frame – Nick Watkins Photography

It is now time to update my collection of Monochrome Arches with some more recent images shot this year. The first two images are post-Industrial Revolution structures from the latter half of the 1800’s. Built of wrought iron, they are impressive in their scale and engineering. These super-sized frames are way beyond the human scale, but they have other admirable qualities – a vantage point from which to view the world and a shelter from the elements.

Then third image is another addition to my collection of churches. St. James Church is framed by the gated entrance.

All of my images in the Monochrome Arches series are also framed with a white matte – a frame outside of the frame. They are sized to be mounted on a 12×16 inch or 16 square inch board.

eiffel tower — Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

st. pancras station — St. Pancras Station, London, England

st. james church — St. James Church, Avebury, England

Black and white photography has always interested me, ever since my darkroom days. In the digital world, it is easy to get caught up in colours and vibrance and saturation. By returning to black and white images, tonality and gradients become more important.

The framing of an image has always been important to me. In this series, each image is framed by an arch and/or contains a series of arches. The archway leads you into the image, to discover what lies beyond the frame. From an architectural perspective, it is also interesting to study the differences among the styles of arches – be they gothic, romanesque or barrel vaults.