I thought that this tree tunnel at Pagham Harbour in West Sussex had a slightly fairy tale feel. When I edited the shot I was inspired by Jean Cocteau’s iconic film, La Belle et la Bête (1946). I wanted to create a black and white that captured something of the aesthetic of the film. It was just an experiment but fun to do.
Have you ever taken or edited a photo inspired by a favourite movie?
On the whole, I tend to favour colour photography but sometimes a scene suggests itself to me in black and white. When colour is gone, the outlines or structure of a landscape come to the fore.
Black and white landscapes work best if contrast is strong, with at least some true blacks and whites, not just shades of grey.
Converting an image taken on a bright summer’s day to black and white can add drama, if the subject seems to demand it.
You can add a tint if you want a particular mood…
or a different slant on a familiar scene.
Do you ever shoot landscapes in black and white?
The images:
Storm approaching Birling Gap, East Sussex, England
Beach art, Lindisfarne, Northumberland, England
Wheat field, Surrey, England
Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland, England
The boathouse, Wey Navigation, England
Monument Valley, Utah, USA
Focused Moments 