Black and White Wednesday

January 13, 2010

Welcome to the first week of "Black and White Wednesday"

If you missed the post that explains it all, click HERE to see the details and feel free to join in.....the more, the merrier.

All you need is your camera, editing software of choice, and a place to post them! There are no rules... you can post whatever you want as long as it is black and white!

As I mentioned on Sunday morning, there were two real motivators behind Black and White Wednesdays. The first was to give me something to work towards this winter with my photography and make me step out of my comfort zone a little....kind of pushing myself a bit. The second motivator was to fill an entire wall/hallway in our home with black and white photos of our family.

I am almost embarrased to say......because you all know how many pictures I take, but I only have 6 photos hanging on that wall......ONLY SIX!!! And can I add that 3 of them were taken at a portrait studio before I really got into photography. Yeah.... that tells you a lot...... I am not on the ball with my photo printing, because surely, I should have more than 6 hanging up there.

So, when I thought about this weekly challenge; to take and process at least one photo in black and white, I started to think about what it was that I wanted to photograph......

Well, most definitely I want photos of the kids......but I don't want all posed, portrait style photos. I want some everyday life photos.....candids....things that will make memories. Things that they will look at years from now and say, remember when.....

I also don't want every shot to be a photo of a person. I would like to hang some images of things that symbolize our life, our family and our interests. I want to include places we travel and things we see on a daily basis.

The wheels are turning in my head....... I have a lot of ideas spinning around up there, I just hope I can execute them......so that I can share them with you each week!

Without further ado.... Here is the first B&W that will be heading to the wall.

Just lounging BW2 WM
I snapped this photo the other day while Sarah was lying on the bed totally enthralled in Nick Jr.

Her expression is what drew me in and her cute little tootsies dangling in the air slightly out of focus. Just the day in a life of a 3 year old..... life is surely good:)

Okay....now it is your turn.....show me what you got!!

Did you take part in Black and White Wednesday?

If you did make sure you leave me a comment and use Mr. Linky so we can all stop by and check out your beautiful black and whites.

If you missed out this week, feel free to participate next week...or the week after, or the week after that.... you get my drift!

You might want to even join me and start a "wall of fame" in your house.

As the weeks go on, I will post pictures of the hallway so you can see the progress.... It will help keep me accountable:)

I guess I better start shopping for frames......

Hope you all have a Wonderful Wednesday!



UPDATE: I see a couple of you have already asked about processing.....

Would it be helpful for me to add some info on how I processed the pictures each week?? I know that everyone is not as into photography as I am, so I didn't want to bore you all with the details....... if you want me to include it, I will gladly do so.... just say the word:) Thanks for playing along.... I can't wait to make my way around to see everyone's posts. Right now... I need to get to work:(



63 comments:

Kelly H-Y said...

Adorable pic! I need to start a 'wall of fame' too!

Ashia said...

that is a great pic!! you're giving me a great idea with the black and white wall of photos thing. =) i saw one at a lady's house a while back and the wall was painted red. really made the photos stand out!

Kim said...

Great idea! I hope I can join you in your weekly b/w posts soon!

Of course I love the picture of Sarah! I need to use my new camera more.

Love Letters To China said...

Beautiful photo! I have several pictures of Liam with that same glazed over stare while he was watching television. They're actually some of my favorites of him. Can't wait to figure out which one I'm going to transform and post later today.

I think I'm going to finally fill all the frames that have been sitting in my closet collecting dust for the past year. They are all black and will look especially nice on my red walls in the kitchen.

Have a great day!

fleur de lis cottage said...

You definitely need to frame that photo. Beautiful image of your cutie!

Sharon said...

I can't wait to see your wall of fame : ) ! I'll definitely be joining in today....just not so early at 6:43am...hehehe. Give me a few hours.

Jodee said...

As you know, I would never miss a party! Thanks for letting me join the B&W fun!

I love this picture of Sarah! Kamree looks exactly like this most of the time while watching Dora or Sponge Bob with her big brother!

Also, I can't wait to see your wall. I hope you inspire me to do something similar!

Happy Hump Day!

Valerie said...

Lisa, Thank you for dropping by and introducing yourself. I see you are also very talented like Dita, in the photograpphy dept. Your subjects are beautiful to begin with.

I would love to be able to join an endeavor such as this. Except for the fact I have severe cameraitis. My camera is never locatable and is a "shutter-in" most of the time, when I do coax it out the only pictures it will take are of people with their eyes closed and the backs of heads.

I don't want to "focus" on it's obvious limitations, the outcome is "developing" int a "negative".

Nice to e-meet you.

Valerie

Denise said...

Now what do I do about Wordless Wednesdays? LOL! I may have to do 2 posts on Wednesdays I guess. Can you give us some tips about how your edit your B and W pics? I use LR, but don't ever get anything that looks like your beautiful pictures!

Denise said...

Problem solved, I posted on my photography blog~

Rachel said...

Lisa,

The picture is great! Definitely one to frame. I need to work on printing and framing more of my pictures!

Do you edit in LR or in Photoshop?

I'll definitely be joining in as much as I can!

Rachel

Kim said...

Tooooo CUTE..
Love it..
Have a great day..

carolinagirl said...

just posted! this is a great idea! i have not really taken many photos since Christmas so i had to go back and find one in the archives! :) hope you have a great day!

love this one of sarah!

Gail said...

Beautiful image, Lisa. Love everything about this one of your sweet pea!

I love that you started this and now have inspired me to start a black and white 'wall' too. Hey maybe you should take a pic of your wall sometime and show us...

Only 2 more days till Friday!

xo

Sandra said...

Lovely picture, Lisa!
I just posted mine :-)

CM said...

Love this meme! Great idea! I linked up.

Totally adorable pic. What a little sweetie!

Oh, and I'm a follower now :-)

Briana's Mom said...

Oh my gosh - what a beautiful photo! I totally love this idea!

I can say I have a little "addiction" to displaying photos in my house. It's a little out of hand honestly. Let's just say that people know that I have a daughter. Just sayin'. :D

Kayce said...

Love this!!! I'm putting my post up in a few....
Beautiful pic of Sarah!

Vida Mia said...

Beautiful photo, I really want to join but I don't have a blog and it seems that I can't add a link to my Flickr...

Dita said...

Oh, MAN.....this picture is absolutely gorgeous, Lisa. Sarah, as usual is the perfect subject but your editing is just incredible...now THAT's a Black and White!

I would be thrilled to now how you processed the picture...spill it girl!

xoxoxo
Dita

P.S.
So glad Valerie popped over here...oh, your in for a treat...she is such a sweetie and her brand of humor is right up your alley!

2 more days till Friday!!

Briana's Mom said...

Crud! I originally put the wrong link in Mr. Linky and I had to put it in again. Sorry! :)

Love Letters To China said...

Was going to ask you to post your b&w post processing tricks. Would love to learn how to do what you do.... ;-) Gorgeous!

Jboo said...

Great photo of your little cutie! I just did a photo wall and realized that I need a lot more photos! :) Just did a B&W Wednesday post too. Hope it worked with Mr. Linky! Have a great day!

janet

Tutus and Choo-Choos said...

What an adorable photo.

Don and Lisa Osborn said...

Your first selection is a true beauty, Lisa.

Great idea! I am sure you'll have many people joining along. I might even give it a go, even though I'm a total novice who knows NOTHING.

You're not going to have a house big enough for all the great shots you'll get.

Hope you're doing well.

Love~
Lisa

Michelle R Photography said...

Lisa, This is such a lovely photo of Sarah. She looks so sweet and relaxed in front of the camera. And I love her little tootsies in the background. Too cute!

Not sure if you want to mention this, but if someone has a DSLR but doesn't have any post-processing software, they can play along, too. They just need to switch the color format to monochrome in-camera and voila - b/w photos straight out of the camera. It's just another way to play along and enjoy b/w photography. On my Canon 50D, you change it under the "Picture Style" setting.

Half Gaelic, Half Garlic! said...

Thank you Michelle!! That is a great tip.... I never thought to include that in the post:) You are the best.....

xo,

Lisa

Wanda said...

Oh Lisa, Your blk & wh of Sarah here is soooo beautiful and soft. And of course, her sweet face could capture anyones's heart.

Did you just say "bore us with all the details"? How can I say this any clearer. BORE US, PLEASE.....please! So....I'm saying the word. Really, I would love to hear all you have to share. I've been reading Kelby's LIghtroom book but there's not that much about blk and white, especially for faces.

Thanks for starting this. This really is going to be fun!

Have a great day (and enjoy your sushi on Friday.....sigh....)

:)

Melanie said...

How fun! I've left my linky. What a beautiful little girl!

Michelle R Photography said...

p.s. I just now noticed the "we're almost there" in your header! Oh, that just makes me smile BIG!! I can't believe I missed that before. I am so happy you are ALMOST THERE!! WOO HOOO!!!!

Marla said...

Absolutely precious! I love her little feet and the hair over her eye. Perfect conversion too!! I'll be posting mine later today. Looks like you've got lots of participants already! :)

Unspoken said...

I would love you tell us all your secrets :)! Please!

jenbusymom said...

Hi Lisa,

Thanks for the challenge, I'm going to try and keep up with it! Great pic of Sarah!

Take care!
Jen

Unknown said...

What a beautiful photo! And what a great meme... found you through Cop Mama.

kerri said...

love your photo of Sarah!!
I love this idea, can't wait for next week!!

*Jess* said...

Thanks for doing this! I just linked up!

JMCS said...

Really great b&w conversion of Sarah. What a sweetie. I want to join in on the b&w eventually. Just up to my eyeballs with learning some other things right now. Hope to join in soon. Great idea! :)

Hugs,
Jonni

Michelle said...

Brilliant idea Lisa ...and I love your picture today!

Football and Fried Rice said...

LOVE this picture, Lisa!! I can't wait to be more intentional & creative about a B&W picture every week!! I loved some others' scenery pictures. MIGHT even have to get the dog involved!

Missy said...

What a neat idea! I'm glad you've had such a great turn out :) The pic of Sarah is adorable. She is quite the cutie pie :) Have a great week!

Becky said...

Love this picture and idea! I just posted mine but I think Olivia's face looks a little weird. Any ideas on how to fix it would be appreciated.

xoxo,
Bec

CM said...

I just had to stop back and comment on your 36 links!!! Wow, that's awesome! Congrats!

Bamawhitney said...

Wonderful post idea! Thanks for letting me play along!

Kim said...

Lisa,

This is fun....so glad you did it!

Love your picture of Lil Miss Sarah!

((hugs)),
Kim

Barrett said...

One of the things on my "to do" list this winter is to make a family history wall. I need to get started!

I love your blog and the Black and White Wednesdays.

Marla said...

Wahoo! I'm in! :)

jennifer said...

Love that picture. So precious!

Carolin said...

oh my, oh wow - after seeing your beautiful picture, well - I'm too ashamed to show any of mine! I'd be hanging that one too!

Carolin said...

well - what the heck ... i gave it a try!

a Tonggu Momma said...

Love it! Love even more how many people are participating in this!

Ashli said...

Thanks so much for the comment!

And yes, I have been very blessed to travel to Europe, the Middle East, and just now East Asia, all to share the Gospel!

Can't wait for future weeks of B & W Wednesday!

TanyaLea said...

That is most definitely worthy of "The Wall"!! ;) I think this is a GREAT idea, as I am a huge fan of b&w's...maybe I'll just have to take part next week! And I'm all for learning about your processing. And while you're at it, if ya get the chance, could you hit me with an email and let me know what kind of camera you use. We are in the market of a good DSLR that will 'grow' with me, and I'd like to shop soon so that I can get used to using it before we travel to China! Otherwise I'll be stuck with our ol' Nikon point and shoot! :(

Blessings! <><
~ Tanya
thomclan@cfaith.com

Shelly and Family said...

Hey Girlfriend - WOW what a success & what a great idea! I think this is what we all exactly needed to keep us going and to get so many of us posting! Can't wait to join in on the 27th (if we are back by than)! Remember, if you need me, Kith will have his phone and I'll be checking my emails daily...

Love you!

Keisha said...

Oh.. I love it! I love those little feet dangling in the air in the back too!! So sweet! That is a definite look to treasure and hang on your wall. What a great idea too!!
You are so talented!!!
Love ya girl!
Keisha

Amanda said...

Your pictures are wonderful! Would you be willing to share what lens you are shooting with? Thank you! If you want to email you can amandadrost@mahaska.org I have been shooting mostly with a 50mm fixed lens. I love the color quality but am finding sometimes I am not getting everything I want in focus. Your pictures look great. Thank you!!

Mei Mei s and Mayhem said...

Love this! Thanks for helping us keep those cameras going!

Cant wait to see your wall.

Blessings

Ivy Shaffer said...

Hey Lisa,
Just getting a moment to pop over and see gorgeous Sarah! I love this photo! It will look fabulous on your wall, very very big!!!

Sorry couldn't contribute this week, but looking forward to next week. Way to go here, you have quite the fan club girl:))

I have no idea where you find the time and energy to do this, but what a great way to inspire other photographers. Hey, how do you get your own Mr Linky? I think it's a pretty funny name, just had to ask.

Hugs, can't wait to see you.

Ivy

The Byrd's Nest said...

I love this idea and have enjoyed it on all of the blogs! Black and whites are my favorite!

Casey said...

Great idea!!! I'm looking forward to the challenge.

Now I JUST have to remember when it is Wednesday :)

Unknown said...

Oh! I want to participate next Wednesday. I am writing a post it to myself right this second. I love her picture. And I know what you mean about getting pictures up on the wall. The ones I have up are VERY very old... I must improve!

wife.mom.nurse said...

i'm not a photographer, but must say that is just a darling photo of the princess!

That expression is just priceless!

Our Complete Family said...

Well hello there sweetie!
I am loving this b&w photo of princess Sarah. Just darling! I know it will look fantastic on your family and things wall and I can't wait to see the collage of pics!
What a fun thing you are doing on Wednesdays. Leave it to you to come up with something so neat-o!
I'll touch base soon. J is still in the hospital today and tomorrow and we'll see how much longer after that. My world has been turned upside down :(
Love and hugs to you and your sweet fam~ L

Anonymous said...

Hi Lisa. I love your black and white wednesday and will be posting /following it every week.
I added your link to my page...
you can view my blog at
http://photosbyria.blogspot.com/

Ur pictures of the children are adorable.