Knotted string
Lens-Artists,  Monochrome Madness,  Photographic techniques,  Themed galleries

Gallery: unconsidered trifles (in monochrome)

August 2, 2023 / 51 Comments

My father named me Autolycus; who being, I as am, littered under Mercury, was likewise a snapper-up of unconsidered trifles.

The Winter’s Tale, Act 4, Scene 2

Autolycus is a peddler and pickpocket. No one’s possessions are safe when he is around! But of course what he regards as ‘unconsidered trifles’ may be of great importance to their owner. In the same way what many might see and dismiss as insignificant, a photographer may spot and deem worthy of an image. A photographer too therefore is often a ‘snapper-up of unconsidered trifles’.

Such trifles might be small details, or could be larger objects that many would neglect in favour of more obviously attractive subjects. Either way, there is the potential for some unusual images of familiar objects or places.

I used the quote above in my recent post about things that are often overlooked, a response to Janet’s Lens Artists challenge. Afterwards I realised that it would have provided me with a good title for my post! I also realised that many such trifles could look good, possibly even better, in black and white.

So I’m back with more things that I snapped up, this time presented in monochrome for Leanne’s Monochrome Madness. They include a couple of edits of items that were also in that previous post as I felt they could look interesting like this as well as in colour. There are also a few that have appeared in previous posts in their original colour. See which versions you prefer!

All these shots have been edited with Silver Efex Pro, a couple with a touch of selected colour reintroduced.

Length of rope with rippled sand

Rope and beach, Sal, Cape Verde

This is one of the shots that also featured in my colour post, along with the featured photo which I cropped this time around.

Lines of different tyres across sand

Tractor tracks on the beach at Torremolinos

Torremolinos isn’t somewhere we’d normally visit but VT friends were there for an extended winter break so we popped over to see them. At that time of year the beach was quiet but still kept clean with regular morning tractor sweeps.

Tuft of grass on rippled sand

White Sands, NM

This one has definitely appeared in previous posts!

Looking up at a lamppost with ornate curls

Lamppost, Lyme Regis

Again, this has appeared before. The unusual design reflects the ammonites frequently found on this, the Jurassic Coast. I liked the single little cloud, and timed my shot to also include a plane overhead.

Two bottles and a scrubbing brush on a shelf

Workhouse Museum, Ripon

Little details like this capture the atmosphere in the old workhouse just as much as the larger displays and reconstructions.

Small statue of Ganesh on a car dashboard

Car dashboard ornament, Nepal

When I couldn’t find anything fresh and interesting to photograph outside the car I turned my focus inside!

Broken statue leaning against a wall

At a monastery near Siem Reap, Cambodia

The monastery was full of beautiful statues which of course I photographed, but I was also drawn to this discarded broken one.

In Winthrop, WA

It takes some nerve to park beneath a ‘no parking’ sign, so close that your bodywork reflects it!

Part of a car parked by a fence reflecting a 'no parking' sign
Wooden gate with flowers hanging from the handle

In the former Jewish Quarter of Riga

On the door to a small museum, with a touch of selective colour on the faded flowers.

Small cross with a poppy stuck in stoney ground

At St Paul’s church, Manhattan

This church was the focal point and control centre for the emergency services in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center.

Sacks on a rail near a wall with writing

Tea pickers’ sacks, Munnar, Kerala

I took lots of photos of the pickers at work but I was also attracted to the contrasting textures of these empty sacks and the wall they hung beside.

Metal door handle shaped like a flower

Door in Tallinn

Tallinn has many beautiful doors but most are wood; this metal one is rather different and more modern.

Part of a modern building with the window reflecting the sky

Modern art gallery in Tallinn

We came here to see the art, but I found the architecture of the building almost as interesting.

Small stone carved shell on a wall

In Albufeira, Portugal

A tiny detail on a wall that has seen better days. Do you see the face?!

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