Allan Armstrong

A nightmarish monochrome photo of the top-floor lobby of my Seattle apartment building. This image is inspired by David Lynch films, especially the black and white early films, "Eraserhead" and "The Elephant Man." Sony A7RII with Sony 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

This is a nightmarish image of the top-floor lobby of my apartment building. Living here often feels like being in a David Lynch film, but without a script or a director.
#monochrome #blackandwhite #digitalphotography #surreal #blur #seattle #interior #noir #sony #lynchian #blackandwhitephotography

When I read your post, I was listening for the first time to C.P.E. Bach's superb Magnificat (Wq. 215) and thinking how well it compares to his father's compositions.

This is a monochrome photograph taken on the Puget Sound Energy Powerline Trail in Redmond, WA in autumn. These trails are located on the west side of Redmond, along the Sammamish River. Nikon Z50 with NIKKOR Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens. Copyright 2023 Allan Armstrong.

During the difficult year+ that I lived in Redmond, WA, I walked the beautiful Sammamish River and PSE Powerline Trails nearly every day, and it helped me stay sane.
#digitalphotography #blackandwhitephotography #monochrome #washingtonstate #pacificnorthwest #autumn #redmond #trail #forest #nikon

This soft-focus, dream-like photo of a tiny park in Astoria, Oregon was taken in early summer using a pinhole lens cap on a Fujifilm X-T10. Copyright 2016 Allan Armstrong.

Astoria, OR is a peculiar town that sits near the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River. Most of the homes are on a steep slope that gives amazing views of the river. This photo of a city park was taken using a pinhole lens cap to create a soft, dreamy image.
#astoria #pinhole #square #oregon

Had the pleasure of seeing this last year. It's a masterpiece.

This mysterious black and white photo was taken at Denny Blaine Park in Seattle, a tiny, hidden park on the east shore of Lake Washington. The man walked into my composition unexpectedly, and I took the photo anyway. The mysterious, unidentifiable person made it a much more interesting picture. Fujifilm X-T20 with XF 18-55mm f2.8-4 lens. Copyright 2017 Allan Armstrong.

Occasionally, right after I've found a composition without people in it, someone walks into the frame unexpectedly, and I take the photo anyway. And often it makes for a much more interesting photo.
#digitalphotography #monochrome #blackandwhite #seattle #pacificnorthwest #noir #fujifilm #waterscape

A cold bench in High Point Commons Park, West Seattle, WA in mid January. A Kodak Portra 400 film simulation was applied in Lightroom with the Exposure 7 software plug-in. Sony NEX-6 with Sony 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens.

I'm happy to live across the street from High Point Commons Park in West Seattle, which is beautifully maintained year round by the city. This bench is not so inviting in January, though.
#westseattle #winter #seattle #digitalphotography #cityscape #park #filmsimulation #bench #sony #portra

A black and white photo of a deserted baseball diamond in winter fog in the Walt Hundley Playfield Park in High Point, West Seattle, Washington. Sony NEX-6 with Sony PZ 16-50mm f3.5-5.6 lens. Copyright 2026 Allan Armstrong.

This ball field in High Point, West Seattle, isn't used much even in fair weather. In the winter fog, it's utterly desolate.
#seattle #westseattle #digitalphotography #blackandwhite #monochrome #fog #pacificnorthwest #ballfield #baseball #lonely #sony #noir #washingtonstate #filmsimulation

A moody black and white photo taken in High Point Commons Park in West Seattle on a foggy winter morning. The trees with bare branches help create an atmosphere of bleakness and cold. Sony NEX-6 with Sony PZ 16–50 mm F3.5–5.6 lens. Copyright 2026 Allan Armstrong.

The park across the street from my apartment building is transformed by heavy morning fog on a winter morning. Converting the photo to B&W makes it look like the set of an old horror film.
#seattle #noir #horror #digitalphotography #monochrome #pacificnorthwest #blackandwhitephotography #winter

Thank you!

I made a pact decades ago with my Republican-Evangelical sisters (one is MAGA) to NEVER discuss religion or politics. I live far away and visit them once a year, but we also text and email, and this pact has worked beautifully.

A monochrome photo of towering trees along an obscure and unpaved forest road on the Olympic Peninsula, Washington State. The fog helped create a somber mood, but also reduced the afternoon light considerably. The result was a classic Pacific Northwest scene. Nikon D610 with Nikon 24-85mm f3.5-4.5 VR lens. Copyright 2015 Allan Armstrong.

This was taken on an obscure forest road somewhere on the Olympic Peninsula on a very dark afternoon. An unmistakably PNW scene.
#washingtonstate #olympicpeninsula #pacificnorthwest #monochrome #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #digitalphotography #nikon #landscape #noir #spooky #fullframe

Victoria Tower Gardens South on Millbank, London. This is a small public park on the south side of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament). Victoria Tower is partly visible in the background. This was taken on a sunny Wednesday in October, but I saw fewer than a dozen people in this beautiful park. Fujifilm X-S10 with XC 16-50mm lens. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

One of the delights of walking in London is the seemingly limitless number of small, uncrowded public parks and gardens. This is Victoria Tower Gardens South, on the south side of the Palace of Westminster.
#uk #london #westminster #digitalphotography #garden #thames #millbank #fujifilm

I moved to Seattle after living in Southern and then Northern California for the first 50 years of my life. This region really has a hold on me now. I could move back to the SF Bay Area, but it's no longer PNW enough!

This is a black and white photo of the exterior of the Tate Britain art gallery in London. The building is magnificent, and houses a superb collection of paintings and sculptures created over five centuries by British artists. They are also hosting until February 2026 a special exhibition of photographs by Lee Miller. Fujifilm X-S10 with XC 16-50mm lens. HP5+ film simulation recipe from Fujifilm X app. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

I was deeply impressed by the Tate Britain gallery, a magnificent building that holds an incredible collection of paintings and sculptures created over five centuries by British artists.
#tatebritain #london #digitalphotography #monochrome #blackandwhitephotography #fujifilm #gallery #photography

A monochrome image of Harrison Lake, British Columbia taken from Harrison Hot Springs on a wet July day that looked and felt a lot like a winter day. Fujifilm X-T2 with Fujifilm XF 18-55mm lens. Copyright 2019 Allan Armstrong.

This image of Harrison Lake, British Columbia was taken at Harrison Hot Springs on a rainy July day that looked and felt a lot like a winter day.
#britishcolumbia #canada #monochrome #blackandwhitephotography #digitalphotography #fujifilm #landscape #waterscape #harrisonlake #blackandwhite

This is a monochrome image of the original, round section of Temple Church in London. Temple Church was built in the 12th century by the Knights Templar and is an active Anglican church serving the legal colleges (Inner and Middle Temple), London residents, visiting jurists, and travellers. Fujifilm X-S10 with Fujifilm XC 16-50mm lens. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

Temple Church in London was built by the Knights Templar in the 12th century and is an active Anglican church. It's hidden in a beautiful courtyard off of Fleet Street. It was brought to the world's attention by "The Da Vinci Code" novel and film.
#london #knightstemplar #temple #fujifilm

One of the functioning gas streetlights I photographed during a London Walks (walks.com) guided tour called "Old Westminster by Gaslight" in late October 2025. It's a fantastic walk through the government borough of the UK that ends at the Palace of Westminster. When our walk ended about 9 PM, the House of Commons was still in session, and so we climbed the stairs to the Public Gallery to watch and listen. Fujifilm X-S10 with Fujifilm XC 16-50mm lens. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

This is another photo taken during the "Old Westminster by Gaslight" guided walk I took in late October 2025. We stopped at several functioning gas streetlights, which produce a warm, soft illumination.
#nightphotography #monochrome #noir #london #westminster #night #streetlight #cityscape

This is a nighttime photo of the Victoria Tower of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) in London, UK in late October 2025. In the distance at left is the top of the more famous and far more photographed Elizabeth Tower, usually called Big Ben after the bell it houses. I took this picture during a wonderful guided walk conducted by London Walks called "Old Westminster by Gaslight," which stops by many functioning gas streetlights. The guide knew the model name and history of every gas street lamp we stopped at. Fujifilm X-S10 with Fujifilm XC 16-50mm lens. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

This is the much less photographed tower of the Palace of Westminster, the Victoria Tower. I took this during a fabulous guided walk, "Old Westminster by Gaslight," conducted by London Walks every Monday.
#monochrome #blackandwhitephotography #london #nightphotography #noir #fujifilm #westminster

This photo of the Elizabeth Tower (Big Ben) of the Palace of Westminster was taken in late October amid the early evening chaos at the Westminster Underground (Tube) Station. I didn't take any of the "Hop-On Hop-Off" buses, being advised by travel vloggers that they are pointless and expensive, and instead I used the Tube extensively during the week I was there. The last time I had been to the UK was in 1990, and many things had changed since then, but I was well prepared, thanks to some excellent travel vloggers on YouTube. Directly after taking this picture, I went on a fantastic guided walk by London Walks called "Old Westminster by Gaslight." We saw several functioning gaslights, and I was amazed to learn that there are at least 1,300 operating gaslights in the city. The light they produce is soft and warm. Unfortunately, many are being replaced by harsh LED lights, but there is strong opposition to this in many neighborhoods, including Westminster. Fujifilm X-S10 with XC 16-50mm lens (a wonderful, compact combo for travel). Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

I just returned from a week in London and Oxford, where I visited friends and attended the De Vere Society autumn meeting. This photo was taken amid the chaos at Westminster tube station in the early evening, just before a guided walk.
#london #westminster #bigben #nightphotography #uk #fujifilm

This is part of the hairpin turn made by the railway where it bisects the North Cascades town of Index in Washington State. Nikon Z50 with Nikon Z DX 16-50mm f3.5-6.3 lens. This tiny lens weighs almost nothing and is made mostly of plastic, but the optical quality is excellent. Copyright 2023 Allan Armstrong.

The railway makes a hairpin turn as it bisects the North Cascades town of Index, WA.
#digitalphotography #northcascades #railroad #railway #nikon #washington #pacificnorthwest #fallcolor #autumn #cascades #Z50 #landscapephotography #landscape

This is the sheer west side of Mount Si as seen from SE 92nd Street, North Bend, WA. Mount Si is depicted on the "Welcome to Twin Peaks" road sign used in the TV series, which was partly filmed in nearby Washington State locations. Nikon D600 with Nikon 24-85mm f3.5 - 4.5 VR lens. Copyright 2013 Allan Armstrong.

The imposing mass of Mount Si seen from SE 92nd Street, North Bend, WA. This mountain is depicted on the "Welcome to Twin Peaks" road sign seen in the TV series.
#cascades #washington #mountain #digitalphotography #monochrome #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #nikon #dslr #twinpeaks

Terrific noirish ambience!

The stump of a broken tree in Schmitz Park, West Seattle, WA. This somewhat hidden urban park has many hilly trails and old-growth trees, a taste of what this region was like before the arrival of the white man. Fujifilm X-S10 with XC 16-50mm lens. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

This was taken recently in Schmitz Park, West Seattle, a small urban park with hilly trails and many old-growth trees. It's a tiny remnant of pre-settler Seattle.
#digitalphotography #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #Seattle #washington #fujifilm #filmsimulation #monochrome #forest #trees

This square black and white photograph taken from Langley on Whidbey Island, WA shows Mt. Baker in the far distance. The closer land mass is Camano Island. Fujifilm X-Pro1 with XF 55-200mm f3.5-4.8 lens. Copyright 2013 Allan Armstrong.

This is the view of Mt. Baker from Langley, Whidbey Island, WA. The land mass in the middle distance is Camano Island.
#washingtonstate #whidbey #pacificnorthwest #fujifilm #digitalphotography #monochromephotography #blackandwhite #landscape #waterscape #island #square #squarecrop #monochrome

This old rental cabin in Camp Long, West Seattle, WA would be an excellent location for a horror film. Some of the cabins, such as this one, are well hidden and rather creepy. Fujifilm X-S10 with Fujifilm XC 16-50mm lens. Copyright 2025 Allan Armstrong.

Camp Long in West Seattle has many places that would be terrific locations for a horror movie. This old cabin, for instance, which is well hidden.
#seattle #horrormovie #monochrome #blackandwhite #digitalphotography #fujifilm #creepy #woods #filmsimulation #pacificnorthwest #forest #noir #horror

I think that performance was the best of the run. Certainly the most memorable!

That production was so much fun! My favorite by far of the four Hamlets I've been in. My memories of shows are often fuzzy now, but I recall that we used the old climbing rock (Schurman Rock) as our Elsinore Castle battlements.

This is a distinctive old tree with very long branches in Camp Long, West Seattle, WA. Camp Long was established in 1937 as a park for scouting groups to practice camping skills, and it has a tough fitness course and climbing rock. I tried to achieve a "film look" with my Fujifilm X-S10 by using the "Ilford HP5 Plus 400" film simulation recipe found in the FujiX Weekly app and a Fujifilm XC 16-50mm lens, which is not as sharp as their higher priced zoom lenses.

Camp Long is a few blocks from my home in West Seattle, and I walk in it frequently. It is in the middle of suburbs, but feels like an ancient and peculiar place, filled with oddly twisted trees and creepy cabins.
#seattle #monochrome #blackandwhite #digitalphotography #forest #fujifilm #filmlook

Wonderful pix! Fog and mist can add magic to what otherwise would be ordinary black and white pictures. I live in Seattle, where there is surprisingly little fog, but when it occurs I make an extra effort to get out on the streets with my camera!