pets. It wasn't until I really put my focus on creating a body of work in black and white and really looking at the images that I discovered the difference. I really enjoy viewing b/w images more (and definitely have gained a better understanding of some of the shots you take that have previously been lost on me).
 
I too, found that deliberately doing B&W, revealed nuances of structure/texture, that is more important to my eye, than in color. I think maybe, it will help my color work. That being said, I just can't live in a B&W only world. Some wonderful B&W work here, but a month long diet of it, has sucked the want to, out of me. That, and the fact that I find myself back with an old CRT monitor for a while, has brought my silver PAD, to a stuttering maybe. I'm sure I'll be back, in time, and I will monitor your ongoing work. Keep it up! :)
 
My experiences so far?
1. The challenge is a great way to appreciate BW and to learn looking with a B/W eye.
2. I've seen some really beautiful and creative photos.
3. I am unhappy with my own photos. In fact, I do wonder if I should refrain from posting unless I am happy about the photo. Right now, I shoot to shoot. I've taken too many photos that I would never have taken otherwise. That might be a good thing but it is not really satisfying.
4. I do not mind the quoted images at all. It is a nice way to re-enjoy the photo.

All in all, I will continue enjoying monitoring the thread and do hope everyone keeps shooting and posting. However, I am not sure what I will do. :)

Peter
 
I came to a similiar conclusion as Luke. I am trying to select photos that could work in either color or B&W. The basic image (a crop or rotation applied) is the same, but then I go through two different processes to create the B&W (Silver Efex Pro) and color (VSCO Film) image. It's fun to see the end results. Some work much better in color, some better in B&W, and I still find it hard to get the latter right.
 
For me it's difficult. First of all, I'm not a "picture-a-day" person. I'm kind of opposed to shooting because I need to; I prefer to shoot when I want to and that creates some expected difficulties. Most of my pictures for this challenge were shot in two massive outings with 2-3 occasional lucky shots when I accidentally noticed something that caught my eye.

I have also found that I have unexpected difficulties with B&W. If I were in Kiev, it wouldn't be a problem — it's a shady and begrimed city and its character lends itself well to B&W photography; here I live in a very peaceful and green area which works much better in color (at least for me).

Maybe I will visit Baltimore early next week to shoot enough B&W pictures to last me for the remainder of the month.
 
^ I'd like to be somewhere else too.

But .... Images are all around you & you don't have to go far to find them - unexpected is half the fun
 
I'm inflicting 'learning' photos and photos that remind me of some famous work I've seen on the rest of you, but I'm loving it! I've wanted to want to do B&W since I got my first camera in the early 80' s and this is the first time it's clicked for me. I'm with Luke on gaining a deeper appreciation that B&W isn't just 'Color without the color' I haven't got the eye for it yet ot the voice to use it, but I feel like I'm on the way.
Time-wise,I'm using more than one shot from one day's shooting instead of trying to actually shoot on the day. If the challenge hadn't come with that built-in flexibility, I would have passed.
 
Well, September is turning out to be just like August for me, in terms of not being able to get much shooting in. I processed three rolls (all of 36 frames) of 120 B&W film last night, shot over the last two weekends. I scanned some shots this morning, but am at a loss as to where to post them. I know Luke explained that it was okay to post shots not shot exactly on the day, as long as they were recent, so I may just start with the seventh day and go from there. It feels a bit like cheating, though...
 
It has been wonderful seeing what everyone has come up with. It is a nice way for me to challenge my mind to 'see' a possibility. I have made a few direct attempts to catch something. Like the birds at the lake. But most have been more spontaneous. Thanks for starting this Luke.
 
Well, September is turning out to be just like August for me, in terms of not being able to get much shooting in. I processed three rolls (all of 36 frames) of 120 B&W film last night, shot over the last two weekends. I scanned some shots this morning, but am at a loss as to where to post them. I know Luke explained that it was okay to post shots not shot exactly on the day, as long as they were recent, so I may just start with the seventh day and go from there. It feels a bit like cheating, though...

Since we want to see your photos, it's not cheating!!!
 
I've learned that B&W photography is yet another genre I stink at. Ah, well, I enjoy it anyway, and that's what matters to me! (y)

In the immortal words of G. K. Chesterton, if a thing's worth doing, it's worth doing badly! Not that I think your photos have been bad, just words I live by.
 
I don't know... a few people are saying that they dont do B&W well and yet I am seeing some excellent stuff in the threads. Its about seeing, but more about the light as much in B&W as it is in colour. I prefer to shoot colour and convert later, I've discovered, unless I am shooting film. With film I have always preferred to shoot in B&W, no idea why... I just never got colour at all. Not really sure I do now... nonetheless, shoot first, go B&W later, if I shoot digital. Well, lets face it, if RAW... colour is what the camera sees. And I shoot RAW.

I'm enjoying seeing what others are doing. I have missed one day of posting I think, maybe two. I haven't seen everything from every thread because I am tending not to go back when its a week later, but I am still trying to catch up. I have mixed feelings about quotes and requotes and chatter in the threads... because they get so long, and I am impatient, I can be accused of giving up too easily. In some ways, having challenges like this in the gallery where one could comment or not was better, although at the time I didnt think so.

I know... rambling again...
 
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