14: 8-Feb-2016

Ok – enough of that. How about some reading? I’ve got a few inspiration ideas for you this time. You’ve probably noticed that our monochrome entries have fewer entries than colour. But that many of the images in the monochrome section are truly inspiring. Many of the great photographs were monochrome. Ashley is a master of it (in my opinion), Jo always picks just the right shot for it, and James is in that select group. I cut my photographic teeth on black and white and personally enjoy playing with it. It’s not that hard to do – and with digital you have the chance to experiment. But why not get into it yourself? Here are a couple of articles I found that may help in that process:

First some inspirational images – 32 stunning examples of black and white photography
And an essay on why you should try it
How to do it is not that difficult in the digital age – there are some guiding principles to follow starting with seeing in black and white (look for texture, shape etc). One trick you need to master is altering colour channels to give the photo that correct emphasis (like getting rid of a red coat). Here are some pointers:
1. A how to process
2. A how to process

Give it a go and lets see what you can do.

Now how about some more inspiration in digital manipulation? Not your standard inspiration stuff, but demonstrating the fusion of digital technology with other media to create new media. Many of you may have heard of MOMA – the Museum Of Modern Art in New York. I’ve mentioned it before, and they often have collections of great images and challenging ideas. Well, if your in New York before 20-Mar (yeah – sure!) you can see an exhibition entitled Ocean of Images – check out the video and the slide show! It’s a bit radical – but it makes you think – and isn’t that what the creative process is about? Here is a little piece about the exhibition .

Finally – a bit of inspiration for the next Circles competition you may not have thought of – spider webs. Check out these images!