Project 365

2025 - Issue #24

It amazes me that black and white images are still commonly made. Not too long ago Soren Harbel wrote a terrific Substack post: Photography in 198 Words which is basically a very concise history of photography. He mentions that the first photograph was made in 1826. - That was two-hundred years ago! - The first color film, Kodachrome, was available in 1936. You would think that would have been the end of black and white film, but as we all know, that was not the case. Black and white photography still remains popular two hundred years after its debut. That is some staying power!

When I began my 365 project in 2024, I shot the whole year in black and white. Although I had started with photography in the 80’s by developing and printing my own black and white film, I hadn’t shot it in decades. I wanted to go back to basics and back to my own photography roots. By shooting black and white every day for a year, I really got used to thinking in terms of light and dark. I could actually see the world in black and white when looking through the viewfinder. My brain learned to interpret all the beautiful colors into shades of light and shadow. This to me became essential in reading light. Most of the time I shoot with a meterless camera and although I have a light meter app on my phone, I hardly use it. When I do it’s mostly to double check on what I think the exposure should be. (Not to brag, but 9 - 10 times I’m spot on.)

When it comes to photography I truly love both color and black and white equally. Many times when I’m shooting with one, I’m missing the other. Often times I have one camera loaded with black and white and the other with color. Still, whenever I first see my images in black and white, my breath catches, just a little.

8/3/25 - Selfies

I watched this group of women take selfies for at least 20 minutes. They first started with a much larger group at their table. Then they proceeded to walk up to the edge of the restaurant patio in small groups and pairs to continue their selfie marathon. So many selfies!

8/4/25 - Tall Tree

I marvel at this tree every time I pass it. Would you just look at how much taller it is than everything else!!

8/4/25 - Closed Sunflowers

8/7/25 - Happy Farmer’s Market Shoppers

8/8/25 - Parking Lot Mural

8/9/25 - The World Turned Upside Down

I have taken this photo many times. There’s something about the backyard being rendered upside down in the chandelier ball that always gets me.

8/10/25 - Under The Pier

8/10/25 - Over The Pier

8/12/25 - Open Sunflowers

These photos were shot on Kono B&W 400, and honestly the only reason why I used it was because I didn’t want to let a film roll go to waste. I already knew this film’s tonality was very flat and grey from the last time I shot it, so I tried to mitigate that by overexposing one stop. My results were better than last time, but still not great. To make matters worse, part of the roll was damaged in manufacturing as you can see in these next two images.

Lines, haze, streaks, giant grain, flat tones. - I certainly won’t be buying this film again. It’s just not for me. Good thing I don’t have any more of it.

As always, thanks for reading!

“All the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow.” – Leo Tolstoy⁠