I have finally had time to begin going through some of the images from my recent photographic journey to California along the Big Sur area and Antelope Valley. It was a very successful shoot and there are thousands of images yet to go through. I will be adding them to the website in the coming weeks. In the meantime here are just a few:

Image # 20110408-561 Sage brush and California goldfield flowers

Image #20110407-106 Tree on rocky cliff with aqua blue ocean

Image #20110406-385 Beach covered with stones and pebbles

Byron Jorjorian will be speaking at The Parthenon on May 26th at 7pm. The talk is entitled “Missing Nature” and Byron will discuss the inspiration and thought process behind images in the Missing Nature Exhibit currently on display there and he will introduce and discuss some new images as well. Details can be found in this Parthenon Press Release below and on the Nature Conservancy Website.

Byron being interviewed by WSMV regarding Missing Nature Exhibit

I am back from another round of traveling and photographing Fall this year. I am taking a minute today to share just a few photographs that capture my impressions of Fall 2010. I will be adding more images from this years travels as time permits.

Today we are announcing a brand new addition to the website! The new gallery will be a collection of cloud images. Images of clouds and skies can be healing and peaceful as well as giving a generally more uplifting and inspired mood to a space. You can view the gallery by clicking HERE

There is arguably no subject that has been photographed more than nature. The question remains, with all of the millions of nature images that have already been created, is it possible to make an image of nature that is refreshing and new and yet still appeals to our desire for art and beauty? The answer to that question has been part of the motivation I feel to keep returning to the wilderness in search of new ways to see the natural world. For me the real joy and challenge of my journey as a fine art nature photographer has always been the never ending discovery of new ways to reveal the beauty of Nature. To see in a new way and to share that vision in a way that uplifts and inspires people, that is my mission.

Removing color from a photograph can add a lot to it; it can reveal details that would otherwise go unnoticed.  Color, in some cases, may obscure the texture and form of the subjects, while black and white emphasizes the structure of the composition.

Black and White Botannical #80407_190bw

© Byron Jorjorian

There are many ways in which the different colors turn into different grays, meaning that you can experience great light and dark richness when using black and white nature photography.  While color may emphasize the shape of a subject, its black and white version may add a lot of character and feeling by highlighting its texture.

In black and white photography, the absence of light is as important as its presence.  The profound shadows add depth and strength to an image.  Photographers know how different colors, and lighting, react, and they use this knowledge to create impacting black and whites that deeply arouse, shock, inspire or relax.

Healing Waters #070508-03bw

© Byron Jorjorian

Black and white photography allows you to see color in a different way.  The artist detaches himself from the effects of color and brightness, and this lets him use color more effectively, to really provoke a strong emotion, one that can be translated into a space to create a special and intense mood.

Black and white photography may offer dramatic stone carving textures, wild active skies, or unusual atmospheres.  Shadows are a basic part of a black and white composition, as the aim is to create contrast between light and dark, between what is known and what remains a mystery, between stillness and turbulence, only to find out in the end, that both are always there, as a part of life and its balance.

Twisted Oak Tree Image #32107_76bw

© Byron Jorjorian

So, why use black and white photographs to decorate when you can use color?

Good black and white photographs enhance a space with the image’s strong mood.  Color can get in the way of the message you desire to convey when it is full of momentum, force, drama and beauty.  Black and white makes color work better, under its shades and tones; you reach out to the viewers, showing them a side of nature they have yet to discover.

Any of Byron’s images can be converted to black and white. If you would like to view some images that have already been converted, click HERE.

If you enjoyed this article, please feel free to post it to your site or blog and forward this link to your friends. Have a great day!

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This image is my best selling image of all time. I photographed the two deer on the right for a few minutes and positioned myself low to get a deer’s eye view through the grass.

© Byron Jorjorian

I was pleased with what I was getting, but when the third deer wandered into the image I felt that the composition was complete. This was the image I was after. I looked down at my camera and saw that I had just taken image number 36 on a 36 exposure roll of film (This was back in the ancient days of film). In those days you could sometimes squeeze a 37th frame out of a 36 roll depending on who processed the film.
I had no time to reload so I set the camera to overexpose by 1/2 stop and I fired. Several days later I was in the lab going through the thirty rolls of film I shot during that 3 day photo shoot in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I was only interested in finding that photograph so I pulled the last frame out of each box in a frantic search for it. When I found it I was ecstatic, whooping and hollering like a kid. I just knew it would be a winner and it was!