Black and White photography

I am liking black and white photography more and more.

There are lots of different types of photographs, and the use of color can be spectacular, especially in landscapes.  But lately I have been thinking a lot about portraits, and how much I always liked to see the old black and white versions.  Sure, back in the day it was all that was really available.  But there's something fundamentally interesting about reducing the portrait to its basic elements by eliminating the distraction of color.  Here's an example.

This was originally a color shot from a live performance of Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers.  The lighting was very poor and sort of crazy with all the colored spots.  And there is a certain interest in those color shots.  But I took a crop from the original shot and converted it to black and white, while bumping the contrast and adding noise.  The blurring of Chris' features is the result of a relatively slow shutter speed coupled with his trademark stage action.  The black and white image focuses attention on the subject without distracting colors, and the blurring of parts of the image communicate the frenzied style of his performance.  I think this really captures more of the 'essence' of the performer, which is exactly what we want in an environmental portrait.

There are lots of ways to communicate with a camera, but I am liking black and white these days.

Punch Brothers Wow Crowd on Snowy February Evening

Chris Thile brought his band, the Punch Brothers, to the Jefferson Center Sunday night to play to a sellout crowd.  The only problem was, half of the ticket holders were unable to slog through 7 inches of wet snow to experience the concert.  For those of us who made it, we were certainly not disappointed.

Thile's style of music, and musicianship, continues to evolve into a higher form of entertainment experience.  In it's current incarnation, it is alternately experimental acoustic jazz with classical overtones and traditional bluegrass, but with the sharp edges worn off by Thile's distinctive musical vision.  The addition of an experienced bass player has enriched the music indescribably, and the impeccable skills of the band members truly weave a unique acoustic tapestry that simply cannot be duplicated by any other band.

Thile seems to have a special affinity for Roanoke and the Jefferson Center.  During a break he remarked about how many times he has played the venue.  "I'm so excited, because this time we sold out!" he remarked as he scanned the many empty seats in the auditorium due to the weather.  "It's just that you can't tell...".

The Punch Brothers are not just a backup band for Thile.  They are highly skilled musicians making serious music.  And although the sound is clearly derived from Thile's past, the richness and complexity as well as the addition of significant rhythm elements has taken them to a new level of performance.

Check out their schedule on the website at punchbrothers.com for dates and venues, and whatever you do, make it to one of the concerts.  I drove through 35 miles of blinding snow, and it was worth it.  You won't be disappointed.