Shooting in black and white is an art form itself, I see black and white as a genre all on its own.  It's difficult to see images in monochrome and it is a skill that needs to be rehearsed like any other.  For me colour will always be my main focus because I love it.

I love the vibrance and the additional elements colour brings to my shots but that doesn't mean I'm entirely unaware of the stunning graphic nature of good solid black and white images.  It is the very absence of colour that strengthens these shots and simplifies the topic for the viewer, forcing them to see exactly what you were seeing when the image was made. 

​After some consideration, I have added a category of black and white to my Series 5 project as I feel I have five strong images to share.  For those who are unfamiliar with the project it is a collection of five images based around a topic. It's something I have really enjoyed creating and continually add to the collections when possible. 

​The page can be accessed using the link in the paragraph above or via the Tips & More section of the site. I now have eight galleries covering a variety of topics which will I continue to grow as time, and images, allow.  

I've added another section to my short series page today, this time it's the majestic Aurora Borealis.  It is getting toward that time of year again when the aurora fills the sky frequently and our home on the hill overlooking Cochrane provides a fantastic north facing position to maximise the experience. You can see my short series (5 images in each category) directly by clicking here or by visiting the tips & more section of this site.

All around the Canadian Rockies, forest fires fill the sky with smoke at this time of year, most of which are the inevitable result of the dry climate and spectacular lightning storms.  Tonight the smoke from the fires drifted across the setting sun making stunning red stripes as it dipped toward the horizon, leaving me compelled to make an image.  After doing so I thought of other sunsets that had me chasing an image without an associated landscape and decided I could add these to my series 5 page.   It's surprising just how often we shoot the same thing and yet find great differences in that thing, sunset it seems, is no different. I also added a series of colourful garden birds to the existing collection, so click the link above and check out my small series project.