Fade To Black – Monochrome Throwdown

[Patrick]

Feel free to share your Black and White monochrome below – No Rules Except B&W only.

[Retired Grunt]

Great “still life (?)” Oh, the door is open and will share 🙂

[Patrick]

Thank you RG , i love playing with things like this at home 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

I call these shots, “when bored” and use my OMD camera because of the stabilization. Some shots are below 1/60th and hand held. Some may be so low, even with the sabe, there is some blur. But is looks cool!

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Beautiful set of photos RG 🙂

[Patrick]

Nicely done 🙂

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love the black and white still life Patrick 🙂

[Patrick]

Thank you Dahlia 🙂

Another experiment with textures and threshold

[Retired Grunt]

@patrickw-2

It’s been quite awhile since I’ve creatively and artistically edited photos to be more like artwork.

Interesting concept and I always love the use of negative space.

[Patrick]

Thank you , playing around with ideas to be honest some images work great and others can be too busy , i have a lot of images that i am looking at and thinking i can do more with outside the standard photo in mixed media work.

I have big pile of things that i am going to try out this year lino carved stamps for printing on art papers is just one and i think i can get a few images cut as stamps.

[Tersha]

Interesting use of textures Patrick, works well.

[Patrick]

Thank you very much 🙂

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Really beautiful work Patrick 🙂

[Patrick]

You are very kind Dahlia thank you so much 🙂

[Anne Hornsby]

@patrickw-2   I really like this Patrick.  what do you mean by threshold?

 

[Patrick]

Hi Anne i was speaking about image adjustments in photoshop

[Patrick]

Thank you Dahlia , when i get a bit of time i will make some v-flats or maybe a shadow box and start shooting a little more still life at home 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

Some more photos during the time of boredom.

 

[Patrick]

Great textures from the medals all good black and white images RG , thanks again for posting 🙂

[Tersha]

Really like these RG, great b/w and also interesting to look at.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Very Interesting RG. Great textures too 🙂

[Stefanie Markham]

[Patrick]

Gorgeous mono , love the clouds lots of texture and sense of movement , thank you for sharing 🙂

[Stefanie Markham]

Thanks Patrick

[VALERY]

great sky!

and because of that I’d  cut about 1/4+ from the river to make the sky the only subject…sorry it’s not a shark tank- but cannot resist…

[Stefanie Markham]

Thanks Valery

[Retired Grunt]

@stef

Sometimes landscape is hard to pull off in b/w photography, this shot nailed it!

[Stefanie Markham]

@retiredgrunt-Thank you very much.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love the textures and the light in the clouds Stefanie 🙂

[Stefanie Markham]

Thank you Dahlia.

[Cindi Christie]

I am really attracted to clouds. These are stunning.

[Tersha]

An old one …

[Patrick]

Very nice Diane , all those geometric shapes in mono look super good , very graphic looking , thank you for sharing 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

@tersha

The white pick guard sets the contrast for your shot, well done!

[Frogdaily]

[Patrick]

Love the flowing lines in these feathers , Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

@frogdaily

Depth of Field worked fantastic for your shot, awesome!

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love the textures on the feathers Belinda 🙂

[Frogdaily]

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

@patrickw-2

While all your photos are inspiring, this one stands out for me.

[Patrick]

Thank you so much RG , much appreciated 🙂

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love this work a lot Patrick. Looks like a book cover 🙂

[Patrick]

So kind always 🙂 , I need to spend some time this year if not a full on book but even to try put a small zine together just to learn the process more than anything , they say once you do something once and get a feel for it it’s not as scary next time 🙂

[Anne Hornsby]

amazing capture.  Agree it could be a book cover.

 

[Patrick]

my sister said just the same Anne , normally she says nothing lol

[Patrick]

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

@patrickw-2

Great use of light to isolate and contrast subjects. Is the silhouette also a selfie, based on seeing the hat in the 2nd photo? Remote shutter release?

[Patrick]

No mate that was as i was walking down the street i noticed the person coming my way so i walked on the inside so they would be in front and to the side as they passed by i raised my camera just before they reached me this always makes them look to see what i am pointing at and when they do i shoot , it happens all very fast tbh.

[Retired Grunt]

Ahh, the thrill of the street photography hunt!!

A technique I’ve used when in close proximity, I don’t have my hand/finger near the shutter button. Camera at my waist but strapped around my neck, I actually have my right hand under the camera, supporting the camera, but my left hand is poised over the LCD that is set for “focus/shot.” When I see the shot I want, I touch the screen. Nobody has a clue I took a photo.

[Patrick]

It helps keep it unbruised and candid 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

A few concert photos from March 2025. All siblings and have been taking photos of their performances (that I can get too), for 10 or so years now.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love the photos and you have captured the spirit of their performance RG 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

Hooah, Thank you Dahlia.

[Anne Hornsby]

These are incredible, RG.  Especially the 3rd shot – that hair is making music on its own!

 

[Patrick]

These are great images RG , i say this alot about your photos lol i am aware of this 🙂 but facts speak for themselves , they look like a tight family it comes through in your frames , great work 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

Hooah, thank you. They are tight and it is always a blessing to talk with them and their parents when I’m at a gig they are doing.

They actually opened up for the Christian band, Casting Crowns in September of 2024. Great time to take shots.

[Patrick]

[Patrick]

[Anne Hornsby]

simply wonderful

 

[Patrick]

Thanking you 🙂

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

Hooah for all three photos. But the white brick wall, then the black background writing, the black dress, the shadows… awesome!

[Patrick]

Thanking you Sir 🙂

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Stunning photos and compositions Patrick 🙂

[Patrick]

Thank you so much Dahlia , a very talented community of artist round the city i love to photograph it when in the town 🙂

[Tersha]

[Retired Grunt]

Awesome b/w macro. Question, is the reflecti0n of the flame a “flare” on the lens?

[Tersha]

Hi RG, the ‘flare’ is from using a lens baby with different shape crystal wands over the lens to create differing effects … some work, some don’t.
The wands are part of an Omni set.

@retiredgrunt

[Anne Hornsby]

This is magical, Diane.  As I was scrolling down, only the flame shapes appeared, making it mysterious.

 

[Retired Grunt]

While at the Cleveland (OH) Clinic, helping family, I was sitting in various waiting rooms and took various shots. Looking out the window next to me, I saw this dude walking by after getting out of a shuttle bus… click.

[Robert Apple]

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Beautiful contrast Robert. Looks great in Black and white 🙂

[Robert Apple]

Thanks Dahlia

[Cindi Christie]

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love the contrast between the wheel and the wooden structure behind Cindi 🙂

[Patrick]

State of Mind

[Patrick]

Natural Rhythms

[Retired Grunt]

For me, the v notch of the two stones pointing at the house, plus the blur of foreground pushed my eye up and left, almost has a tilt-shift effect. Love the rolling terrain.

[Patrick]

Thank you kindly RG , i was on a charity walk with a group and stopped for this in passing , the mountains of mourne

[Tersha]

I don’t do a lot of b/w, so I’m enjoying looking through old photos and seeing what I think might work …
cogs

[Rob Wood (Admin)]

That’s a great subject for a black-and-white shot, and yeah, I think you’ve treated it really well. So well done, Diane.

[Patrick]

Superb choice of subject , not something we see everyday which on top of your edit makes a beautiful frame Diane , def one of my fav shots this first week of the new year, keep em coming 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

Outstanding use of b/w. Some subjects are made for b/w and how DofF fluctuates, cool.

[Dahlia Ambrose]

The black and white emphasizes the textures and patterns of your subject. Beautiful one Diane 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

I was in Queensbury, NY at an antique shop. This lady began to talk with us and explained how she acted in plays. She began to act out a part and I took the shot. On a manual lens, while I used my X-T2.

[Tersha]

Love this RG, great moment shot!

[Retired Grunt]

Hooah, Thank you.

[Patrick]

This is just excellent , the gesture is mint mate good thinking on the capture and as normal superb black and white 🙂

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Love your decision on capturing the moment RG. Beautiful photo 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

@patrickw-2 , @dahliaambrose

Thank you. She was definitely an extrovert while her husband in the background, was more the introvert. I got a few shots but this one I like the best.

[Anne Hornsby]

really great, RG.

 

[Tersha]

[Retired Grunt]

Love the DoF with these shots you’ve been posting!!

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Stunning details and contrast Diane 🙂

[Anne Hornsby]

wonderful.  The white pearls are extra luminous next to the black.

 

[Patrick]

Motion studies

[Dahlia Ambrose]

Very interesting and love how you have captured the movements Patrick in perfect Rhythm 🙂

[Patrick]

Thank you so much Dahlia 🙂

I must admit i was looking at a lot of Daidō and that whole provoke period , still some of my all time fav selections from those guys.

[Retired Grunt]

Interesting photo Patrick. Love how you experiment with your photography.

[Patrick]

Thank you very much mate , it always amazes me the things you can do with these little boxes with even a small amount of light , dogs ,art , photography and people thank goodness we have these precious things 🙂 we are all so lucky

[Anne Hornsby]

Whoa, spooky.  very cool, Patrick.

 

[Patrick]

Big thank you Anne 🙂

[Joseph]

[Patrick]

Very nice clean lines joseph , welcome to Ls and thanks so much for sharing 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

@oldfolk

Your subject was the man on the wall, I assume eating lunch? 🙂

[Joseph]

Yes, it is a nice place to eat lunch.

[Anne Hornsby]

@oldfolk  Great angles and reflections, Joseph.  The person in front gives us a sense of scale.

 

[Retired Grunt]

I went to a softball game, my nephew’s daughter is the catcher. I managed to capture the softball just before she caught the strike. The batter was way to slow.

[Robert Apple]

Timing is everything, in photography as in softball, I feel for the batter, I can pick up an axe judge the weight, spin and balance and stick it in a tree 60 feet away, but never could hit a thrown ball, though running one down and catching it wasn’t an issue.

[Retired Grunt]

Same, cept for me, it’s a knife. Even the latest Army M9 bayonets that replaced the M7, I could throw a good 20 feet and rarely miss. Cept, the M7 was real metal and would not break. The M9, I bought one due to breaking it on a failed throw, never again 🙄

[Robert Apple]

Roger that, I have a goodly connection of hand forged bowies as well. Carrying one came in handy during a bear attack a few years ago.

[Retired Grunt]

That must be a crazy story.

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

Awesome photo!

[Patrick]

Thank you so much RG

[Patrick]

[Anne Hornsby]

The images in the video are all yours, right?  I enjoyed seeing them collected together.

 

[Patrick]

Yes indeed Anne , lots of old shots i made short vids and posted to my YT  , i wish i had time to share others haha.

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

Always creatively artful and interesting!

 

[Patrick]

Thanks so much RG , i have a color version some place blue sky pops a bit more in that i think.

[Anne Hornsby]

 

[Retired Grunt]

Always interesting perspective for me. Spending so much time in wooded areas, I’ve spent time lining up at the base of a tree and shoot the canopy above and pine/evergreens, are the best!!

Cool shot!

[Patrick]

The texture here is so chucky i can nearly feel it , good capture Anne 🙂

[Anne Hornsby]

Thank you, RG & Patrick.   I love your word ‘chucky’ Patrick.  I’ll adopt it!

 

[Retired Grunt]

Ice storm a few days ago, weird though because the next two following days, it raised up into the mid-high 40s, rained and everything melted. I did take some shots, here’s one of the back window of my truck.

[Patrick]

Another belting texture image RG , you nailed this lovely the detail are brilliant i could make up so many little stories in my mind about this 🙂

Nice share Sir 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

Thank you!

We began to wear an American Flag on each shoulder while deployed. The flag on the right shoulder is inverted so the “stars” lead (always forward). So the back windows of my truck have such flag stickers.

[Patrick]

Thanks for the info 🙂

[Anne Hornsby]

I love this – so many different textures, plus the flag anchors it.

 

[Patrick]

[Retired Grunt]

Cool photo! It’s great to take photos of anything and make it work!!

[Patrick]

She made it easy and the weather laying on the grassy mound worked for both of us 🙂

Thanks mate

[Tersha]

[Patrick]

Be good to get the summer to use it 🙂

[Retired Grunt]

Hooah, mesh hats are the best in the summer!

[Retired Grunt]

Once I got the used OMD-EM1 Mk3, I thought, oh a full moon. Lets take a pic. Well, after several shots that were not what I was expecting, I hit Youtube 🙄

So, after some proper settings in the menu, here is a shot that is the result of proper settings.

[Retired Grunt]

[Patrick]

What wb did you use mate , it looks like a blue tone on it.

[Retired Grunt]

Most likely K3000, that’s my standard for night photography. For a shot of the moon, it does emulate a b/w with a slight blue split-tone.

[Patrick]

Ah ok mate thanks curiosity never sleeps 🙂

[Tersha]

[Patrick]

[Patrick]

[Author]

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