Len-Artists Photo Challenge #265 Black & White or Monochrome

I want to address a question I was recently asked. After I retired from teaching I enrolled in Photography classes at the local community colleges. Then, I found a fun group of retirees to put my learning into practice. Are these class assignments? No. Lens-Artist Photographers create these challenges weekly. This small group of talented photographers from around the world creates interesting assignments to share. These challenges allow me to revisit and share my images. If you would like to participate weekly in our Lens-Artists Challenge, click here for more info.

Back to this week’s challenge.

Anne asks the question, “Is monochrome black and white? Is black and white monochrome?”

Monochrome

Monochromatic photographs= photographs of one color variations

Most of my monochrome images are straight from the file with little processing, except for this first one. I added a sepia finish.

Found mortar and pestle in an antique shop in Nevada City.

Mushrooms found at a local farmer’s market

Alligator Lizard finds monochrome useful for camouflage

Fiddletown, CA at the Chinese Apothecary

Black & White

Sometimes I can find black & white naturally, but most of my photographs have been processed in either Adobe Photoshop or Topaz plug-ins.

When processing an image for b&w I look for contrast.

Found Black & White

The first image is the San Francisco skyline at night taken from Treasure Island.

Lens-Artists Challenge #255: Telling a Story

This week, Patti of P.A. Moed asks me to focus on telling a story with my photos. “Sometimes, if we’re lucky, we can convey a story in one image; other times we need several. For this challenge, we’ll set a limit of 5 photos per story.” People-watching is a favorite pastime for me. I do not eavesdrop; instead, I try to imagine what is happening and capture the emotions.

Festivals and Events

Father and son act at the Renaissance Fayre

Amgen Tour of California. How would you caption this?

Summer is heating up here in Sacramento. We are alerted that a heat wave is approaching. Years ago, my grandchildren joined a swim team. That meant all-day swim meets on Saturday. I had my camera ready for action.

Helping hand

Getting directions at the
American Museum of Natural History

Teaching

Many docents can be found at the zoo or museums. They provide valuable teachings to the community. Thank you.

Explaining tools at a *Big Truck* event in Roseville

Creative Energy

Spray paint art on the Embarcadero. This artist was less than friendly.

*Chalk it Up* is held once a year in John C Fremont Park

Caught in the Act

Fisherman’s Wharf in San Fransisco provides plenty of photo opportunities for people-watching. I captured this local character as he counted his earnings.

Nothing like a hot dog on the New York City streets

Capturing a fun moment at
The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Serious moment with Daisy Duck in Disneyland

Animal Stories

Can you think of a story for these images? Something was going on.

And that’s all folks. For now! Check back soon for more of my photographs.

Lens-Artists Photo Challenge #207 Seeing Double

Jez invites the hunt for reflections with a fantastic collection of great photo examples. Visit his post HERE.

Be it mirrors, still water, or glass I always look for reflections when I am out with my camera. For this challenge, I limited myself to some of the over 900 reflection images I have taken.

Taken many years ago with my first Nikon D70 at Mirror Lake in Yosemite National Park.

Another view of Mirror Lake was taken in late April about 14 years ago.

I last visited New York City in 2014 during a snow storm in February. We had tickets to visit in March 2020 but canceled just as Covid got serious and N.Y.C. closed down. Good thing!