After doing several color themes, this time the challenge was to find photos that lacked color. I sought out subjects in black and white, meaning these images are technically in color, and I didn't actually grayscale them in the editing process. It wasn't easy, especially since I like wider compositions more than details and close-up viewpoints, and it's hard to find that much black and white naturally. A few of these photos do have a touch of color, but in most cases I thought it helped emphasize the monotone nature of the rest of the image. I did lower the saturation in editing and faded the blacks a bit, but that's been the style I've been gravitating toward lately with all my photos, not just this group.
I think there are stronger, bolder examples of black and white subject matter out there, and I hope to build on this set in the future. The inspiration for this theme came from a postcard my aunt found of black and white images from around New York City. It's a great example to strive for, both photographically and with the hope of sending my photos further out into the world one day.
Shape up
So, I'm a little behind on my posts, both on Instagram and here. I blame it on a certain very cute (but very time-consuming) puppy. But now that we are settling into a schedule, and the weather is a lot more accommodating, I'm trying to get back into photographing on a regular basis. This theme, geometry, really helped get me back in the flow. It's a subject matter I already gravitate towards, and there's a lot of geometry out in the wild. The hardest part was trying to maintain variety. I could have easily posted photos of just lines and squares, but worked to find other shapes. These ended up having more color, shapes and interesting perspectives than I expected when I started out. Here's to more steady progress going forward!
Slow and simple
I thought I'd start off the new year with a new theme about simplifying the things around me: minimalism. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans. While you could argue that the snow blankets everything in a minimal, mono-chromatic palette, it's also made my photo hunts nearly impossible. With the bitter cold and foot after foot of snow, it's hard to walk around on my lunch breaks and take long strolls home from work. It's just one of the man frustrations resulting from this winter's snowmageddon. So here I am in March without a completed theme.
I also had a tough time with this theme because I wanted to make it unique from other themes. But a lot of my compositions or subject matter were really similar to past photos with shadows, geometric lines, single colors, etc. It was difficult to find and post photos that just expressed minimalism. It's also not what I gravitate toward. So between the weather and not finding photos I was happy with, I decided to end the theme with six images instead of my normal nine. I still like this group, and my favorite of course is the snow shot. Just can't escape it!
Color of the season
With the holidays fully over, it's time to wrap up my last theme of the year: red. I wanted to do another color, since I knew it would be a busy time of year, and red is everywhere during the holidays. I definitely planned to include some decorations, since I wanted to post fun Christmas photos too, but I tried to still find the color red in my everyday surroundings and stay true to my project. It was a challenge, partially because I've developed an editing style lately that tends to have more blue tones and muted, low-contrast colors. Some bolder reds just didn't look right next to my other photos. But I ended with a good variety; maybe I'll try this theme again in the summer when there are fewer easy options around.
And with a new year ahead, I've decided to carry on with the themes. It was originally a year-long project, but I've enjoyed it a lot, and it's really pushed me to get out and photograph more. So until I think of a new project, I've put together a new list of themes. Stay tuned!
Planes, Trains and the MBTA
After having a hard time coming up with my next theme, I thought of one while sitting in traffic on the bus on the way home from work. Maybe there was a way to make the commute more interesting? I called the theme transportation, but the photos are all pretty specific to my own route. At first, I felt like I wasn't representing all the various transportation options and subjects, especially since I see so many great photos on my favorite urban Instagram feeds. But then I realized these were an accurate capsule of my day. Except for the two from my trip to Chicago, all of these were taken on my way to and from work or on my lunch break. Shooting and editing along the way made those trips in traffic go a little faster.
