I Didn't Know if I was Shooting Black & White or Color Film!

Create | Bring Into Being

I carry both black & white and color film.  One day, with my eyes shut, I reached into my camera bag, felt around, extracted a random roll, loaded my camera and began taking pictures without knowledge of the film type.

Vermont Welcome Center

A week later, with a few minutes to spare before meeting friends in Brattleboro, Vermont, I stopped at the Guilford Welcome Center off Interstate 91. 

Museum Piece

Signs promoting the Center's WiFi capacity interested me as did the display of old horse drawn farm equipment on the grounds.

WiFi and Wildlife

The map is of wildlife road crossings in the state.  I need a reality check here.  Please help me.  In my mind, the promise of Vermont is the unspoiled outdoors, wildlife, nature and a lack of technology, or at most, tractors clattering.  Heading into Vermont for a visit, would your heart thrill to know that the welcome center had WiFi, or would you wonder: "What's wrong with this picture?"

Looking East

A beautiful perennial garden graced the grounds.  A flock of dragonflies hovered nearby as I photographed.  Birds tweeted.

Looking West

The view from the other side of the flower bed.

The garden centered on a sundial.  At one edge was a solar panel powered informational kiosk. 

Time Did Not Always Tick Past

Back on the Interstate, I thought about this shooting without knowing film type.  Trying to define the basic, fundamental elements of an engaging picture, irrespective of black & white or color toning, six traits spontaneously emerged from my consciousness.  Line.  Form.  Content.  Light.  Mood.  Emotion.

What qualities would you add to this list?

If you shoot film, I suggest you try this random roll selection process. 

Tech Tips: Ansco Pix Panorama camera, no settings to set, Kodak Professional BW400CN, C-41 Process Black & White Negative Film ISO 400, film processed and scanned at Walgreens.

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