Photographers Choice: Black And White – When Is It Right
We live in a world full of color and it hits us from all sides all day long. In a world that emphasizes color so much black and white has gained a new status. The timelessness and the elegance of black and white photography cannot be put into words and has to seen to be appreciated. Black and white theme is the best way to produce photographs with character, meaning and emotion. It can transform an awful color picture into a work of aft when used properly.
Most photographers who use this are passionate hobbyists or professional photographers wanting to emphasize certain qualities of the picture. Contrast and contradiction can be inserted into the same frame with character and grab the attention of the beholder. In fact, this was the way it all started out in photography and today the monochromatic image is appreciated for its inherent and deep qualities.
Practice is important with black and white photography. The mind has to be trained to pick up tone and contrast while blocking out distractions of color. With time this will come naturally to you and the decision to optimize a photograph this way can be done with ease. The secret here is to make a conscious effort and things will fall into place. The learning process cannot be replaced by anything the experienced thus gained will be the only way to achieve success in this field.
In black and white photography the spectrum is clear. It is black on one end and white on the other with all the shaded in between. What should be optimized is what the human eye picks up as the intensity of color and intensity of light. Contrasting with these to fields is a great way to compose a black and white photograph. Although a naturally contrasting photograph is great you can use many Photoshop techniques to achieve a variety of distinct looks. Burning and dodging are also highly effective in this type of picture.
Textures can be highlighted in black and white photography and is another aspect of contrast itself. Sometimes this is represented so vividly that you can almost feel the texture by just looking at it.
Digital photographers should always shoot in color and then convert the picture to a black and white using photo editing software. It is amazing to see the difference in the same picture with color compared to the black and white image. It is only then you will realize the power of this medium.
There are certain times when a black and white photograph becomes absolutely necessary to convey the full import of the picture. Very often, photographs depicting powerful emotional moments and highly dramatic events will benefit with black and white photography. This is easy to understand when we view all those black and white holocaust pictures and compare them with pictures of present day war or disasters which are in color. So, never underestimate the power of the black and white medium and what it can do for your photography.
Adriana Bella is professional graphic designer and passionate photographer. She has 4+ years of experience. She has recently created and published her huge collection of photography templates available online at www.artcodesign.com
Also, Adriana has published her own
Premium Digital Backdrops for portrait photographers.
black and white photography 3 by richard armstrong
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various black and white photos.a new set of photos i thought i’d share.
What is a good website to view professional black and white photography?
I’m not talking about Flickr or photo bucket, where most of the photos are done by people who happen to have a camera. I’m looking for sites like that (with easy to search and view options), but actual professional photographers who put a lot of thought and effort into the composition of the photos. Any ideas?
I’m learning black and white photography (portraits of people and animals), and I want to see how it is “supposed” to look, if I do things right.
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Make Money With Black and White Digital Photography
Black and white photography has long been a staple product of the art world. There is something about capturing the world around us and rendering it, and the people in it, in such a stark medium as black and white. In a way, this type of art takes away any preconceptions one might have about the given subject and allows the viewer to see the content as it really is, and even add their own ideas.
It’s important to note that black and white photography was the beginning of photography and holds a special place in many photographers’ hearts. This is one of the reasons why it has become a bit of a trendy thing to do nowadays. Basically beginner photographers are starting to take up black and white photography more often than normal photography. Why? Mainly because they are still able to use the most advanced, up to date cameras while creating amazing black and white photos.
The latest camera models have settings for black and white photography and some photo editing software enables photographers to change color photographs into black and white. Any of these methods can be used to achieve the classic black and white look that can impress any viewer.
The scope of black and white digital photography is not only about portraits and landscapes. There are thousand and one things that you can express with black and white photographs. So the next time you have the digital camera in hand, focus on abstract shoots. Treat black and white digital photography, as a mode to portray the world in a different light and you will never be short on potential photography subjects.
To start with your own black and white digital photography shots, you will not need extra effort and complications other than shooting as is. Take the shot in color then you can switch the setting of the digital image in an editor, using array of choices. If you are using Photoshop or Fireworks, you can change the whole image into black and white by editing “Hue and Saturation” or simply switching it to “grayscale” format.
Since black and white digital photography doesn’t rely on color to tell the story, the contrast of shades will need to be relied upon. This is one of the most important black and white shooting tips to learn. It is important to make sure subjects stand out even more so in black and white than in color. While a dark blue shirt might look awesome against a dark green setting in color, it will likely get lost in the shuffle in black and white.
While that dark shirt and dark background can present problems in contrast, lighting can help fix the issue. The best way to master lighting for this type of digital photography is to play around and be willing to experiment to see what works and what doesn’t. Try using the black and white settings in all kinds of situations to really master what needs to be done under different circumstances to effectively light up a shot.
Why not make money from your digital photography and get paid to submit your photos to the internet or start up your own photography business.
Remember a black and white picture of a single flower can be breathtaking.
Barb Thornback is the owner and webmaster of http://www.privy2profit.com where you can find many different ways of making money.
My Street. Black and White Photography on a Leica
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Wahliao.com photographs the streets on a Leica, shot in black and white. A twitter #sgtweetup makes its way into this video as well. Interesting to see the social interaction between people cross traditional media into new forms of media. There’s Singapore and way of life… take a slice and sit back. Enjoy!
What film camera for my black and white photography class?
I currently own a Nikon D40, but wanted to learn more about photography, so I enrolled in a black and white photography class at my school. We need a film camera, but since I already have a nice digital setup with a couple lenses, I was wondering what a good film camera for the class would be, that would be under a couple hundred dollars used.
Both Lenses I have are DX lenses, if that helps in what film camera I should get.
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Black and White Photo Conversion
Copyright © 2006 Peter Horner
Most images were produced in black and white for nearly a hundred years after the invention of photography, but now colour images have become commonplace. Creating strong three dimensional images on a piece of paper is one of the best attributes of black and white photography, as the effect can be more striking than with a colour photograph. Without the colour to distract us we become more aware of the subtle tones which can be found within a black and white image. In this article I will share the technique I use that will help you create beautiful, striking and moody black and white images from your colour photographs.
Digital cameras have a black and white mode but more information and detail will be recorded in colour, which will also create a higher quality printed image. This is why I always shoot in colour then convert images later. There are several ways of converting an image to black and white using Photoshop and many other image editing programs. You could simply desaturate the colours, but creating a black and white image with real tone and definition goes beyond this. Levels, curves and the Unsharp Mask can be used creatively with black and white conversion to provide further control over tones and contrast to create a stunning image.
Channel Mixer – I have found that using the Photoshop Channel Mixer is the easiest way to convert an image to black and white and produces the best results. The Channel Mixer allows you to control how much red, green and blue contribute to the final monochrome image.
The Channel Mixer can be selected from the adjustment layer popup menu in the layers palette or you can also access it from under the image menu.
Clicking on the left tick box entitled Monochrome will convert your photograph into a greyscale image, and gives you the ability to blend the red, green and blue channels. Adjust each of the sliders to produce an image to your liking. As a rule make sure that the total values for each channel adds up to 100%. This creates monochrome images that are the equivalent of ones shot on black and white film through red, green or blue filters. For example if you wanted to maximize cloud contrast in a blue sky, then a red filter would achieve this. I usually set the red channel to 0 and the green channel to 100 to cut down on the amount of noise, or sometimes a combination of red and green depending on the image.
Curves and Levels – Brightness and contrast can be adjusted in Photoshop by using the curves and levels tools, which can be found under Image > Adjustments Curves/Levels. Both curves and levels allow you to adjust the tonal range of an image. When using the levels command you can make adjustments to just three variables, highlights, shadows and midtones. I prefer to use curves as it gives you more precision. With curves you can adjust any point along a scale while keeping up to 15 other values constant. By adjusting the black point and white point in curves you can give your image more contrast. At opposite ends of the diagonal line you will find a small dot. When you grab hold one of the dots with your mouse and drag it around you will see the image change. To create more contrast drag the black point lower and the white point higher, so that either end of the diagonal line is curved. Practice using curves and levels and explore the different effects you can achieve with your images.
Unsharp Mask – The Unsharp Mask is my preferred tool for sharpening images, which can be found under Filter > Sharpen > Unsharp Mask. It is a traditional film compositing technique used to sharpen edges in an image and corrects blurring. The Unsharp Mask locates pixels that differ from surrounding pixels by the threshold you specify and increases the pixels’ contrast by the amount you specify. In order to get the look which I desire in my images I use the Unsharp Mask twice. I begin by using a high radius and lower amount, such as a radius of 50 pixels and an amount of 30%. This gives the image a much more intense look and details will stand out. The second time I use a lower radius of 1 pixel with a higher amount of 30%, which will correct any blurring and sharpen the image.
Visit this page to view examples of images created using a combination of these techniques – Black and White Conversion Example Photos
Peter Horner has years of experience in photography and digital printing technologies and also co-created the large format printing company DesignerPrint. Using large format printing technology DesignerPrint create canvas prints, block mounts, and poster prints. Canvas Printing from DesignerPrint.co.uk
Easy question about black and white photography with digital camera. Can you help me out?
If I take a color photo, and remove the color later (in photoshop), will it effect the quality of the photo? Or, should I use the black and white feature that is built into the camera?
I have a digital camera and it’s my first attempt at black and white photography.
Thanks in advance.
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The Art of Black and White Photography-WFRV TV
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Scott Edwards out on a shoot with old school Black & White Photography. Photojournalist: Dave Duchan wfrv.com
Black And White Photography In The Digital Age
The world is celebrating color in full spectrum, not just in the environment but also in the computer. In the 60’s, people are happy to see their photographs in black and white copies and it extended for quite some time until technology can already reproduce and provide people with colored digital photography.
Why still use black and white? If you have watched the controversial movie “Schindler’s List” (1993) by Steven Spielberg, it has been presented in the screens in black and white color. Critics were expressing dissatisfaction, and to some degree, one could think it is such a waste denying the audience of more than 1 million colors reduced to nothing but grayscale monochromatic theme.
Nowadays, black and white photography is directly proportional to vanity, because everyone desires colored output. In case of “Schindler’s List,” it was released on purpose as black and white, to give way to a dramatic impact for the setting of 1945 Nazi occupation. The effect of black and white reel, has added spice to the thematic goal of the director. The essence of using black and white is important for character shots.
The world is ironic and ridiculous at times, but we cannot simply take away black and white especially in the era of digital photography. We know all Graphic Arts editing applications, scanners, digital cameras, and other photography gadgets have grayscale options.
To start with your own black and white digital photography shots, you will not need extra effort and complications other than shooting as is. Take the shot in color then you can switch the setting of the digital image in an editor, using array of choices. If you are using Photoshop or Fireworks, you can change the whole image into black and white by editing “Hue and Saturation” or simply switching it to “grayscale” format.
Old photographs from developed films can be converted into digital images by scanning them. If you want a black and white portrait out of it, set your scanner into grayscale. The result is black and white photo.
Setting your digital camera into “evening shot” mode automatically converts the image as monochromatic. You can remove saturation to convert it to black and white. Digital camera works efficiently with a computer. You can do everything about it in full control—-that is if you are adept with the manipulation of the technical side of it. It will be quite expensive but worth the effort.
Technology is getting better and better, if you choose conventional effects, as long as you have the 360-degree options to enhance possibilities, then black and white digital photography is very simple to produce.
Low Jeremy maintains http://Digital-Photography.ArticlesForReprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.