a green mountain weekend in black and white / randolph, vt

August 22, 2018

There’s nothing quite like the mountains to put my mind and my heart at ease. Perhaps there’s some nostalgia there for me, or maybe it’s the sheer beauty of such an imposing landscape that reminds me how small I am in the grand scheme of it all.

Either way, it’s my favorite place to be, and my favorite place to shoot. But sometimes when I’m shooting something I’ve shot 1000 times before, I like to challenge myself and try to do something different.

It isn’t difficult to take beautiful pictures of the mountains: they are a breathtaking scene to behold in and of themselves. But shooting something like mountain landscapes, I often rely on color to make a beautiful photograph–and sometimes it seems necessary.

When you take that piece away, however, you are left only with forms, subtle tonal shifts, and composition. Without color, all of these pieces and the balance between them become infinitely more vital.

Color becomes, almost, a distraction.

Without it, a different mood can be evoked. A different feeling can be captured. Focus is forced to shift. With the obfuscation of information, new meaning emerges, and you’re left with a completely different picture.

Most recently, we threw the pop-up tent on top of the Jeep and headed north with our 5-ish-month-old for his first camping trip. We met up with our friends and their babies and pups, and had a perfectly relaxing family weekend getaway in the Green Mountain State. Here is that weekend, in black and white.


black and white image of a dog rolling her eyes under a camping chair at a campsite in randolph, vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of a dog resting under a camping chair at a campsite in randolph, vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white portrait of a little boy covered in mud playing outside at a campsite in randolph, vermonth, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white mountain landscape in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of a small boy riding on his dad's shoulders outdoors in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of a dad taking his baby swimming for the first time, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of a dad taking his baby swimming for the first time, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of a road winding through the mountains in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of a dog in the back of a jeep in smugglers' notch, vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
a man pauses under geometric shapes formed by rocks at smugglers' notch state park in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
a dog through the trees at smugglers' notch state park in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white portrait of a dad laughing while his son cries on a hike at smugglers' notch state park in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
a small boy climbs up a boulder at smugglers' notch state park in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
a small boy climbs up a boulder at smugglers' notch state park in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of blurred trees through a car window, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of blurred trees and a highway sign through a car window, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white landscape of a farm in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of two silos on a farm in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of cows on a farm in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white mountain landscape in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
weeds grow by some railroad tracks in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
fog settles in the trees in randolph, vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
rain drops on the window of a car, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white mountain landscape in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
black and white image of a road winding through the mountains in vermont, photographed by jamie bannon photography.
error: all images © jamie bannon photography.