Black and white photography by Michael Gray 1
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Small compilation of my photography. Please visit my website to see more. www.michaelgrayphotographic.com
Digital Photography Secrets For Black And White Shots
One of the biggest benefits of digital photography over regular film picture taking is the fact these little devices actually give a photographer instant access to many different special effects. One of the most spectacular of these effects is the ability digital photography gives to switch instantly from color to black and white exposures. Rather than having to change out film types or drain color from a shot on a computer screen, digital photography does this on the spot.
The truth is black and white photography tends to be under-rated. When it`s used to create an impact with a shot, the resulting image can be amazing. Landscapes, portraits and even still life type shots can all benefit from an occasional switch over to black and white. Learning how to take full advantage of this digital photography technique, however, will take a little time.
This type of digital photography can be a little tricky to master, but since the cameras generally come equipped with monitors to instantly see results, the risk factor of walking away with a bad shot is minimized. Since pictures can be reviewed on the spot, anyone trying this digital photography technique will find they can see their pictures and make adjustments instantly if the shot isn`t quite what they`d hoped for.
To make the most of black and white pictures taken on a digital camera, there are several tips beginners can try. These tips do translate to regular film photography, as well.
See the shot
This is a very important technique for black and white digital photography and even color. It`s important to really pay attention to what the camera sees and shows before snapping the shot. In black and white digital photography, the monitor will likely switch over to black and white mode, which makes this even easier. Practice paying attention to the images as they are presented and make sure the image presented is the one you want before you shoot. If you learn to rely on the monitor or the view finder, you`ll know when more light is needed, when subjects need to be moved or even when it`s best if you move yourself.
Contrast is everything
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.
Play with lighting
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.
Learning to master the black and white setting on a digital camera can be a fun pursuit. Offering drama and impact, black and white imaging is a different way to record the world around you. For more tips on digital photography, Digital Camera Wiz.com is the site to visit.
black and white photography 4 by richard armstrong
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black and white photos of various scenes with a few colour photographs for a change.hope you enjoy them.
Photography Tips and Guide – How to Take Black and White Photographs
Originally, just as with movies, all film for still photography was black-and-white or sepia. It wasn’t until the mid-20th century that color photography became feasible for the masses. Obviously color photography is now open to anyone, and given that we see the world in color, why would we want to deliberately remove color from our photographs?
This is not an idle question, because in answering it we identify when to try taking a photograph in black-and-white – or more likely, to try taking the color out of a photograph after the fact using an image-editing program such as Photoshop.
The answer to the above question is that we would want to remove color from a photograph in order to simplify it; to get rid of distracting information so that we can concentrate better on something else. In this it’s no different from blurring the background of a portrait or from framing a photo in such a way that distracting elements are out of the frame.
So now we know the why, which has led us to the when, of black-and-white photography, let’s look at the three main situations where we might desaturate (i.e. remove color from) a photo:
In portraiture
In color, a close-up picture of a person reveals all kinds of distracting details of their face – blemishes, a red nose, uneven skin tones, and so on. Black-and-white photography strips out these details, and this makes it easier for the viewer to concentrate on what the photo reveals about the person’s life or personality, which is what portraiture is all about.
In abstract fine art photography
Color is very noticeable in a photo, and it generally trumps things like patterns or shapes. So another use for black-and-white is when a photographer wants to take a photo that is ‘about’ a pattern or shapes. This type of photograph comes up most often in what we might call ‘abstract fine art photography’, where there really isn’t a clear or recognizable subject for the photo.
Note that black-and-white photographs are generally more ‘tolerant’ of contrast, so fine art photographers will often strip out color from their photographs and then ramp up the contrast (again, using an image editing program).
Whenever the photo is more or less monochromatic anyway
This final category is something of a catchall. While the main use of black-and-white is to remove something distracting from a photo, it’s also a good idea to try converting a photo to black-and-white when the photo really has few bright colors anyway. Another way of looking this is to say that just as color is distracting, a washed-out lack of color is also somewhat distracting.
Tobias Sterling is a featured writer on Clivir.com – The Free Learning Community Site. He provides more information on Beginners Photography Basics, Taking Photographs of Moving subjects and Portrait and People Photography on Clivir.
Life in Romania 1976 Black and White Photography Collection
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A rare collection of black and white photography by Tom Moratta made in Romania 1976 “A KING WEAVING FOR THE WORLD A CENTURY OF PLANS WHILE THE POOR MAN THINKS ONLY OF TOMORROW”
Save The Silver – Black And White Photography
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Some of my pictures www.savethesilver.com
black and white photography 6 by richard armstrong
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black and white photos with a handful of colour photography.let me know what you think.
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.