In my past I was a black and white printer. I spent much of my twenties working in darkrooms and splashing around in a sink full of chemicals. When I wasn't printing, I was shooting black and white film like it was going out of style. Probably because it was.
Now that I live in a digital world my love for color has really bloomed. And, yet I still enjoy various shades of gray. Sometimes when I'm out shooting I literally look for a monochrome color palette. Like this wall.
I stumbled across this wall while at the Maine Media Workshops a few weeks ago. My classmates and I were out shooting without looking through the lens. I created an album on my Facebook page showing what I took that day. An exercise in SEEING, without LOOKING. Something I feel is crucial to growing as a photographer and something I encourage everyone who has a love affair with cameras to do. Let yourself be surprised by the results, and teach yourself to expand your vision.
Spend a half hour with your camera and just look for variations in color, light, and texture. That's where I always start. Next photograph the things that grab your eye, only without looking through the viewfinder. Stand close or far from the subject, get on the ground, get dirty, bend sideways, twist your arm and therefore your camera into funny angles. Play with the controls and focus. Learn to SEE in new ways, and really get a stronger grasp of how your equipment works.
And, FYI, cropping later is cheating! Learn not to do it :)
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