Portraits - low contrast

These two portraits are low contrast, low-key images.

Conventional wisdom says that, for maximum impact, the blacks in a B&W image should include pure blacks, while the whites should be bright (but not blown out). The tones in these portraits do not follow this conventional wisdom; the lightest tones are barely above medium grey, and the "blacks" are a dark grey containing no detail. 

The brightest part of each image is at the earring.

Portraits

Two studio portraits in sepia monochrome from recent Sunday portrait sessions.

Becca

Cowboy

Red Jacket

Window of shed at a local garden centre.

Red Jacket

 

Heritage Museum

This image was made at the Alford Heritage Museum about 20 miles from Aberdeen. The museum contains artifacts from bygone ages - owned and used by people from Alford and wider NE Scotland.
I'm slowly working my way through the exhibits. This mono image is a multiple exposure of the cutting blade on a six-foot long double-handed saw.

Cutting Edge

These previous images are also from one the exhibits.

Urbex workshop

I was at a photographic workshop on Tuesday - "Urbex - Weathered Treasures". A long way to travel (Aberdeen - Hackney - Aberdeen), but well worth it - getting valuable advice from Valda Bailey, Doug Chinnery, and Terry Gibbins.

The workshop was in a Victorian warehouse / workshop, now used as an environment for film / video. This multiple exposure image was based on a rather sad looking plant found on an upstairs balcony resting against a wonderfully textured rough-cast wall.

Brexit

Alford Heritage Museum has good source material for multiple exposure images inspired by Brexit.

The images were created in-camera, two shots in each case.
The original subject was an old battered enamel / steel panel advert for "BP motor spirit".

Badger, badger, badger

My neighbours, the badgers, have been particularly active in recent weeks.

I had been feeding them at the front of the house, but I wasn't happy with the photos that could get; there was a patch of tarmac in most images and I really wanted to get more shots at the badger's eye-level.  One possibility was to move the feeding site to the "lawn" and then  lie in the grass each evening until the badgers arrived. Moving the feeding site is easy - they will quickly find a new nearby site. But lying in the grass for up to two hours was not appealing because of arthritis and the very high likelihood of tick bites.

I eventually moved the feeding site to the back of the house where there is a steep bank topped by a flat area planted with a few trees. The top of the bank is approximately at eye-level when I'm standing at the back door.

The badgers found the new feeding site on the first night. After a week at the new site I also discovered that the badgers are not bothered by me standing in the wide open doorway with a dim outside light switched on. This discovery has really opened up new possibilities for photographing the badgers.

These images are all taken with flash at about 10:30pm. I used the outside light to help me get focus.

Badgers - sow and cub at right

Badgers "greeting" - cub at right

Badger cub