Some black & white favorites

I'm in the process of digitizing my black and white film work, so I thought I'd post a few today. I learned more about photography than I ever have in my entire life by taking a photography class with Dr. Ed Trayes at Temple University while in graduate school. He taught me the true importance of composition, patience and he gave me a much-needed refresher on photography basics (I had been out of the game for a little while - call it my Photography Renaissance). Most of all, he ingrains this principle into his students minds: people make great pictures, not equipment. I'll never forget what he said to us in class one day:

The biggest insult you can give a photographer is asking what camera he or she used to take a picture. It doesn't matter what camera is used - you can get just as good of a result with a $100 camera as you can with a $5,000 camera.

I never forgot that. To decipher what Dr. Trayes was saying, I'd say the equipment in a photographer's photo bag is merely tools, like a microphone for a rock band or a paint brush for an artist. Just like an artist or singer has a preference for a certain kind of brush or mic, a photographer can prefer certain equipment, but it's the knowledge that counts.

As much as I discuss equipment and as fortunate as I am to own what's in my camera bag, it doesn't take a world-class camera to make a world-class photograph. It takes knowledge. However, in the digital world, equipment does make more of a difference. Chances are, you're not going to get nearly as good of an image at 4 megapixels as you would with 8, and so on.

Of course, Dr. Trayes is probably still mostly on the film side of photography, and that's where he and I part company, since I'm all digital. But, I share his view that film still does many special things that digital does not, most notably teach students about contrast, exposure, lighting and many other aspects of photography (specifically work in the darkroom). Even though digital photography is quickly catching up, I'd be half the photographer I am today without that training using film, and without logging many hours in the darkroom. But, as much as I missing reeking of fixer and developer, I do enjoy learning the intricacies of Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom. I believe digital photography, like film photography, is very much an art. Just a different kind of art. However, as usual, I digress.

Anyway, here are some images from my photo class. So I don't type it over and over, all images were taken as follows: Exposure unrecorded (I know, I really do need to get better at this) with a Canon EOS Elan 7E and a Sigma 17-35 f2.8-4 lens. I used Ilford black and white FP-4 (ISO 125) film for all of these shots, save the indoor picture of my friend Tim; for that shot I used Ilford HP-5 (ISO 400) film.

All of these were scanned in using a CanoScan 9950F Scanner. On to the images...

This picture is me at my bullshitting best. I had to talk my way to the top of Philly's famous Liberty One skyscraper. Our photo assignment was to get a picture looking down on William Penn, who stands atop City Hall in Philadelphia. Full disclosure: I asked a few of my classmates how they got the shot, and they told me - "Canon Publishing, 53rd floor - tell the lobby you have an appointment to see them." (How fitting is it that I took this from a Canon office! Hey, I'm a loooong-time customer, so they can at least let me take a few snaps.)

The people were great at Canon Publishing, inviting me in and telling me to use any of their conference rooms to get the view I wanted. Although they did ask me to bring pizza the next time I come in. I just might go back this summer, pizza in hand, to see if I can get a better shot when the lighting conditions are better. As you can see from the very top of the image, it was a very hazy day. But, I'm loathe to crop the image too much - it leaves out the flavor of the view. Not my best work image wise, but I'm proud of it because I got there to take it in the first place. Also, as I already stated, I only had a film camera, so I had no idea how it would turn out. At least I got no reflection on this image from the windows in the conference room.

I took this silhouette at City Hall, looking across the street toward Love Park. I don't remember where the flag is flying, but it's across the street, either on top of a building or on a flagpole. If I had to guess, I'd say on the flagpole near the statue of Frank Rizzo.

I have to admit, this is one of my favorite shots.

Full disclosure - this image was touched up in Photoshop; I adjusted the contrast and brightness slightly to finish off the silhouette effect. I've worked with this image digitally and with the negative, and this is an example of the wonders of digital. I achieved the same effect in Photoshop as I did by dodging and burning under a darkroom enlarger. It took me about 1/16 the time with Photoshop. Some would call it cheating, and they may have a point, up to a point. I call it progress.

I captured this rollerblader on Kelly Drive on Boathouse Row in the early afternoon. I cropped it slightly in Photoshop and fixed some blemishes on the digital image due to negative degradation.

I love the juxtaposition in this shot - my friend Tim's tattoo of his grandmother, and right underneath it, a tatt of the Wu-Tang Clan.

Our assignment was simple - "Bring me tattoo photos." This one was pure vanilla compared to what some of my classmates brought into class, but I like this one. Tim's a big, imposing dude, but I chose to light hit from the side and slightly below him to make him just a bit more menacing.

During our Philadelphia Museum of Art shoot, I spotted this man sitting peacefully behind the museum, sketching. I took this about mid-afternoon, so the light was favorable. I asked him if I could photograph him, and he said, "Sure, and thanks for asking." Another lesson learned when taking pictures in public.