Allan Armstrong

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!

This moody photo of a cargo ship being unloaded was taken during twilight at the Port of Tacoma with an Olympus XZ-1 10 MP compact camera, which has a CCD sensor. I still use this camera, but mainly to take photos for my eBay listings. Copyright 2011 Allan Armstrong.

This moody dusk picture was taken in 2011 at the Port of Tacoma with my tiny Olympus XZ-1, which had just been introduced. I still use this excellent 10 MP camera.
#tacoma #digitalphotography #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #ccd #pointandshoot #cargo #monochromephotography #compactcamera

This is one of the film noir style photos I took in Magnuson Park, Seattle in the early 2000s. This park was formerly the Naval Air Station Sand Point, founded in the 1920s, and has many striking WWII era brick buildings that are still in use. A remotely triggered flash set on a stand several yards away from the camera was used to create the harsh side light and shadows. Nikon D200 with the Nikkor 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 lens. Copyright 2008 Allan Armstrong.

Here's another noir-style photo, taken in 2008 in Magnuson Park, Sand Point, Seattle. It's a former naval air station with several striking WWII era buildings.
#digitalphotography #blackandwhitephotography #monochrome #noir #seattle #nikon #photography #nightphotography #washingtonstate #dslr

I walked by this alleyway on Queen Anne hill, Seattle, almost every morning during the ten years I lived there. It always triggered claustrophobia, so I felt compelled to photograph it. To enhance the nightmarish quality, I used a Holga pinhole lens cap on my Sony NEX-7 and allowed some intentional camera movement by not using a tripod (the shutter speed was slow because of the pinhole). Copyright 2013 Allan Armstrong.

I passed this alleyway on Queen Anne hill in Seattle almost daily for nearly ten years on my morning walk. It never failed to trigger claustrophobia.
#digitalphotography #cityscape #seattle #nightmare #holga #sony #icm #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #monochrome #monochromephotography #noir

This is a railway bridge across the Skykomish River near Index, WA. I risked my life taking this photo, but didn't realize it until the second time I photographed the bridge. It's impossible to see a train coming from the other side until it's nearly on the bridge, and it's moving so fast that the engine is across it in just a few seconds. Fortunately, I was a few feet from the tracks when the train appeared, and I had just enough time to pull myself and my tripod a few yards away and lie flat to avoid disaster. Terrifying. Lesson learned. I have never returned to this bridge. Nikon D200, Nikkor 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 lens. Copyright 2013 Allan Armstrong.

Some say that the old CCD sensors yield better colors. I think this is difficult to prove, but I can say that landscapes taken with my first DLSR, a Nikon D200, have wonderful color.
#landscapephotography #washingtonstate #pacificnorthwest #digitalphotography #railroad #cascades #ccd #nikon #bridge

This blurry, highly distorted image of a water tower and tree was created using Vaseline on a UV lens filter. The "invaders" are located at the highest point of High Point, Seattle, WA. Nikon Z50 with Nikkor Z DX 16-50mm f/3.5-6.3 VR lens. Copyright 2024 Allan Armstrong.

Alien invaders at High Point, Seattle, WA. (I confess to having put a little Vaseline on the UV filter to soften and distort the image a bit.)
#digitalphotography #monochromephotography #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #nikon #softfocus #square #squarecrop #blur

Thank you. It was difficult to compose on the tiny, dim LCD screen of the G1 in bright daylight, so I think I probably took several photos and chose the best one.

I shot medium format for many years (Bronica GS-1 6x7cm and Hasselblad 500C/M mainly), both color negative and black and white, and I try not to look too often at the prints I made then because no prints I've made from various digital cameras quite match them.

The Old Post Station of Seattle Steam Company, now one of the preserved buildings in Pioneer Square. I was standing in a short alleyway (now fenced in) at the end of Western Avenue. It was taken with my first digital camera, a 3MP Canon G1, in 2003, shortly after moving to Seattle. It's a photogenic city with many beautiful historic buildings and other structures. Copyright 2003 Allan Armstrong.

This was taken in 2003 with my first digital camera in an alleyway at the end of Western Avenue in Seattle. The building with the smokestack was the first power plant of Seattle Steam Co.
#seattle #monochromephotography #blackandwhitephotography #canon #cityscape #pioneersquare #washingtonstate

Silhouetted cranes of the Port of Seattle on a cloudy day in 2011. Taken from Myrtle Edwards Park using an Olympus XZ-1 10 megapixel compact camera. When this was introduced in 2011 it was considered one of the top pocketable cameras available and retailed for $500. The recent surging popularity of compact digital cameras has caused its used value to rise to $200 - 250. Copyright 2011 Allan Armstrong.

This silhouette of the Port of Seattle cranes was taken from Myrtle Edwards Park using a pocketable Olympus compact that was introduced in 2011.
#seattle #monochrome #monochromephotography #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #digitalphotography #compactcamera #olympus #silhouette #clouds

The courtyard of the beautifully maintained Glen Eden Apartments on Queen Anne hill in Seattle. I walked by it several times a week during the 10 years I lived on Queen Anne hill. Taken on Kodak Tri-X 400 film with the Zeiss CF 50mm F/4 lens on a Hasselblad 500C/M body. Copyright 2013 Allan Armstrong.

The courtyard of Glen Eden Apartments in Seattle, taken with a Hasselblad 500C/M on Kodak Tri-X film.
#analog #film #filmphotography #monochrome #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #mediumformat #hasselblad #square #squareformat #seattle #fountain #tri-x #6x6cm #architecture

The entire film is a stunning masterpiece of cinematography. And it was done with the simplest equipment, from what I've read.

I didn't use any filter. Over a decade later, I see that I pushed the highlights too far in post-processing to create more contrast, and lost some detail in the background trees and parts of the bridge. Possibly I overexposed the image, but I no longer have the RAW file to see if that's true.

A tiny bridge over a creek in little Preston, WA, an unincorporated area a few miles east of Issaquah near I-90. The stretch of land along I-90 from Seattle through the Cascade Mountains to Ellensburg is known as the Mountains to Sound Greenway. This black and white image was taken by a Nikon D90 DSLR with the 18-55mm kit lens. I placed the big Western Red Cedar prominently in the foreground in shade to create an imposing foreground. Copyright 2013 Allan Armstrong.

Another bridge photo, but not as grand a bridge as the one in the previous post. This small, obscure, concrete bridge is in little Preston, WA, near Issaquah.
#washingtonstate #monochromephotography #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #digitalphotography #nikon #bridge #pacificnorthwest

A view from below and the side of the Cicero Bridge in Snohomish County, Washington. It crosses the north fork of the Stillaguamish River and is part of State Route 530, which runs from Arlington to the North Cascades Highway, State Route 20. Sony A7II with the Samyang AF 35mm F2.8 lens. Copyright 2020 Allan Armstrong.

This is the Cicero Bridge of State Route 530 in Snohomish County, WA. It crosses the north fork of the Stillaguamish River a few miles east of Arlington.
#washingtonstate #snohomish #digitalphotography #bridge #pacificnorthwest #cascades #river #sony #samyang

There’s not one rule that says you can’t use kittens

A nighttime ICM (intentional camera movement) photograph taken in High Point Commons Park in West Seattle. The light is in an odd place, alone in the middle of the largest open grassy area, where nobody walks at night, since there are lighted sidewalks around the entire park boundary. The blur creates more strangeness and creepiness than a sharp image could. Sony NEX-6 with the 16-50mm kit lens. Copyright 2024 Allan Armstrong.

Another nighttime ICM (intentional camera movement) photo taken in the park across the street. Digital allows unlimited experimentation for free. I wouldn't try it with film.
#digitalphotography #monochrome #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #icm #noir #nightphotography #sony #seattle #horror