It's only been recently that I've taken my camera with me when going places. Over the years, I asked myself why I wasn't doing so if I believed I liked making pictures. I guess I wasn't that committed, didn't think I had enough time, or some other excuse. It disappoints me now, as I missed the enjoyment I get looking around me and trying to compose images, even when they don't turn out very well.
So I'm trying to change that. I took the opportunity recently when we were visited by some family members who wanted to go to Atlantic City. Even though it's only a couple hours from where we live, I'd never been there. The morning I had time to shoot, it was cold, the sky was mostly clear and the sun bright - not too great for making photographs. I didn't have a lot of time, so concentrated on just part of the expansive boardwalk and beach. There weren't a lot of people out and about, and most places were closed. And, despite the bright sun of the day, it felt kind of dreary. My aim was to try to capture that mood.
Although I occasionally shot black and white during film days, I hadn't done much in the digital world. For a long time, the only processing software I knew of was Photoshop Elements, then a few years ago, Lightroom. With each, I hadn't spent time to learn much about the software. For the workshops in France, that needed to change. One of the reasons I selected Valérie Jardin's workshops was the interesting perspectives she presents through her images, most often in black and white. I began to learn how to see a scene without color. And I expanded my rudimentary knowledge of Lightroom to process images, especially in black and white. With the dreariness I felt that day, black and white seemed like the right choice for the Atlantic City images.
The Steel Pier dates to 1898, having been rebuilt many times. There are current plans for another transformation, advertised on an overpass adjacent to the pier.