Emotion is revealed in the absence of color.

An oft-used quote by Ted Grant explains that "when you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes, but when you photgograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls." I've noticed this to be true - monochromatic pictures seem to have a strong emotional draw, as if communicating a deeper meaning than the subject itself.

Recently I've been experimenting with Black and White. I don't actually take the pictures in greyscale (that comes into play as I run them through Photoshop), but I have been thinking about what would make a good B&W shot vs. what would be better in color. And I've found that a good B&W photograph needs good texture, good lighting, and good composition. You can't rely on the colors to provide an artistic feel. You need to put your spirit into it, pour out your efforts and your thoughts into making a single picture.

Of course neither of these pictures that I share with you today have any intrinsic message. I didn't mean them to. But they mean more to me in black and white than the original color pictures do.

In case you want to know the story behind the pics (I always do), the top one shows some works made by Mr. Brent Hale, a traditional blacksmith who has dedicated his free time to preserving that lost art. He visited the scout camp Nelson and I worked at and taught the metalworking merit badge for a week. It was undoubtedly the coolest class offered that summer (except maybe rifleshooting or climbing), and he was very generous, giving away minature swords and horseshoe nail rings to the boys, and making braces, brackets, hooks, and handles for variety of items around the camp.

The second photo is of an old waycar shed in Springville, Utah. Waycars, otherwise known as speeders, track cars, and pop cars, were once used to inspect railroad rights-of-way before the invention of the hi-railer pickup trucks that are now used. When the pickups pushed the waycars away, this little building became a tool shed for Union Pacific's maintenance division. The railroaders who frequent the place must have a sense of humor.

Regards,

Josh

The beauty of creation

I don't know what it is about steampunk. It's an attractive genre (at least for me). But what makes it so interesting? True, space-traveling victorians is a cool idea, and Analytical engines make great concepts. But why? Why be interested?

I've done a bit of research. I always do when I find that I'm interested in something; I guess it's just an attempt at understanding myself, in understanding why I have these inclinations. One explanation for the growth of the steampunk theme is that it involves hands-on creation.

That's such a true statement, too. Steampunk involves nothing but creativity; from conceptual art, to clothing design to everything in between, the theme includes a little bit of everything, and you can learn so much through making something steampunk.

I made these notebooks on a whim. The right one is purely victorian, based on a real notebook I found on display at a local museum. After hand-drawing the cover, I decided to modify the art a bit for the second one on the left, to give it a more functional, mechanical look for the "steampunk" theme. Both are usable, of course, which is part of the reason why steampunk interests me: everything is functional, yet classy at the same time.

Take, for example, the pair of sleeve guards I made a week ago. I had little experience in sewing, but I wanted some 1860s-era sleeve guards for when I volunteer at Golden Spike National Historic Site, where everything has to be era-appropriate. I didn't take any pictures, but this demonstrates my point: I learned a lot about sewing, and cloth dynamics, and the frustration of knotting thread. But at the same time, I learned a skill that can be used in real life.

Of course, steampunk can be fun too. Take, for example, this item (which I actually completed today): simple, and entirely fictional. Cavorite, if you don't know, is a (imaginary) natural material that has the uncanny ability to fall up.

The watermarks direct you to my deviantart page, where I have some other steampunk items and photographs that aren't here. Or just follow this link for my 3-D works: silverwolvesforever Gallery

Regards,

Josh