Top 8 Black and White Landscape Photography

Black and white photography esp. black and white landscape photography has its own mysterious charm. Perhaps it's the dramatic effect.  Perhaps it makes you feel you are back in time somewhere, sometime and it solicits within your soul a quietness and solitude.  

The heart longs to capture treasured moments that bring you closer to your divinity.  Perhaps there is that recognition and awed wonder that you would like to hold close, less it eludes you.  You can look at a photo, close your eyes and allow your senses to open up.  You feel the winds caress your face, or the smell of the earth tickling your nostrils, or the rough sand caressing the soles of your feet.  Ahhh, you breathe in the water spray as it wets your face and you raise your hands in joyful celebration of the wonder of nature.

Here are eight of my favorite landscape photographs (in no particular order) with a little bio of these fine and wonderful photographers.  In these photos, you will feel their soul calling out to you to view life in a very special way.  Their website links have been posted to view more of their work.  Enjoy and blessings!

Clyde Butcher's son was killed by a drunk driver and to the wilderness he fled to find his peace and balance.  The experience was very spiritual and nature helped restore his soul.  This seemingly painful event led to the discovery of the wondrous beauty of the environment.  With a reinforced dedication, he used his art form of photography to inspire others to take care of our earth either as a place for sanctuary and for the future generation to enjoy.

Website: http://www.clydebutcher.com

Bob Hudak, who became a pilot at age 18, turned to photography when he became disillusioned with his occupation as an air taxi operator. Teaching himself photography, he began working for various publications for travel and supplying agencies with photos that were used for advertising. Further commercial work led him to do architectural, yacht and aerial photography.

In 1994, he left commercial photography and concentrated on his personal vision. His love for outdoors led him to black and white landscape photography, which became his sole expression for the next 13 years. Working with an 8 x 10 view camera and printing in a conventional "wet" darkroom his photographs are centered on the landscape and abstracts of the natural world.

Website: http://www.bobhudak.com

Marty Knapp began landscape photography in 1986 and since then have made fine art photography his life's work. He still remembers the first camera he had on his eleventh birthday, a gift from his grandfather. He fell in love with it and has never stopped loving the magic of cameras.

In his own words, "The purpose of my art is to express my feelings and reactions to the beauty of the world as it is revealed by light... I let the light lead me, and I slow down until I am called, until… I am truly feeling and seeing my photograph. Only then do I attempt to express this space and time on film..."

Website: http://martyknapp.com

Michael Mironov believes that black and white photos is eye-catching and mysterious. He started his black and white photography since 2004 and he uses this to reflect the world on paper- in a very interesting way. He captures black and white landscape using long exposure. This paves the way for a dramatic effect.

Website:  http://www.michaelmironov.com

Tony Howell, one of England's best-known landscape photographers, is known for his simple, uncluttered compositions that has the elements of peace and stillness due to his deep love of the land. He started looking at the world with new eyes when his father gave his his first Kodak Instamatic at age 18.

This artist says, "I'm in awe of God's creation and try to express this joy and peace in my images. I just love the natural world...concentrate on beauty and it infuses your life. It's often a spiritual experience that lifts me higher..."

Website: http://www.tonyhowell.co.uk

Giles Norman's school project provided him his first opportunity to use his camera. This was the turning point in his life and when he was 18 (1981), he begun creating his first portfolios. He developed his own distinctive style of black and white photography and successfully sold his artwork in Ireland.

Because of this, he was able to open a black and white photography gallery and gained recognition as one of Ireland's leading black and white photographers.  His latest gallery--The Giles Norman Dublin Gallery was opened in the Powerscourt Townhouse Centre in 1994.   

Website: http://www.gilesnorman.com

As a young kid growing up in the country, Steve Shames, would recall wondering why her mom would be taking pictures of old barns. Her response that it had a certain charm about it which probably paved the way for him to notice this charm around him. He took several college courses in photography and after several trips to Africa began opening up to the joy of capturing moments in time on film.

During his black and white phase, Kodak HIE infrared film was his favorite.

Website: http://www.steveshamesphotos.com

Steve Krieg, a fine art landscape art landscape and nature photographer, is a native of northern Pennsylvania's rural Allegheny Plateau. It is in this place where he grew up hunting, fishing, trapping, and dirt biking in these forests. he developed a love of photography early on and brought with him his camera during his explorations of these magnificent woods and streams.

He claims to be a longtime darkroom nut but nowadays he is most interested in the "digital darkroom" working on his photographs in the daylight of his home studio in the country, instead of the dark.  His fascination includes: making archival fine art landscape prints on the most current giclee (this means high end inkjet) printers.

Website: http://www.naturalmoment.com

Photography is a wonderful tool to capture the beautiful moments in time. Perhaps if you bring a camera with you, you will begin to look at life in a different way. Try zooming your lens to capture the intricacies of a leaf or the bark of a tree or an ant crawling on the ground or the smiles of your child or the sprawling meadows where the mountains lay far beyond.

It makes you wonder and suddenly the world becomes one fascinating, holy ground.

By: Michelle Simtoco