Black & White or Color?

In a world of digital photography, images are usually captured in full color by the camera and, if desired, converted to black and white using software. Black and white images are common in portrait, wedding and architecture photography, but what is the place of black and white images in nature photography? If the goal is to capture nature's beauty, is there a benefit to full color over black and white (or vice versa)? Below are two images, identical except for the color. You be the judge.

"Last published on Sep 23, 2009"

Cobwebs are in every corner of this blog. Time to dust things off and get back up and running.

"Last published on Sep 23, 2009." Thanks for the reminder Blogger. That was nearly seven months ago, at the start of ArtPrize 2009. Now that event is history, the phenomenal winning entry on display at the Grand Rapids Art Museum, and I'm contemplating my entry for ArtPrize 2010.

I don't like new year's resolutions. They always seem made to be broken. But something about the end of the holidays and beginning of a new year inspires reflection. So as 2010 began I made goals instead of resolutions:

• Learn more about photography and continue to grow my business.
  
• Meet more people and expand my circle of friends.
• Get more involved in my city.

Of course accomplishing goals requires you to determine how to tackle each one. For me, that meant creating what has turned out to be a massive and incredibly fun to do list.

To Do:

1. Attend more events in my city, camera in hand - even if that means going alone.
   
2. Start using social media as a way to connect with new people, not just those I already know.
3. Keep the Pine Photography Facebook page up to date with weekly posts - which means taking photos worth posting at least once a week.
4. Maintain the full time day job in order to continue paying the mortgage.
   

And so began a whirlwind winter that has now turned into spring. I've become addicted to Twitter, met many wonderful photographers via GRFlickr photo walks, added dozens of events to my calendar and learned just how much I really love living in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The unintentional consequence of all this? The complete abandonment of this blog. So now I'm adding a fifth item to the above "to do" list: Updating my blog on (at least) a weekly basis. Maybe no one is reading this but me, but that doesn't mean I should give the cobwebs a place to hide.

Happy ArtPrize Day!

ArtPrize begins today and I am so excited! My ArtPrize work, "Selective Focus," is currently on display at Schuler Books & Music Downtown (40 Fountain St. SW). Be sure to check it out!

My voting code: 32081 >>Voting Information

>>Complete Pine Photography ArtPrize information

Lots of great events celebrating ArtPrize art going on tonight and throughout the next couple of weeks. >>ArtPrize Events Calendar

Q&A

Last week ArtPrize sent an email to all artists asking the following questions:

1. Did your parents encourage you to become an artist?


2. When did you start working in the way/medium/series you're working in now?


3. How did you decide to select the specific work you did for ArtPrize?


4. What is the greatest pleasure of being an artist? (What is your personal driving force?)

I have no idea the intent behind these questions (looking for good marketing matierals perhaps?), but find it interesting that of all the questions they could have sent, these were the four they chose.

Web Site Updates

New images have been posted on the Pine Photography web site!
>>Check it out!

Here's one from the archives. This opossum came for a visit back in December. The full story and more photos are up on Flickr.