Monomad - In the Midst of a Retreating Storm

This is my entry for the #monomad challenge :)

Hi! I'm new to the world of hive. I'm super chuffed to discover a community centered around black n white photography. This is one of biggest passions! I've already seen so much cool stuff. It's really interesting to see the various things that interest my fellow camera enthusiasts. Let's keep monochromatic images alive forever!

These photo's were all taken during the final moments of a storm that passed over my beautiful hometown on the west coast of New Zealand. One afternoon, I could feel the heavy weather beginning to subside so I seized the opportunity go for a long walk with my film camera in hand. I knew the darkness hovering over everything would allow for some quite moody shots.

The above photo is a WWII army bunker covered with graffiti paying homage to a deceased surfer.
Below is a Dragon I befriended on the journey.

The weather was quite dramatic! I think this photo really captures the intensity of it.

You'll notice that in all these beach photos the sand appears very dark, that's because it's full of iron filaments. It's crazy magnetic! There are always petitions to stop offshore mining for it. Fortunately they have so far been successful. The tearing up of the ocean floor would be a complete tragedy for all of the creatures that live there and the ecosystem that relies on it.

For some warmth and shelter, I tucked into a bit of ancient over growth on the base of the local mountain. Look at how dense it is.

I shot these on an old Minolta x-300 with a 50mm lens. The film stock was Illford hp5 pushed two stops from 400 to 1600iso. I love the stark contrast that arises from this shooting style and I think the added grain is quite aesthetically pleasing. These photos are basically just the pure scan of the negative with minimal editing.

Check out this tree trunk. The moss and lichen had completely smothered it.

On my way home the storm had really mellowed out. I took a shortcut through a field and found some more graffiti, this time on a large haybale barn.

These sorts of walks are so enjoyable. I loved immersing myself in different parts of nature and pointing the camera at anything that grabs my attention. The unpredictability of film is a fun thing to play around with. Many photos don't turn out as planned, but the ones that do feel extra special.

Looking forward to sharing more snippets of life and also peering through the lenses of everyone else here.

Peace.