Black and white photography gave rise to all contemporary photography and, despite the fact that it appeared in the century before last, interest in it has not faded to this day. Digital cameras have saved us from having to worry about having two types of film so that we can have both color and black and white photography. However, the question of which scenes look best in monochrome has not lost its relevance. Anna Togg shares a simple method she uses to make her black and white photos as flexible as possible.
Back in the heyday of film, like many photographers, I used two cameras. One was loaded with color film, the other with black and white.
I like to think about what I want to do with the image at the very beginning of the shooting, even before I look into the camera's viewfinder.
But even so, when I was about to take a black and white photo, before pressing the shutter button, I had to decide whether I wanted to take a picture in color or monochrome.
I admit, there were several cases when I filmed the same scene with both cameras at once. But if you paid for the film out of your own pocket, then you were unlikely to spend twice the amount on one frame.
Nowadays, digital cameras allow you to capture an image in color, and then do whatever your heart desires with it: invert it to monochrome, two-tone, or apply a cross-processing effect to it.
But I still prefer to think about what I want to do with the image at the very beginning of the shooting, even before I look into the camera's viewfinder.
I think it helps me take monochrome shots (and any other) a little more best quality, rather than those that are obtained from frames processed after shooting, because I initially see or at least try to imagine the image that will turn out.
I also have special days on which I decide that I will only shoot in black and white. And I purposefully look for shots that will look most advantageous in monochrome.
For monochrome photography, I always use RAW -format, and when converting to a black and white image, I pay close attention to the color information. In the camera settings, I use the recording format mode RAW+JPEG . So when taking a picture, I immediately have the opportunity to see it, and if necessary, I always have a copy of it at hand in RAW.
I also convert the camera shooting mode to black and white, so that when converting to in-camera JPEG monochrome photographs were taken.
The beauty of this method is that I see the scene being shot on the camera's LCD screen in monochrome, and this allows me to more confidently judge how successful the captured shot is.
If you are shooting on a compact instead of reflex camera, you will be able to see the scene you are shooting in monochrome even before you take the picture.
It seems that most cameras display black and white images quite faded, so another camera adjustment that I make when shooting black and white is to increase the contrast in the menu Picture Style to get the result closest to the original.
There is no greater classic than black and white street photography. Old street photographs bring to life the nostalgic images of André Kertész, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau and many more.
Why black and white street photography?
Of course, in the past, when photography was just beginning to develop, it was exclusively monochrome. So when we think of street photography (in the classic sense), black and white shots come to mind. When color photography appeared, it was used for most amateur photography and was not perceived as "serious art", unlike black and white.
Times are different now. Modern digital cameras produce impressive image quality, and post-processing can work wonders. Nevertheless, black and white photography still has a special charm. It attracts with its simplicity, minimalism and lack of distractions and clutter. B&W photo out of fashion - aesthetics out of time.
Monochrome frames give us the opportunity to focus on the essence of the scene - color can simply distract the viewer. We bring you some tips and suggestions from renowned street photographer Eric Kim for black and white street photography.
See the world in monochrome
Downtown LA, 2011. By Eric Kim
Look for, for example, the following:
- contrast between lights and darkness
- shapes and lines
- expressing emotions (on the face as well as through body language)
- eye contact
- minimalism
- nostalgic elements.
Obviously, we do not see the world in black and white, for this it is worth training the eyes.
Wedding, 2016 #cindyproject. By Eric Kim
Task: shoot only monochrome shots throughout the year.
If you shoot with a digital camera, shoot JPEG JPEG + RAW (preset to monochrome). If you're shooting on film, just use black and white.
By putting yourself in such a creative frame, you will begin to see your surroundings in black and white and begin to pre-visualize future monochrome shots. Try not to switch between black and white and color shots during this year of study. Otherwise, you will never sharpen your "monochrome" vision.
Another tip: if you're shooting JPEG+RAW, be sure to pre-set the shooting mode in black and white when importing photos to your computer.
Simplify
Tokyo, 2011. By Eric Kim
Always try to simplify your black and white shot. Strive to keep the scene as uncomplicated as possible, with simple composition. Try to use single objects (at least for starters).
When you are preparing to shoot the street, start with the background. An all-white, gray or black background can be a good starting point. Then wait for suitable objects to appear in the frame.
Learn to ignore the colors people are wearing. Better ask yourself: "What would this color look like if it were turned into monochrome?" This will help you see the world according to different brightnesses and shades of gray rather than colors.
Task: get rid of excess.
For a month, try to remove everything unnecessary from your photos.
When analyzing the images you want to capture, think about what you can get out of the image, not what you can, on the contrary, add. And when you're composing, ask yourself, "Does this element really have to be in my frame?" Try to clean up the images and leave only their essence in the frame.
That is, we can say that less, in this case, is more. Or remember the motto: "let less, but better."
take risks
Downtown LA, 2015. By Eric Kim
No one can accurately imagine a monochrome image beforehand. If the picture is taken on film, the photographer has less control over how the final image will look. Shooting on digital camera and RAW, on the other hand, gives you tons of control over the final look of a monochrome image. If shooting in black and white JPEG, the photographer will have the same limitation as when shooting on film.
Challenge: take a risk.
Shoot against the light. Try experimenting with exposure compensation in black and white. Try setting the exposure compensation to +1, +2, -1, -2 and see the results.
Explore the work of the masters of black and white photography
Task: Study the creativity of the masters.
Melrose, 2016 #ricohgrii. By Eric Kim
Analyze the shots and see how the photographers build the composition. In addition, try to figure out what "works" in the pictures and what does not. How did the photographer work with light? What emotions or gestures are present in the frame?
Portugal, 2015. By Eric Kim
Focus on emotions
Monochrome images seem quieter, more still, sometimes more gloomy and nostalgic. They are reflections on the past.
Photographing something sad in black and white is a cliché to avoid. However, you can go in a more interesting way - try to photograph happiness in monochrome. Also try to photograph desperation. Capture a wide range of emotions, not just a direct association with monochrome.
Paris, 2015. By Eric Kim
Challenge: evoke certain moods through your photos.
Think about the feelings that black and white creates inside you and try to literally capture them. And as an extra challenge, also try to evoke a reverse emotion in a black and white shot. This will help you get out of your comfort zone.
Garden Grove, 2016. By Eric Kim
Lighten and darken
NYC, 2016. By Eric Kim
The left side of the frame is darkened in the picture, so more attention is paid to the eyes of the model, her face and hair)
One thing that photographers have been doing for decades is to use the Dodge and Burn method in their photographs (dodge and burn in certain parts of the frame).
Previously, this was done in a dark room, but now we can do all the manipulations using a photo editor. Many novice photographers believe that the method of darkening and brightening parts of the frame is a kind of "cheat". Not at all. It all depends on your artistic vision.
Darken parts of the frame that you find distracting and lighten more interesting areas. The viewer's eyes will be drawn to the area of the frame with the highest contrast. Keep this in mind.
Task: do post-processing for no more than a minute.
Often, the more time you spend post-processing monochrome images, the worse they will look.
For example, it is possible to shoot RAW+JPEG but also apply the standard black and white presets to images (on import). Then you can make small adjustments to the photo: make adjustments to the exposure, contrast, shadows, highlights.
Downtown LA, 2016 #ricohgrii. By Eric Kim
use flash
The flash will add intensity to the images. Quality photography requires good contrast and dramatic light. If you are shooting in the shade, your black and white photographs, probably won't have contrast and won't be aesthetically interesting.
Task: take pictures of all objects with and without flash.
During the week, use the flash in all black and white photographs. Shoot both with and without flash, then analyze both images. See how flash affects photos in terms of aesthetics, emotional impact, and intensity.
Shoot with dramatic light
Try to shoot in good lighting ("golden time" - sunrise and sunset). As for the technical parameters, if you are shooting in aperture priority or in program mode, set the exposure compensation to -1 or -2.
Task: follow the light.
Seoul, 2009. By Eric Kim
Whenever you shoot, always try to chase the light. Look for little rays of light, be patient. Wait for the right person to enter the frame.
Even better, try to wait until sunset to take your shot - then you'll get dramatic long shadows. Or, if you're really brave, wake up early in the morning before sunrise.
Provincetown, 2014. By Eric Kim
Conclusion
There is no "right" or "wrong" in street photography - whether you choose to shoot in black and white or color.
Downtown LA, 2015. By Eric Kim
For most beginners street photographers It is best to work on black and white photographs. For what? This allows you to learn to navigate the basic principles, and not be distracted by color.
Black and white pictures are soulful, and without emotion photography is dead. Learn to make your photos immortal.
Features of black and white shots
Great photographers begin teaching their students with the intricacies of black and white photography. This is due to the fact that in such pictures the composition is very important, so all the flaws are visible at a glance. To make sure of this, you need to “desaturate” the usual “everyday” picture in a regular graphic editor, you can be more than sure that most of the photo will be covered with gray spots. If we consider a color photograph with a red flower on a green lawn, then it will be bright and festive. But if it is a black and white photograph, the green and red colors will merge and you may not see anything. The difference between black and white and color photography is not only that there is no color. Thanks to monochrome shots, you can reveal the essence of things more deeply, while focusing on the most interesting and most important. Thanks to black and white photography, shapes and lines can be revealed, focusing on rhythm, chiaroscuro and structure. In the foreground of monochrome shots are impressions, emotions. It is for this reason that black and white photographs have a completely different approach, therefore, for a monochrome version, the colors of the world around you need to be seen in your own way.
And so, when is it better to give preference to black and white photographs? In most cases, this is a nude, a portrait, reportage and genre scenes also look very good in black and white photography. But this does not mean that still life and landscape will not look in black and white.
good color photograph, most likely, you should not translate into black and white mode. It is a well-founded color scheme that makes it attractive, and if you remove the color, then the photo will only lose from this. For example, the pictures that you brought back from your travels to exotic countries should play with color, convey the local flavor. Although a few interesting black and white shots will only decorate your photo album, they should have a completely different semantic content.
It may also happen that the color component does not fit into the overall design and overloads the picture, different color spots do not harmonize, they are too colorful. In this case, it makes sense to make the photo black and white. Therefore, do not rush to delete an unsuccessful color picture - it is possible that in black and white, after some processing in a graphics editor, it will become much better.
So, in order to get a good monochrome photo, you can go two ways. The first option is to take a regular color picture, which is converted to black and white in a graphics editor. The second way: set your camera to black and white photography mode. In the first case, you leave yourself the opportunity to return to the original color version. In addition, you have at your disposal powerful tools of modern graphic editors that give you flexible control over the process. What photographers used to do in the "dark room", developing film, experimenting with developers, printing pictures, you will now get by working with the program. In the second case, in a graphical editor, you only “stretch” the image to the desired result.
Composition
First of all, you must determine for yourself what you want to emphasize, highlight in the photo, and choose the means to achieve expressiveness accordingly. Think about whether you need to increase sharpness, contrast in order to show a courageous face in the photo or an old abandoned ship worn out by time, rain and heat, or, on the contrary, soften a gentle female or child portrait, show a “paradise” landscape in the picture.
When you think about a future black and white shot, abstract from rich and bright colors - a monochrome photo will not convey them anyway, moreover, they can merge.
It is desirable that a rich gamut of halftones be preserved in the picture. A successful photo ranges from black to pure white. Tone and contrast are the main starting points on which the success of your work depends. But it should be noted that in black and white shots, dark areas will look almost dark, so try to structure the plot in such a way as to avoid large "black holes".
If you look around with a careful eye, you can almost everywhere take an original and high-quality black and white photo. Contrasting textures, embossed and attractive shapes, patterns, rhythmic, repetitive scene details make the photograph more advantageous. When looking for interesting and contrasting graphic shapes, don't forget Golden Rule: The simpler the better. The picture should not be overloaded with unnecessary details.
A selection of black and white photographs
Color and black-and-white photography differ not only in the absence of color in the latter. A monochrome shot reveals the essence of things more deeply, focusing on the most interesting things: lines, shapes, structure, light and shade. When working with such photos, you need to learn how to see colors in monochrome.
Composition
On such a composition is much more important, and all the flaws are more visible. First of all, determine what exactly in the picture you want to emphasize. In accordance with this, choose the means to achieve expressiveness. For example, you can highlight wrinkles on an old face, make a picture more dramatic, using sharpness and contrast. On the contrary, enhance feminine qualities, soften them - by lightening some areas.
When imagining a future b/w shot, forget about rich colors - they will merge into a monochrome photo. And what is important? These are semitones and their entire gamut. A good photo ranges from black to pure white. Tone and contrast are the main starting points on which the success of your work depends. But it should be noted that in black and white shots, dark areas will look almost black, so try to structure the plot in such a way as to avoid large "black holes".
RAW
Shoot in color, you can always take black and white photos. Therefore, use the RAW mode and shoot in black and white. When you take a picture, you will see a black and white preview on the camera display. But the raw file itself is "colored". So, by loading a photo into a RAW converter, you can convert it both to b / w and to a color image.
For black and white, shooting in RAW is no less important than for color, and perhaps even more significant. This is due to the amount of information stored in a RAW file compared to JPEG, and its importance for subsequent processing. If for some reason you can only take a frame in JPEG - do it in color. Do not select B/W mode inside the camera. Initially, a color JPEG photo will retain more information for further processing than a black and white JPEG.
Contrast
In the absence of color, it's especially important to make sure your black and whites have a wide range of tones and strong contrast to keep the viewer interested in the frame. Avoid oversaturating the image with gray. Instead, use light to get brighter elements to guide the eye, and darker parts with deep shadows for good contrast.
Strong contrast is easy to achieve on a bright sunny day, but be careful not to overexpose your shot with too much light. It might make sense to adjust the exposure one or two stops down to limit the amount of light that comes through.
ISO
When planning to end up with a frame in black and white, use the lowest possible ISO. Noise from high ISOs in a black and white photo will be very noticeable, although occasionally this can create a film grain effect and will be beneficial. But the effect can be created in the editor, and removing noise is more difficult.
Basically, the expressiveness of a black and white photo is achieved on the contrary through a high contrast of light and shadows. For example, it may be the only point light in the studio. But despite this, many photographers prefer to take black and white pictures when the scene is low in contrast. The basis of a black and white photo is the combination of light and dark in the frame. Therefore, a good black-and-white picture can be taken even when the light is not interesting and boring for a "color" photographer.
Texture and shape
The second thing to keep in mind is shapes and textures. In color photography, color and tonal transitions draw more attention away from the shape, relief, and texture of the subject. In b/w, it comes to the fore. If you are shooting denim, then in a color photograph you first of all pay attention to their color, and in black and white, the structure of the denim will come to the fore, separately protruding threads on tears, a fold on the fabric ...
A little tip for black and white landscapes - pay more attention to the sky. The more textured the sky (beautiful clouds and the like), the more attractive it will be. A black-and-white landscape with a plain, expressionless sky is usually boring if there is no pronounced accent on something else.
When taking a photo, look at the texture and imagine how it will be in black and white. When shooting a flower, look not at its color, but at the texture and shape of the petals. When shooting a portrait - not on the color of the hair and face, but on the shape of the eyes and hair. Since you don't have colors, you must decide how you want to represent the shape. The shape is depicted as blocks of light and dark areas in the photo.
Light
You need to make sure you have enough light to capture the details. Remember that we don't have colors to highlight or create details. We must let the light do its thing. A beautiful blue sky looks gray in a black and white photo.
Understanding the light source is very important because different light sources are photographed differently and with different settings. Ask yourself where the light comes from. Could it be a primary light source such as the sun or an artificial flash? Maybe the light is bouncing off a wall or a reflector.
First of all, we think about the types of shadow and contrasts that we need. Direct light creates harsh dark shadows. Diffused or indirect light will create softer tones. For a dark shadow and a sharp contrast difference between light and shadow, use direct lighting. Otherwise, for grays and a softer look, try diffused light.
Determine the type of depth, dimensions, and details you want in the photo. Side light gives large dimensions. Direct light from the foreground brings out texture and depth. Light from behind helps cut details. Arrange lighting as you wish.
Today I want to start a series of articles about black and white photography, about how to learn how to competently take monochrome pictures, what technologies are available for this, what you need to consider and what to pay attention to in order to hone your skills, and in general, let's talk about the philosophy of the image itself, devoid of color information. Now I want to reveal to you the main postulates, based on which, each professional photographer trying to express himself through black and white photographs.
I already tried to answer the question in a previous article:. But I never cease to be amazed at the overwhelming effect that classic B&W photography has on me, and I guess I'm not alone.
Black and white photography is one of the most interesting and inspiring trends in photography. The monochrome image marked the beginning of the entire photography industry: with the development of technology, cameras and methods for obtaining photographs have improved. The Frenchman Louis Jacques Daguerre in the distant 1839 obtained the first stable photographic image and later called such images daggerotypes. In the same nineteenth century, James Maxwell proposed to the world a way to obtain a color photograph. In the thirties of the last century, Kodak began to produce the first color photographic materials. The market developed at a rapid pace, the number of amateur photographers increased, the processes of photography were simplified even at the end of the 20th century. People have stepped into the digital age.
How to learn to shoot black and white photos: the secrets of professionals.
See the world in B&W.
Most general advice on how to compose or structure good frame, apply exactly the same to black and white photography. However, the main noticeable difference is that you don't have to pay attention to the color. This means that you must train yourself to look at shapes, tones and textures, to look with eyes that can only see in B&W.
Masters of black and white photography can easily imagine a world without color. Thanks to my experience shooting monochrome images, they trained their brains to instantly visually assess a space in order to imagine it without color saturation. Imagine how the picture will turn out even before the camera shutter clicks. But such a skill cannot be acquired in short term. I can’t say that I have mastered this skill, and like a robot I switch modes, but I constantly train my brain to perceive the surrounding reality in black and white. Only practice and constant effort is the right training mechanism.
Focus on contrast.
The human eye is designed to analyze two things: light intensity and color. If you remove color, your eyes become more sensitive to light intensity. We naturally choose areas of contrast, i.e. we perceive reality and objects (their dimensions, outlines) by comparing areas of brightness, when one thing is more or less dark than another. As a black and white photographer, you simply have to know more about contrast, see it, feel it. And with his help, to reveal to the viewer the essence of their pictures, their intention, to reflect important details. Always look for scenes/plots that are replete with high contrast characters, and then your black and white photographs will be irresistible a priori.
If your footage doesn't make the right impression initially, then using Photoshop's processing techniques such as manipulating levels, curves, etc., will turn the shots into high-contrast photographs. In other words, do not give up at first glance on inexpressive images, because modern technologies allow you to improve the quality of the original frames.
Focus on texture.
Texture is in many ways a form of contrast. If you think about it, a texture is a pattern of shadows and highlights with varying intensities. Color usually introduces its own changes into the texture (according to the perception by the human eye), so to speak, leaves its mark, like a filter behind which it manifests itself differently. Different shades can mask subtle, subtle textures, or enhance them. In black and white photographs, it carries new information. Therefore, look for areas with interesting texture, which may be masked by bright colors. It often plays the role of leading lines, serves as a good background for designating the main artistic object. Have you noticed how B/W photographs that include sheds, wooden fences or antiques are irresistible(?). This is because the objects are full of texture, traces of the past, antiquity.
By sitting down at a computer to invert images to monochrome, you can "pull"/develop texture from near-smooth, rough-free surfaces. In digital photography, blues and reds tend to contain more noise than greens, so using tools like the channel mixer and black and white adjustment levels in Photoshop will really bring out the textures.
Take pictures in color.
This item is primarily aimed at photographers who use digital cameras (for example, DSLR) in their arsenal. If your device provides the ability to switch to the photo shooting mode in black and white in the Menu settings, then try never to use it. In fact, by applying this function, the camera, when capturing a frame, actually receives color information, and then converts the image to black and white, including the algorithm embedded in the processor. But then you will be the owner of a file on your flash card that has irretrievably lost a huge part of the color information, i.e. "lost weight." Not without reason, the pictures taken in b&w. and in the color of the same space, they will be different in weight, or rather, a monochrome image will become “lighter” by hundreds of kilobytes due to the loss of data on the color environment. Thus, by turning on the mode on the camera " black and white photography
”, you limit your post-processing capabilities.
However, my categoricalness in this matter can play a cruel joke with you. And you, having taken good advice, will strictly follow it. But the camera function to receive b&w photo very useful. I'll explain why. If you want to use this mode in order to preview/see what the scene looks like without color, then this is quite justified. This will help you identify how good the black and white pictures you are going to capture are! But be sure to switch back and shoot in color, and then finalize the plot at home.
Shoot in RAW.
I know a lot of blog readers don't have the option simply because their camera doesn't have this preset. Or they don’t take pictures in Raw format because they don’t know how to do it and don’t understand the advantages, for example, of RAW over JPEG. Or maybe they basically don’t shoot in the Raw format because they don’t like it and the labor costs associated with it. But most photo artists see undeniable advantages in the subsequent work with RAW files. Therefore, if you strive to get great black and white images, then shoot and write data to the flash card in Raw format.
To be continued in the second part of the article on tips for creating black and white photos ...
Sincerely, photographer Shterbets Evgeniy.
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