The Sea in Black and White

Everyone who knows me knows that I love black and white photography, and I use it a lot in my portrait work.  I think black and white photograhy is very... soulful. One of my favorite quotes from Ted Grant is, "When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes.  When you photograph them in black and white, you photograph their souls."   Yes, I have a special fondness for black and white photographs.  On the other hand, when I go to the beach, I enjoy taking in all the vivid, tropical colors, and the way the hues change with the time of day or the weather.

Well, I've recently discovered the timeless look of the beach in black and white ...

I can imagine the travelers who have come to this very spot throughout the years, to relax and have fun with their friends and family -- taking in the same sea, sky and atmosphere that we enjoy today.

These are a few favorite black and white images from a recent early morning visit to Clearwater Beach.  This beach has a great vibe - it gets very busy and crowded, with lots of activity.  It's the perfect place to either get in on the action, or just people watch.  I'll feature that side of Clearwater Beach in a future post :-)  This time, though, I concentrated on capturing some of the quieter moments - early in the morning, before all the activity gets under way.

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I love the look of closed beach umbrellas ...

Early in the morning, while all the tourists are sleeping ...

There was a lot of sea weed on the beach this morning - remnants of  Tropical Storm Debby.  

An open air shop with all the "beachy stuff" you need.  

At the southern end of the beach ... 

I leave you with one more closed beach umbrella - because I can't resist :-)  

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