Sometime when photographing in and around Siouxland I find that making minor movements on my part will alter an image ever so slightly, or very much. On the grand scheme of things this doesn’t really matter much to most viewers. But some folk pick up on it and understand the intent. When shooting in black and white, what is seen becomes more intentional simply because the lack of color distills an image down to basics. Shapes, contrast, objects and whatever else a photographer might enlist to inform a viewer. Sometimes doing this is intentional and sometimes it is purely serendipitous. One of life’s unexpected occurrences.
Spring is beginning to show itself in and around the Siouxland region. Trees are beginning to bud out and blossom and some flowers, like tulips and daffodils are beginning to show themselves in people’s gardens and yards.
But sometimes random snapshots of places visited can also inform a visitor and capture what was seen at the time and the enjoyment of just making an image, good or bad. It’s a nice way to spend a day outside enjoying nice weather and waiting for Mother Nature to settle down and hopefully regain its normal rhythm and pattern.
On a recent trip to Omaha, NE for a walk about outside of Siouxland proper, I encountered a scene about which I had a previous discussion with another photographer. It wasn’t this scene in particular of the horse statue, but whether one photographs subjects in black and white in camera, or color, and then convert it in post processing software.
The first image taken was using an in-camera vivid photo setting while the second image is using a “natural” setting. The third image was done in-camera using a monochrome setting. I came across an online post on a photography website where another photographer said a person should shoot black and images in-camera, intentionally seeing the images as black and white from start to finish. And I agree with that recommendation.
These photos show the horse is the subject of the color images, simply because the color draws one’s eye to the horse. In the black and white pic, I had to do some manoeuvring to get the image more focused on the background and the squares behind the statue than the horse statue itself as a subject.
The building itself becomes part of the design element of the black and white photo and the horse becomes secondary. I also think that a viewer might pay more attention to the statue of figures in the lower part of the frame than in the color photo.
I believe that some photos are made to be seen in color, whereas others in black and white. This particular example may not be the best when comparing the two but the horse statue screams take this in color, and in black and white it is just part of the scene, a selection of grey tones. When shooting in black and white one must focus on the elements of the image included in the scene and the grey tones that runs throughout it. Visual elements create the image and must be compelling enough to hold a viewer’s attention. That said, not all images hold a person’s attention, and these days a photographer must specifically change camera settings to acquire the tonality he/she wants. Color is not part of the image equation when images are done from the out set in black and white. And the tonality of color when changed to black and white can change dramatically. Different shades of blue can run from light to dark grey. Reds can be medium to dark grey to almost black. And when shooting and looking in black and white, a person sees that. And if the image doesn’t work in color, why should one think it will do any better when changing the tones to black and white. Each image should be done with purpose, thereby achieving the best image possible.
Sometimes it is surprising what one might find in Siouxland when out exploring areas like the Heron Haven, albeit in Omaha, NE and probably a bit south actually of Siouxland. On a visit last year a fellow photographer and I came across a number of Eastern Painted turtles themselves enjoying the park area sunning themselves in a large pond. It looked to be quite and extended family affair and they are far enough out and away from a bird blind so they didn’t seem to mind some curious onlookers. Barely any movement but the occasional head tilt, or until one felt sufficiently “sunned” only to slip back into the water. Just a nice day out with the family.
I just admit I never tire of getting out and trying to photograph Christmas decorations and trimmings in and about Siouxland. The bright, twinkling lights are uplifting and with other “bad” things in the news or happening, it is a bright spot (pun intended) for this holiday season. There still is some light in the world.
And it’s fun seeing people out enjoying the sights and winter activities, sans snow. It’s chilly, but not to terribly cold. In the Midwest and Siouxland, that is always a bonus this time of year.
For the last few years I have traveled to Omaha, NE to attend a Fezziwig Ball sponsored by the Old Dominion Dance group based in Omaha, NE. While it occurs outside of the “spatial” boundaries of Siouxland it is a fun event to watch and even more so for those participating in the dancing that occurred during the Charles Dicken’s story “A Christmas Carol” as Ebenezer Scrooge’s life is viewed by various ghostly visitors helping him find a change of heart during the Christmas season.
Most people attending dress in period outfits and it’s a family friendly dance that with a few instructions are easy to learn, although it never appears that way. It’s tough when one has trouble knowing left from right and clockwise and counterclockwise. And from the attendance it is a very popular event that keeps growing year to year.
This year I only photographed and didn’t film any video. Sometimes it is difficult to do both and be successful. Previously because of work or weather conditions I haven’t always been able to attend. But it’s nice to hang out with folk that just enjoy the holiday and the lesson of Dicken’s story and setting aside anything else for a couple of hours. Life then as now, is never simple, sometimes it just seems so in retrospect. But taking a time out is not a bad thing.
It’s hard while traveling about Siouxland and other points near not to enjoy the scene being photographed. Shooting at night is very different than photographing during the day. Mostly because of exposure but also composition which might take on a different point of view or aspect because of the lighting seen or absent.
The Gene Leahy Mall in Omaha, NE is a fun place to shoot. It does require timing and luck sometimes simply because weather can always be a factor. And if one is traveling any distance, it’s always nice when one can come away with exposures that made a trip worth it. The same can be said for those traveling to find various or specific bird species. Sometimes the photo gods favor the shooter and other times not.
But like many ventures, it is the journey and not the destination. But hey, the cherry on top of the sundae is always a bonus.
I enjoy photographing architecture in cities, large and small, especially in the fall and winter, when the light is direct but not as harsh as the summertime, with the earth being as a different angle to the sun.
And many times when photographing places I respond visually not realizing what history there might be for some places that I do photograph. Ted and Wally’s ice scream shoppe is one such place in the Old Market in Omaha, NE. I liked how on this particular day it stood out with its white facade against the darker brick buildings and by this time low sunlight skimming the area from the west.
I learned more about Ted and Wally’s after reading a blog post by Omaha Exploration which went into great detail about the history of the building and previous owners and uses. The blog is centric to Omaha but the writer seems to enjoy sharing his knowledge about the area he lives in and around. It certainly helps inform me about places I have visited in that city as well as widens my knowledge and understanding about the area. A good resource and fun reading experience.
I know having listened to classical music over the years there is a reference to “variations on a theme” in music, when a piece of it is used repeatedly in a production. I sometimes wonder as photographers if we create our own variations of a theme when photographing a subject and trying to approach it with different compositions and other ways of seeing the subject, similar yet not the same. I will do this on various shoots in and around Siouxland as I look for subjects or places I want to explore visually.
At the Gene Leahy Mall near downtown Omaha, NE a bronze figure head was installed in an area near what might be considered a reflection pool, created by Omaha artist Jun Kaneko. On a recent trip to the city and the mall in particular, I and a few other photo enthusiasts worked our magic in trying to capture images. I arrived a bit earlier than the others attending a photo walkabout sponsored by a local camera store. I was hoping to incorporate some sunset sky on some images before the sky just became black.
And I also tried just photographing the head and its reflection in just black and white. I know many photographers will shoot in color and then just remove it. I prefer to shoot in black and white and create the image in camera. Forcing myself to spot on with my thought process. In for a penny and in for a pound. I find shooting in raw and then converting hedging one’s bets. Yes, it gives one more creative freedom later but in film days, one either captured the image in camera, or not.
And I was lucky there was little wind that evening with little to no movement in the water near the head. Photographing from different angles and incorporating various backgrounds like lit “Christmas trees”, or trees with Christmas lights was a nice way to spend part of an early evening and enjoying festivities as the days slowly count down to Christmas Day.
Many times when I am out photographing in Siouxland and headed to a destination or expecting to look for something specific like birds or deer, I don’t always think about possible black and white photos or the possibility of them. And that is a failing of just not being mindful. Or open to whatever possibilities await. And it’s also true that sometimes color becomes, if not overwhelming, inescapable as we see the world in color.
But sometimes something just strikes my visual sense like seeing someone walking on a boardwalk in a checked shirt and the late afternoon sun creating lines as it passes through a structure. And then it becomes an act of recognition and reaction and “seeing”. And that requires being present and aware. Somedays one just wants the “day off”.
I live in the Siouxland area that encompasses a wide swatch of land in northwest Iowa, northeastern Nebraska and southeastern South Dakota. The people that inhabit this area are generous folk and your basic honest, Midwestern people you like to have as neighbors. I explore the area and share observations, mostly photographic, sometimes through video, and and short text. All images and video are copyrighted material of the author.
Jerry Mennenga, Sioux City, Iowa
jerrylmennenga@yahoo.com
lostinsiouxland 