Hampton National Historic Site Photoshoot

Hello, everyone!

As the sweltering August heat continues here in Maryland, I recently had the pleasure of visiting Hampton National Historic Site for a photo shoot with my sister and some friends. 

The Hampton House dates back to 1790 and was in the Ridgely family until 1948. In 1948, the estate was designated a National Historic Site, and it has since been managed by the National Park Service.

Though the grounds and house are beautiful, it would be wrong of me not to note that the Ridgely family owned over 300 slaves before slavery was eliminated in Maryland in 1864. The slaves and servants were the ones who kept the household operational, and I think that it is important to acknowledge this fact. I like to take quiet moments to reflect on matters such as these, and I am very glad that on the tour of the grounds, one can tour the slave quarters and learn more about their contributions to the estate. 

On a lighter note, here are some of the shots that my sister captured of me:

If you're ever in the Towson area of Maryland, I definitely recommend visiting this place! I will most definitely go back in the fall to explore when it is not so terribly hot outside. 

Cheers xx

Black and White

Hello everyone,

I just finished watching Mad Men, and I began pondering the use of color versus the use of black and white. It is interesting to me that even though we made the great advancement of having color widely available in media, often times we still use it to edit pictures or even opt to have movies in black and white. What is the real allure of black and white? Is it because it is not used as often that is is now new and exciting? Or maybe it's because we notice different details when a photograph is edited in black and white. Instagram classifies it as a "filter", and I suppose that is true as well. Black and white can easily mask things that are unpleasant to the eye; so really, is black and white just a mask?

For me, I edit occasional photographs in black and white because it provides a nostalgia factor that the original photograph did not necessarily convey. I also edit in black and white so that the focal point of the image can be more easily assessed.

For example,



                                                                   
These two photographs are exactly the same, but I decided to add a black and white edit to the photograph to elicit a more nostalgic feel. I like the pop of the red shoes against the black ensemble that the photo in color clearly shows, but overall, I actually prefer this image in black and white.

Here are some more black and white edits that I like that I have done:

I also chose black and white for this image for nostalgia purposes. I was going for a Marilyn Monroe look, so I felt that a black and white edit would be complimentary to my mood.

I chose black and white here for a completely different reason. The lighting in the room was very poor, so I was unhappy with the colors that were captured. So, why not remove those colors and keep the black, white, and grey? That way, the distracting shadows and colors that were very prevalent in the original photograph are not the focus anymore. 

And finally, your classic couple photograph in black and white. This goes back through the ages. I find that black and white captures both love and sadness really well, so I like to edit an occasional picture of the two of us in black and white. 

That's all I have for now! Do you like to edit in black and white? Why or why not?

I hope that everyone is having a lovely start to August. Cheers xx