Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Courthouse in Monochrome

This is the Coconino County Courthouse in downtown Flagstaff. The original part was built in 1894, but has had several additions made to it over the years. Made from local Moenkopi sandstone, the building has a deep red color and blends well with its surroundings. This building is well known by locals and visitors alike and is one of the more unique structures in Flagstaff.

Lately, I've been playing with monochrome photography (black & white) and am still developing my "eye" for it. What do you think of this first try? I thought the white of the sky and snow against the dark shadows of the windows and clock gave this photo an interesting look. Not to mention the multitude of gray shades present in the sandstone walls of the building.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It took me a while to warm up to black and white photography, but now I'm all about it when appropriate.

Janet said...

Glad this building's exterior hasn't been modernized. It's looks nice in black and white.

Anonymous said...

I vote for black and white for people shots. It seems to me that expressions are somehow more real in b&w.

HightonRidley said...

To answer your question - it's a great conversion but, to me, the sky lets it down. I reckon some moody clouds would work really well...

I've done a video tutorial you might find useful - have a look via my blog... www.highton-ridley.co.uk/blog

Keep up with the mono work - it can take you down really interesting paths. Without the colour element, your starting to strip things down to bare essentials, less distraction and more feeling :)