Black and white images stand out as being simple and yet bold.
Photographing the coastline and then converting the image to black and white often makes for calming, simplistic and interesting scenes.
To make my home beautiful is to make my life beautiful.
The spaces I create around myself must be calming and nice to look at. They should be enjoyable for guests and practical to live, sleep, cook, entertain and move around in.
I have a soft coastal theme in my home. White walls and neutral coloured furniture. My prints and paintings are mainly of the ocean.
Let me try to explain what the ocean vibe does to my soul….. and how I enjoy black and white prints. (Let me say, not all my prints are black and white, I love a pop of colour here and there in my home for a bit of vibrance and that uplifting feel.)
1. Waves have patterns, lines and give you a sense of motion. The creation of a wave is beyond my understanding but they are inspiring and the many different facets of a wave make them wonderful to photograph. From enormous, daunting, misty waves to completely calm and tranquil scenes, sometimes I just sit and absorb.
2. A boat or yacht can convey a sense of freedom. Yachts are one of my favorite things to photograph. The white sail contrasts beautifully with the darker background colour of the ocean.
3. Seabirds also give a sense of freedom. Soaring, flying, gazing. Seabirds make great images which can be converted into black and white.
4. A splash of colour in a dark ocean image, mystifying and elegant. This can draw the eye to a particular object.
5. People…Busy beach scenes seem to be all the go at the moment. If you are in the mood to take a few photographs of this genre, choose a hot afternoon and head to a crowded beach. It’s so much fun planning and instigating a simple photoshoot like this. Take lots of images and then view the details up close. You’ll see people chatting, people eating, swimmers, dogs, children, sandcastles, and all manner of things. These images can be a “Wheres Wally?” to a viewer. Lots of fun and very interesting.
6. Black and white. When I get my images home I usually transfer them to a programme called Silver Efex so that I can convert them to black and white. I then usually use the structure slider and minimise the hard lines. It’s personal and about what YOU like. Take your time to experiment with your settings and then choose your preferred option.
Black and white is timeless. It will not date as quickly as colour. I encourage you to get your black and white ocean images framed and put them on your walls.
Two basic colours at the end of the spectrum provide room for our imaginations. Two extremes of light and dark with many shades of grey in between. It’s perhaps the shades of grey that provide the connections between the black and white. This makes it easier for our eye to roam around the image, appreciating the variations.
