monochrome – Serendipity – Seeking Intelligent Life on Earth

LET THERE BE MUSIC! – Marilyn Armstrong

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Music

“And let there be music throughout the land,” he said and there arose a mighty host of singers. There were singers, trumpeters, flautists, piano players, and drummers.

Everywhere, they made music.

MONOCHROMES AND MONOTONES: CEE’S FUN FOTO CHALLENGE – Marilyn Armstrong

Cee’s Fun Foto Challenge: Colorful Monotones

Monochromes (monotones) are a favorite of mine and really, I have a lot of them. Except I can’t remember where they are, so I found a few and rest are hiding in all my folders.

There are so many folders. Years of folders and then there are the other folders. If I don’t remember the month in which I took a picture, I have no way to find it. I really do need a better organization system!

Our fireplace in the living room is entirely brick

FIELDS – CEE’S BLACK & WHITE CHALLENGE – Garry Armstrong

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Field

Really, we live in a field, except it doesn’t look like a field because it’s full of trees. It’s hard to take pictures of a field with so many huge trees on it. They tend to block one’s view.

So I have settled for more open spaces, except for just one of the walls of Fenway Park. Because you can’t come from this area and not include Fenway!

If I think about it, this area is nothing BUT fields!

Field by the river – Photo: Garry Armstrong

Mountainous fields in Arizona – Photo: Marilyn Armstrong

Fenway Park – the oldest baseball field in the U.S. – Photo Marilyn Armstrong

Cornfield at harvest time – Photo: Marilyn Armstrong

Photo: Garry Armstrong – The landing field at the Tuskegee site

Photo: Garry Armstrong – Field of green by the river in June

CIRCLES AND CURVES: CEE’S BLACK & WHITE CHALLENGE – Marilyn Armstrong

Cee’s Black & White Photo Challenge: Circles and Curves

This first shot is the camera that took the rest of the pictures. It is a Panasonic Lumix FZ-1000. After I gave Garry the FZ-300, I realized I didn’t have a long lens anymore since the 300 was my long lens. It was why I’d bought it and it had been brilliant in the pursuit of small things a long way off.

There wasn’t any (affordable) upgrade version of the 300, but I found a really good price on the FZ-1000. It does a lot more than take long shots with its zoom. It is a very smart camera. Sadly, I am not as smart a photographer and though it is some months later, I’m still learning what it will do.

Lots of curves and circles but you’ll have to look for them.

One of the things it does (finally!) better than any other camera I’ve owned is to take pictures in “real” black & white rather than “sepia” and white.

Utensils in a form titled “Ice Cold.” Maybe because it’s so blue?

Taking originals in black & white leaves limited ways you can use color in the final print since there was no color in the first place. Using monochrome filters, I’ve been able to find some interesting variations on a theme of black & white.

From antique to sparkling, it’s kind of amazing. I think I will own this camera for years and never fully grasp its capabilities. There is a manual, but it was not written by a writer.

Yellow berries along Manchaug’s stream. This is where I start to wonder where monochrome ends and some version of B & W begins. This is considered a monochrome format and to a degree it is. But … is it really? I love the texture of the berries and leaves, so I included it … but still, I wonder.

Many of its abilities are not explained in a way that makes sense. To me. I’m sure someone understands what’s being discussed, but I am not one of them.

Over time I will, presumably, figure them all out.