Grayscale Photography – Eric's Photography Blog

Going Analog

Eric Ahrendt May 15, 2026 No Comments

I’m shooting black and white film almost exclusively nowadays, and processing and printing it in the darkroom. I find the hands-on craft of it more rewarding than digital. Here are several recent portraits shot on film. I do have to scan my negatives to be able to post photos on this site, so these images represent a hybrid workflow. Shoot and develop film, then scan it for posting. But, unlike many people shooting film today, I do make darkroom prints. In fact, if I couldn’t do that, I doubt I’d shoot film. This is my older granddaughter at the playground. For me, her expression makes the photo. Here’s the other granddaughter in her white Hermione shirt at the computer. A

Clouds Again—But Different

Eric Ahrendt March 29, 2026 No Comments

Whenever I see lots of clouds in the sky above the reservoir near my home, I grab my camera loaded with black and white film and my orange and red filters, and go looking for compositions. This past week, the type of clouds were not the usual post-storm cumulus, but cirrus, high and wispy. Here are some compositions I found. The trail into the hills near my house forks soon after you reach it. Heading to left up the hill, you come across this tree, backlit in the late afternoon. Heading up the hill to the right, you come across this bench overlooking the hills and the reservoir, front-lit in the afternoon. That day, there was a child’s toy that

Clouds as a Subject

Eric Ahrendt February 27, 2026 No Comments

After a storm passes and the rain stops, I almost always head out to photograph clouds. Shooting black and white film with an orange or red filter on the camera produces dark skies and white clouds—an effect I like. In composing, I make the sky two-thirds or more of the picture because, to me, the clouds are the subject. These photos were all taken with my medium-format camera on Ilford FP4+ black-and-white film. This was taken in the late afternoon on the nearby campus of St. Mary’s College. The clouds aren’t the subject here—the statue of De La Salle is—but they add interest to the background. Clouds over Mt. Diablo. Taken from the Rim Trail above the Lafayette Reservoir. Many

Being Partly in Control

Eric Ahrendt February 15, 2026 No Comments

Professional portrait photographers control every aspect of a formal session, including location, background, light, pose, expression, clothes and more. I like the results they get, but I can’t do that when I photograph my granddaughters. It’s never an actual “portrait session” anyway; more of a half-minute opportunity to grab a shot before they move on. Still, I’ve learned to control at least a couple of important elements, which I think of as being partly in control. Even that helps get a better result. When I know I want to grab a photo of one or both of them, I quickly look for possible backgrounds and the best available light. I take an exposure reading and set aperture and shutter speed

Always Something on the Embarcadero

Eric Ahrendt December 1, 2025 No Comments

There are many areas in San Francisco that are always good for photography—the Mission, the Castro, Union Square, etc.—but for a combination of scenery and a range of activities, the Embarcadero is the best. I go there often and proceed to simply walk up and down, starting at the Ferry Building, and always find good subjects and compositions. When I went about a week ago, it was just after a rainstorm. The huge cumulus clouds that trailed the storm were over the Bay Bridge, making for a dramatic black-and-white subject. I stayed in the same spot for a while, watching as time and the breeze changed the cloud formations. Walking north from the Ferry Building, I came across this new

Film Likes Light

Eric Ahrendt October 23, 2025 No Comments

I read that piece of advice several times when I recently went back to shooting film. It’s true—when a subject is strongly lit, it’s easier to produce a black-and-white print with good contrast and details. So I’m attracted to subjects that are bright, especially if they’re surrounded by a darker background. Leaving Livermore last week, I passed by this Queen Anne Victorian , the Gordon House, that I liked to photograph when I lived in Livermore a decade ago. It’s a photogenic architectural subject because, unlike a lot of architecture, it stands alone, without other buildings around it to clutter the frame. Plus, that day, the sun was shining brightly and the house, which is a tan color, was almost

France on Film

Eric Ahrendt September 28, 2025 No Comments

On a recent trip to France, I took my film camera and two lenses, a 35mm and a 50mm. That’s it. I bought some slow-speed, high-resolution black and white film in Paris and used that on the trip. I did also use my phone for some snapshots in color, but photographed all the scenes I thought had promise with the film camera. I shot a total of eight rolls, or about 250 photos over the 16-day trip. That’s not a lot; if I’d been shooting digital, I’m sure the total would have been much higher. Here are some favorites. I’m including many more photos than I usually do in a post, but they were all taken on the same trip,

Rewards of Getting Out

Eric Ahrendt August 29, 2025 No Comments

I’ve gone to Lovers Point Park in Pacific Grove with my camera many times. It’s a photogenic spot with waves breaking on complex rock formations, a small swimming beach, surfers, and a lawn with twisted trees. Even if I don’t come across any unusual subjects, it’s worth a visit. This past visit, though, I did come across an unusual subject—a super-fit gymnast practicing handstands on an apparatus. I saw him from above a small walkway that overlooks the beach, and immediately saw the potential he and his shadow represented. As I got my camera out, he did a handstand and a split while maintaining perfect balance. I missed that moment, but quickly focused and took one shot, then another. I