Good morning, evening, or afternoon, wherever you may be! It’s Ezo back this week with highlights from the server. Personally, I’ve been off on a bit of adventuring the last couple weeks. I’ve been uploading some galleries regularly the last couple weeks, and I always appreciate some comments if you like what you see. This week I’m highlighting some great shots from our members both new and old. I’ll also be bringing some attention to some ongoing community collaborations. So let’s dig in!
Gallery Gems
I make no bones about loving black and white. But did you know that Heinz was really influential in my becoming a fan of black and white photography? He has mastered black and white, and you can see it in this photo where he brought out the texture of the building and made it contrast with the softer clouds in the sky. This high contrast look is really dramatic and vibrant despite being a rather mundane scene and lacking any color. For more, check out the gallery or his website below.
When I saw this gallery, I was absolutely blown away. Siftu achieved some really deep looks across a lot of amazing landscapes. It was hard choosing one, so I recommend hitting the gallery link to see more. I chose this one because it takes a common subject that would otherwise be fairly mundane and creates a really amazing look through his use of framing and contrast. The whole gallery is a great study in the use of contrast and tonality to convey a greater range of texture when working entirely in black and white.
Noticing a pattern yet? Yeah, I love black and white, but I promise there’s some color coming. But for now, take a look at this broken pattern Eeenmachine produced. I absolutely love black and white for its ability to capture texture and patterns without the distraction of color. Eeenmachine did something even better here though. Instead of just showing a simple pattern, which honestly would have been pretty great on its own, he breaks it up with this concrete post that elevates it from a simple repeating pattern to a very intentional composition. Eeenmachine has a real eye for deceptively simple compositions where he manages to create layers using simple shapes and textures. If you like this gallery, you might also like his small format zine he released recently too!
A lot of people when they think about swans they think about grace, fragility, and beauty. However, as someone who has spent a large amount of time around swans, I can tell you they have foul tempers, a very loud call, and will root around in muck all day looking for something to eat. In short, they are a challenge to photograph from any angle or distance. And that’s why I love this photo so much. These three swans swimming in a small body of water are captured excellently, simultaneously capturing stillness, movement, and the feeling of a crisp winter morning in one of the more temperate climates of the world. The pure white of the swans contrasts excellently against the grays and blacks of the greater scene. You can hit his Insta for more like this.
See? I promised color and here we are. I loved Jesper’s use of color throughout his gallery but this is the composition that stuck out best to me. The color range is pretty limited, but the composition really stands out for me. If we want to get metaphorical, here we have a statue frozen in time by its sculptor and then trapped behind a fence, caged if you will. The high contrast between the statue itself and the almost white background really helps make the subject pop out despite having a fairly deep depth of field. There’s more in the gallery worth checking out, or hit the link for Jesper’s social.
Community Collaborations
Daido Royale Part 2
Managed by Hot Pink Bulb
The Daido Royale has officially entered the sharing phase as of February 25th. If you’ve been practicing and reading getting ready, now is the time to join in! Hit the link for the collab thread.
And that’s all from me for this week. Like I said before, I’ve been posting a lot of galleries lately and I am always up for feedback with what I’m doing. Make sure to check out some of the ongoing collaborations like Everyday Carry 2024 and OMS Fortnight Challenge if you’re wanting something else to get involved with. Until next time, get out there and don’t forget your camera!
Digitally yours,
Ezo
Please take a look at my Insta for more of my work!