When creativity has been on the backburner for a while, it can be a fun pick-me-up to give yourself a set challenge.
It's been a while...
I tend to get quite busy with life and all of the things I cram into my day, so I don't often just sit down at the computer with a goal or theme for a single image, or a set of 3 or 5 (in the case of my camera club images.)
When I start to feel like it's been a bit too long since I just went shooting for me, I like to have a look around and see what comps are closing very soon, because short deadline is how I work best. Today my luck was good! The Mono Awards are closing at midnight tonight, so I very quickly needed a concept, something I had already shot, or could do today, and get it worked up ready for competition. It helps that it's a cold, wet winter's day in Melbourne, and my office is warm and cosy.
I limited myself to just the new hard drive, which only contains images that I've shot in 2025. Immediately one image really screamed at me, and I had my ah-ha moment.
An image that's extra impactful in black and white, and tells an impactful story. One that has extra meaning for me, due to my time spent with amazing people in our ADF.
It was also very inspired by friends that came on my photo adventure the night it was shot, because having extra eyes and perspective can make things easier, and provide ideas that the photographer might not have immediately seen. I always love shooting in a pack, and that doesn't always have to be fellow photographers. More on that in a different blog post.
For me, Black and White/Mono photography, when done well, has always had a special place in my heart. I feel like the shadows and nuances in the (lack of) colour help to bring a sense of deeper feeling to an image. Of course, there are many exceptions to this, but I am very drawn to B&W imagery.
As it happens, my camera club theme for this month is also Black and White/ Mono, so I also sat down and made a list of about 10 images that I'm going to shoot and produce in the next couple of weeks. Now I just need my timeline and itinerary! My favourite part of photography is in the planning. Whilst there are some amazing things that come from spontaneous situations, the well planned and executed shoots are more satisfying for me. Knowing that the work I put in has paid off is fantastic.
My entry for the Mono awards has already been entered into the club comps and is therefore not eligible for this month's camera club theme, so here it is, in all it's glory.
