Simple beauty comes in many forms. From the dark, dramatic leviathan clouds, to mere cracks set in wood. It is extraordinary to consider that such incredibly powerful beauty can be captured in the simplistic voice of B&W. Although the simple tones and similar shadows lend to a monotonous taste, the pure colorless plate gives a new life to an already breathtaking sight.

The Photographer

The bottle. It is alone. It has but one purpose. One destiny. A single motive drives this plastic wonder. It has served its purpose. It has been used; cast aside; forgotten. And now it stands on the brink of the ultimate plan. It is ready to be crushed. Flattened by an unstoppable mass of steel. It waits to be transformed into a different entity. It waits to be: Non-Refundable.

The Railroad. I have lived alongside this monolithic instrument of industry for my entire life. I have heard and felt the grinding, throbbing, powerful rush of many tons of metal passing but a few hundred yards away. These tracks are a part of my life; which I will never forget. Their simple, industrial-age beauty does not do justice to how nostalgic they are in my heart. I have so many memories of watching, in pure awe and fascination, the rumbling mass of a machine tearing down the tracks like an unstoppable beast. The sheer weight and power always made me feel tiny. But my fondest memory lies in mid-summer nights. In the still of night, warm breeze flowing through my open screen window, one can hear the train whistle blowing its mournful call from miles away. The sound echoes off the hills, stirrs the nocturnal creatures, and always brought a soothing hush afterwards. The bright light could be seen from a long distance, casting unusual shadows.

These tracks are mythic, and thus demand to be immortalized in B&W.

There's an amazing old grape vineyard just a few hundred yards down an old tractor road behind my house. The vineyard, abandoned for years and overrun with the mystery of time, just begs to be photographed. The ancient posts and wires still grip firm with their long forgotten duty, and stubborn plants cringe to their age old roots. It is almost a sad place; yet in another way, a pleasant mood fills the area. The quiet, broad fields surrounding almost seem reverent to the vineyard, as if it has stature in the land.

Notice how in these two relatively similar images, the change of focus has an immediate effect on the attention of the scene. In one image, the viewer is caught away in the simplicity of the clear grass, and the blurred, flowing background. Yet, in the other image, the viewer is captivated by the rushing eccentricity of the water. This is a perfect example of how focus and background can have a dramatic effect on the viewer's experience.

The life of a B&W depends on the nutrients it recieves from its defining character. What drives the image? Is it motion? Life? The sky? Or even a grain of sand? The smallest details are what give a photograph life; and especially so in a black and white... since the heart of the image depends so despearately on the lifeforce of its personality.