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Black & White Photographs
Black and white photography can carry a sense of drama; the colour not being there can trigger the imagination to make compensations.
This photograph was taken on a wet winter's day. The light was absolutely perfect to take a black and white photo of this platform at Denmark Hill Station in Camberwell. I particularly like the arches.
This photograph was taken in early spring.
Again, light plays an important part in the composition. Light can be a superb sculptor
for the photographer.
A British Rail Train Carriage. These were built around
the mid 20th Century. The doors opened outwards; no consideration was made towards safety
in those days. I took this photo on my way to work. The carriage was empty, and I thought
it would make a good study; indeed the photo looks as if it were taken in the 1950's!!!.
(Note the lack of contrast, I thought about changing this, but it would have
lost all its oldie worldy ambience!)
I was
feeling a little miserable at the time this photo was taken; even so I was in a
creative mood. I thought of Callan, a British Spy Drama Series of the 70's
where the opening shot was of a swinging light bulb. It was a good tv series as
it was very atmospheric and very kitchen sink. I was feeling a bit kitchen
sink at the time.
Here is the title sequence of the said programme:
A
shot of squirrel under my feet, I was fairly quick in taking this photo. I was
tempted to enhance the image; but then it would lose all its charm. Some images
are best left well alone. I quite like it looking flat. It gives it a more
abstract quality
I like ducks.
They are photogenic; they carry an air of pomposity but all the same, they are quite comical.
A panoramic shot of the platform at Denmark Hill
Station.
Here I am being Kitchen Sink again. A shot of houses
from my train journey to work. It's the sort of photo one finds in a
British magazine from the early sixties.
Speaking of Britain in the early 60's, things were at a cultural nadir. All the same, some interesting things were happening.
Check out the tv programs Tales of Edgar Wallace and The Scales of Justice. The Edgar Wallace programs had a really atmospheric opening - a plaster bust of said author rotating in a fog of dry ice with all kinds of lighting effects.
Update: March 2007 and here is the said clip
Going off on a slight tangent, a great deal of thought went into producing the studio sets of Edgar Wallace Series. If you intend to study British interior design of the early 1960's, look no further than The Mysteries of Edgar Wallace. As for the photography, I cannot decide whether I like it. The contrast is not that deep - the images have an almost flat quality to them. This is over 10 years on from David Lean's Oliver Twist, where contrast and depth is the name of the game; I think it is the most beautiful black and white film ever shot. It's a complete education. I do not know about Tales of Edgar Wallace, I have to watch it again if it ever gets repeated on television; but judging from this discourse, they certainly made an impact on me..
Edgar Lustgarten's The Scales of Justice closing credits was quite innovative with animated rostrum shots of the Sculpture that stands on top of the Old Bailey combined with graphic manipulation. Very effective considering the technology at the time. The spacey and then modernistic sounding theme music of The Tornadoes 'Telstar' really gave it impact.
Here is the opening credit - made in colour - prior to colour telly coming to Britain
Thanks to the contributors to youtube
Just goes to show that since setting up this site in the late 90's things have really moved on the world wide web.
Atocha
Station, Madrid
St
Pancras Station
A superb example of neo-gothic architecture. Note the stonework, it is reminiscent of La Mezquita in Cordoba. No expense was spared on this building. The booking office is rich in wood paneling and carving.
The
Interior of St. Pancras Station. As you may have guessed, I have a thing
about railway stations. They do, after all, involve travel as well architecture
and artistry.
I
was intrigued by the red lights on the buffers at the end of the
railway track. I wondered how they would appear in black and white. Police
car added for a bit of drama.
The
Voodoo Club, Leicester City Centre.
I thought the designs on the window were just waiting to be photographed, skeletons having a bit of a rave. Leicester is a great city. Check out the market. A big Asian Community that celebrates Ide (hope I got the spelling right) in the middle of Autumn, lots and lots of street lights. Unfortunately I did not have my camera at the time of this festival, but it did make an impact on me. Next time I'm up there for the festival, I'll will not forget my camera, so watch this space.
Shop
Window Mannequins, Leicester City.
Take a tip. A lot of thought goes into window dressing, likewise the mannequins. They provide poses as near as that of a professional model. Cheaper at that!
The Famous Plastic Cat of Catford!!!
Another useful web site is the Ilford web site; you will find some really nice black and white galleries here.