Sometimes it has to be black and white. It might be location or subject. It could be a subject within a subject. Maybe the conditions of the light just don’t work in color. On a recent trip to Death Valley, it was all of the above that led me to flip the switch on my digital camera and go to monochrome, the classic look.

Consider this first photo. The Amargosa Hotel looks abandoned. Without cars in the parking lot and lacking a lawn or even a garden, the condition of the building stands out. The texture of the exterior walls speak of neglect, a failing enterprize, or maybe abandonment. The motel is alive and well, open for business. It might even be a good choice for someone visiting Death Valley National Park.

Cracking paint from photo one is matched by old rusty equipment in the second photo. Visitors are not welcomed warmly by the skeletons of farm equipment from the past. Using black and white the image looks nostalgic and some how “western.” It  reminds us of harsh weather and the daily struggle required of early pioneers to survive in this unforgivable and arid environment.

The last pictures are of the abandoned gas station across the street from the motel. Isolated and forgotten on the end of a lonely road, the station is no longer welcoming to the weary traveler, no longer an oasis in the dry desert. The cool shade provided by the overhang at the former gas pumps once offered protection from the scortching heat, the sun boring down on cars and their occupants. Now, even though it sits at a “T” intersection, its services, like people who live in this desolate junction, are no longer required.

All hail to the original photographic medium, black and white!