“Not Ready to Roll”
March 29th, 2021
Tagged: black & white
For the past 8 years, I’ve used themes for each week of my images: a location, an event, or simply an idea. But early in December, as I was reviewing my images from Warren Dunes, I decided to challenge myself with posting an entire month’s worth of themed images.
Around the same time, I was marveling at the simplicity of great black and white images: they can’t rely on colors to give life and interest to the image, leaving the photographer with only texture and composition. I decided that I would post 28 black and white images in the month of February, and that I would also challenge myself to shooting and editing with black and white images in mind.
As part of my black & white month, I wanted to feature some photos of cactus. I’ve visited several botanic gardens and conservatories, but hadn’t ever spent the time and focus needed to properly capture cactus. So, on a cold Sunday in January, I drove down to Lincoln Park, and upon arriving, realized that I’d left my Nikon at home. After driving home and back, I walked into the Lincoln Park Conservatory, only to discover that they don’t have a cactus room – some days just don’t work out how you plan.
So, instead of cactus, I took photos of plants that I thought would work great in black & white…and someday, I’ll actually take a trip to photograph cactus.