The recent Black and White Challenge

Picture:Half Dome and Yosemite Valley as seen from the summit of Clouds Rest, Yosemite National Park, California

I do black and white photography. Surprised? Me too.

In recent weeks, many people may have noticed a surge of black and white photos being posted and shared across social media sites. This is due in large part to the viral spreading of a 5-day Black and White Challenge. This is where one photographer challenges another to post a black and white image for 5 days, and they in turn then challenge another photographer to do the same. My friend and fellow photographer Richard Wong, (who’s also co-moderator of the California & Western States Landscape Photography Community on G+) handed me the challenge.

I have to admit this challenge was really a bit of … well, a challenge. That’s because I’ve done so little black and white work across the years. My only formal photographic education was my Photography 101 class in college where I learned to develop my own Black & White film and prints in a darkroom. But when I first started working with the late Galen Rowell back in 1990, I was exposed to (read: inundated with) some of the best use of color in landscape photography on the planet. From that point forward, that’s where my own personal interest was directed. However, prior to that point, I once had completely decorated my college apartment with cut up Ansel Adams calendars and postcards. So it’s not to say that the art of Black and White wasn’t an early influence on my interest in photography. Nor have I ever ceased or wavered in my appreciation for those who pursue this fine craft. But this challenge has certainly done more to rekindle my interest in creating more black and white work more than anything else has in the last 20 years. (And for that fact alone, I probably owe Richard at least a few of my home-brewed beers.)

I posted more than five images, since I missed a few days wherein I only had time to simply repost some images that I’d already converted, rather than taking on converting some fresh new images. In case you missed any of them, here are the images that I recently shared as part of this challenge.

Picture: Le Conte Falls on the Tuolumne River, Yosemite National Park, California

Picture: Mono Lake as seen from above Conway Summit, Mono County, Eastern Sierra, California

Picture: Clearing storm clouds over forest, Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, Shasta County, California

Picture: Tree-lined driveway at Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California

Picture: Interior of antique railroad coach, Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, Jamestown, California

Picture: Drakes Beach, Point Reyes National Seashore, Marin County, California (Shot with my Samsung S4 cell phone.)

Picture: Interior of Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Nevada (Shot with my Samsung S4 cell phone.)

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Gary Crabbe is an award-winning commercial and editorial outdoor travel photographer and author based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, California. He has seven published books on California to his credit, including “Photographing California; v1-North”, which won the prestigious 2013 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Gold Medal award as Best Regional title. His client and publication credits include the National Geographic Society, the New York Times, Forbes Magazine, TIME, The North Face, Subaru, L.L. Bean, Victoria’s Secret, Sunset Magazine, The Nature Conservancy, and many more. Gary is also a photography instructor and consultant, offering both public and private photo workshops. He also works occasionally a professional freelance Photo Editor.