Challenge #4 - Black and White
“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes.
But when you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their souls!”
~Ted Grant~
Introduction:
While looking at these black and white photos ask yourself what is it about these that make them interesting? Would it be the same if they were in colour?
"We see and live in a world of colour. It’s hard to imagine it any other way. In fact, we use the word “colourless” to describe something that is often dull, or boring. In photography however, nothing could be farther from the truth.
Black-and-white images are timeless, and sometimes the lack of colour transforms the subject into a realm that isn’t abstraction, but isn’t reality either. A black-and-white image deconstructs the scene and reduces it to its forms and tones. Distracting colours are recast as subtle shades of grey that add to a composition."
~Ashe Camera Club~
Black and white photography is better suited for strong graphic design, for rendering textures and for handling high-contrast lighting conditions. Colour can sometimes look too casual and can distract the viewer from the content of the photograph while black and white looks more formal, less like snapshot, and sometimes even gritty.
5 Key Elements of Strong Black and White Photos
(AKA: What I will be looking for when assessing this assignment.)
1. Visualize in Black and White
In color photography, we have the advantage of using colors to catch the viewer’s attention and lead their eye to the subject or the part of the photograph we want them to focus on. In black and white photography we loose that benefit and instead have to rely solely on a strong composition to do the heavy lifting for us. That’s a good thing! In the long run, it will make you a better photographer with a sharp eye for composition. And though editing does play a major role in the overall quality of black and white photos, there’s still a lot you can do in camera to make sure you’re capturing powerful and stunning photos that will translate well to black and white. One of the most helpful things you can do is something that takes place before you even click the shutter button. Training yourself to envision a scene in black and white will help determine if it will work in that state, or if it would be better left to color. Since you won’t have colour in the final shot, you’ll need to visualize the core of the scene instead:
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How is the light behaving on the objects in the scene?
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What forms are involved?
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Are there lights, darks, and shades in between, giving you a good tonal range?
Photo by Tanya Hindson
Photo by Eilidh Mahoney
2. Light is King
Any photograph is essentially born from light but when it comes to black and white photography, lighting becomes enormously important for a well-made photo. Since we don’t need or have the availability of visual colour information the quality and directionality of light within a scene becomes what essentially adds interest to the image.
It’s not enough to simply convert a digital colour photo to black and white. If we want to produce better black and white photographs, we must think in terms of light and shadow. How does the direction of light enhance or subdue the shapes and textures of the things we photograph? It doesn’t matter if we’re using natural or artificial light the truth remains the same that a black and white photo leans heavily on how we use light to create drama and add interest to the subject.
3. The Subject Matters
A point that can sometimes be overlooked is that some subjects lend themselves to be more favourable for black and white images than do others. It’s not a matter of black and white being better or worse than colour photography but rather because some subjects truly NEED colour in order to be photographed effectively. Look at the photo to the right the colour IS the photo. The b & w side is simply lacklustre.
Of course, this is and will likely remain a hotly contested topic but there’s no harm in understanding that black and white might not be the best choice for each and every photograph you make. It's a good idea to ask yourself whether the colours found within a composition constitute the bulk of its overall visual impact. If the interest comes more from the shapes, direction or contrast of light, or even the textures of the subject, then it’s a good bet it will work well in black and white.
Photo by Adam Welch
4. Look for Contrast, Shape & Texture
Photo by Tanya Hindson
Photo by Tanya Hindson
Photo by Ashkan-Forouzani
Contrast
When colours are converted to black and white, they become shades of grey. Light colours become highlights, and dark colours become dark tones. The differences between these shades is called tonal contrast.
Black and white photographers utilize tonal contrast to make photos more interesting and to create more drama in a composition.
Shape
Every photo is a collection of shapes, simple or complex. When you remove color from your toolbox, shapes become even more important as a part of the story you tell. People are drawn to shapes automatically. If there is no colour to an object, the only way we recognize it is by its shape.
Shapes anchor and simplify a photograph.
It is a necessary skill for you as a B&W photographer to learning to see “shape” because of contrast and tone rather than colour.
Texture
While shapes create the “big picture” of an image, texture fills in the rest. And, like all the elements of black and white photography we have covered so far, the textures you capture have the power to affect a photo’s mood and emotions.
From smooth pebbles to coarse grass, and sleek aluminum to dull rust, texture is the foundation of an image’s personality.
TIP: Texture is affected by the lighting conditions. Low raking light, typical of the golden hour of light near sunrise and sunset, makes texture stand out sharply.
5. Post-Processing Perfection
There is a common misconception that using filters, presets, or any sort of editing tools or post-processing (or ‘Photoshop’) is somehow cheating. That somehow “real” photographers don’t use filters (thus the abundance of the #nofilter hashtag on social media). Using filters is not cheating. Even in the days of film, everyone used some sort of “filter.”
I do recommend you to experiment with different filters, presets, films and editing techniques — but once you find something you like, try to stick with it for a while so you can find your own style.
Have fun, experiment, explore, and make photos which bring you personal happiness and significance. There are no “right” or “wrong” post-processing methods, looks, or aesthetics to your image. Look for contrast and texture and try to visualize your end result. If you captured your image in color, you can maximize the color range for your black and white post-processing.
T. Hindson 2013
ASSIGNMENT
PART 1: Your next challenge is to let go of your colour dependencies to create your images and instead use light, shadow and contrast to lead the eye through your image. Look at shapes, tones and textures in your frame as points of interest.
For this challenge, you will be taking 4-6 black and white photos. The good news is that there will be no written portion of this assignment, but I expect that you will use that time to create amazing black and white photos using the concepts discussed above.
As always, the photos will be put in a google photos album titled: (Your Name) Challenge #4, and shared with mrsthindson@gmail.com
This challenge is due on Wednesday May 27th.
I am so excited about this assignment ...remember to take a lot of photos before deciding which to submit. Photographers take 1400 photos for a single national geographic story.
Mrs. Hindson
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