Here are another pair of images from the brown bears on the Katmai Coast. The reception for these b&w versions has been great, and I’ve got to say – I’m hooked. For me, b&w puts more stress on texture and composition. You also have a little more flexibility with b&w. All of these images were shot in mid-day light. Not the soft, warm light you find at the small hours of the day – known as the golden hours. Often times, creativity begets creativity. I now have more favorite images from the trip (and the b&w’s outnumber the color). This exercise has boosted my creativity, and reminded me that creativity shouldn’t end in the field.
B&W Bears, Post 3
A Black & White Twist on Katmai
I’m not a black and white photographer, per se. Truth be told, I’ve always loved color – it’s how I see things. I seem to have completely skipped the b&w photography and darkroom phase in my photographic “formative” years. Although, come to think of it, every year should be a “formative” year as a photographer. We are continually learning, constantly evolving, ever trying new things – or at least we should be. Late last year I happened upon the work of a photographer who specializes in the wild animals of Africa – his name is Nick Brandt, and I highly recommend you check out his portfolio online. My parents bought me his book “On This Earth – Photographs from East Africa” for Christmas that year, and I’ve gone over it numerous times for inspiration. Another photographer I greatly admire is Andy Biggs. He too is known best for his African wildlife images, and leads exciting photo safaris to that continent. The connection between these two photographers runs deeper though, both are amazing b&w shooters, though Andy does a great deal of color work as well. I’ve been meaning to try my hand at some wildlife b&w work recently, and after sorting through some more images from our Katmai Bears trip, I think I have found some good images that translate well in b&w. They were all captured in color, then converted to monochrome with a slight sepia tone. I’ve also done some creative digital darkroom working with them… selective blurs, vignettes, dodging and burning. They are a bit more “moody” than my standard work. Overall, I’m really pleased with the work I’ve done. It didn’t take long, and the new creative approach may offer more opportunities in the future for my photography. I’ll post more images in the coming days, but here are a few to start off. Comments welcome, and take care everyone.
