Tag: black and white

Container Jungle

Part of my container garden this summer in the Dog Free Zone.  I grew hot chilis, herbs, flowers, and, in particular, milkweed.  You can see the milkweed seed pods have opened, and the seeds are waiting to blown away by the wind.  The milkweed is food that is important to Monarch butterflies, but I have heard that the milkweed with colored flowers is not good for the butterflies.  I want to do a bit of research on this – what if all is for naught?

Once more, this is a photo using my 1937 Welta Weltur and Ilford XP Super 400 film.  The Xenar lens is stunning, with lovely detail and softness at the same time.  I really like what it can do.

Sage

This time around I remembered I had the reduction mask in my 1937 Welta Weltur camera.  I also used a yellow(ish) filter I have that slides over the lens.  I have never used it before, but I am glad I did as it made the plants a bit more differentiated.  In theory, I get how filters work, but when I try to remember, it just disappears from my brain.  One day it would be really nice to get that clearly imprinted in my memory!

Okay, that aside, I so enjoy making pictures with these old cameras.  When they hit the sweet spot, there is something so beautiful in the final image.  This one I cleaned up – threads, spots – but didn’t do too much more to it other than upping the contrast a bit.  I wanted the white sage flowers to pop against the background.  The filter helped, but so did digital post production.

I know some people who claim that digital post is not the same as a real dark room.  No, it’s not, but it is a lot easier to do the same things – and then some! – you would do in a traditional dark room.

Anyway, more to come, but perhaps only a couple as a lot of the images are a bit dicey as far as putting out in the public’s eye.  I scanned these with the Epson V600 scanner and the film is Ilford Super XP 400, which is a black and white that can be developed in C-41, which is the chemistry for color negative film.

Fallen Flowers

For the life of me, I cannot recall the name of these flowers!  I know they are related to carnations, and the name will probably come to me after this is long posted.  So, senility is setting in and I am getting used to it.

The original may be seen below, taken with Dubble’s Bubble Gum film, and then converted to B&W.  I may end up buying another roll of it as the colors are really enjoyable.  I don’t know if they will be the same tints as here because they got a new manufacturer.

I just remembered the name of the flower!  Dianthus.  “Dalrymple” and “Dahlia” kept going through my head.  Isn’t funny how the mind works?  And Virginia Woolf is here, too, I guess.

So, fallen flowers – of the dianthus sort – accidentally chopped off when I was dead heading the front bed last week.

Sky, Trees, Water

This is a B&W version of a panorama I took with my 1937 Welta Weltur.  Two images sewn together in Photoshop, and then turned into black and white.  Old glass which is uncoated gives a characteristically different look to film, whether in color or black and white.  You can see the color version here.