Grayscale Photography – Eric's Photography Blog

Darkroom Sepia Toning—Not So Easy

Eric Ahrendt November 7, 2026 No Comments

Making a black and white print in the darkroom takes a lot more time and skill (or at least a different set of skills) than editing a digital file and making an inkjet print. That goes double for toning a print. Sepia-toning an image in Lightroom requires one mouse click and less than a second. For that reason, sepia-toned images are very common online, to the point that many photographers feel the look is overdone and cliché. That may be true, but not for darkroom prints. In the darkroom, sepia-toning requires going through the process of making a fiber-based print and developing and fixing it—that requires an hour or more to get a satisfactory print. Then, to tone the print,

Late-Afternoon Portrait in Monterey

Eric Ahrendt November 7, 2026 No Comments

I was walking around Monterey late in the afternoon last week and came across a couple, George and Lili, by Fisherman’s Whart promoting their religion. George remarked on my camera, and we had a conversation, at the end of which I asked if I could take their photo. They agreed and I took a couple of shots of the two of them. But then I asked if I could take a photo of just Lili, because she was dressed in all black and white and had white hair. I said I was shooting black and white film, and she was a perfect subject. She was happy to pose. For the first shot, I had her face into the light from

Wyoming Landscapes on Film

Eric Ahrendt October 7, 2026 No Comments

I traveled to Wyoming for a meeting with a group of film photographers who do darkroom printing. The organizer is an expert printer. We spent some time photographing the area around Grand Teton National Park, and some time in a makeshift darkroom doing printing and toning. It was worth making the trip on both counts. Here are a few film photos from the trip. The film was FP4+, which I developed when I got back. Film likes light, and this ranch entrance was strongly front-lit. That makes for a contrasty photo and a more-dramatic print. BTW, there were almost always interesting skies to include in the photos. I drove from Jackson Hole to Dubois, the site of the meeting, towards

Cloudy Seascapes

Eric Ahrendt September 7, 2026 No Comments

Early on a recent afternoon in Pacific Grove, I saw a striking pattern of cirrus clouds over the ocean, so I grabbed my camera and headed to Ocean View Blvd. to look for a foreground. I knew about this gazebo, so I headed there first. I then walked a short distance to this spot overlooking the rocky shoreline—same cloudscape, different foreground. While trying to find a composition with these strongly lit rocks, a line of pelicans flew by, and I snapped a photo. Lines of pelicans are a common sight along this stretch of coastline. On the next day, I was in Monterey, heading down Fisherman’s Wharf. Lit up by the sun in the east, Harbor House is at the

Street Portraits on Fisherman’s Wharf

Eric Ahrendt September 7, 2026 No Comments

Fisherman’s Wharf in Monterey is for tourists—lots of seafood restaurants with barkers outside, T-shirt shops, candy stores. There are also local musicians who hang out there, and other street vendors. On a sunny day last week (which can be rare), I went to look for some photos. I had my Rolleiflex hanging around my neck. As usual, several people commented on it. One was a local reggae musician. We talked a while and he asked me to take his picture. He didn’t need to ask twice. Here he is, not smiling and then smiling. Usually, I prefer non-smiling portraits, but not in this case. I also came across these servers dressed in black and white. I told them they’d be

Finding a Theme—Accidentally

Eric Ahrendt August 15, 2026 No Comments

On a recent visit to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), I took my camera, not really expecting to shoot much. Once inside, I took a few photos of the artwork, then of people and artwork, and then realized that, without looking for one, I’d found a theme. Standing at the far end of a room with minimalist art on the wall, I’d wait for the right person or persons to enter the frame. Sometimes I stood there quite a while. Many of the shots didn’t work out, because the people were in the wrong position, or I timed it wrong and they merged with the art. But others did. What I like most about these photos is

Photographing on the Monterey Peninsula

Eric Ahrendt July 14, 2026 No Comments

I’m spending a lot of time in Monterey and Pacific Grove. There are lots of good subjects there, and I’ve been capturing them on film, in black and white, and making prints in the darkroom. What I haven’t been doing is scanning the negatives, so I finally got around to that today and scanned several rolls. I don’t print from the scans, but I do need them in order to post photos here. Pacific Grove (PG) is a small community, and it had a small-town Fourth of July celebration. Here’s George Washington with the Bill of Rights, which he read aloud to the crowd. This is the Cathedral of San Carlos Borromeo in Monterey, also known as the Presidio Chapel.

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