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Discussion Board -> Photography -> black and white tips, anybody?
black and white tips, anybody?
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No help from me...here's what i do, take 50 million photos. By the 50,000,001th shot, you'll be a master of B&W photography.
...i'm at around shot #3, so i got a ways to go. >_<
Kevin Bubriski. One of my favorite b&w photographers. (I used to live in nepal, 2000-2005). :) ...those pictures are from 2005. *sigh*. You might be able to pick up a few ideas from those shots.
...i'm at around shot #3, so i got a ways to go. >_<
Kevin Bubriski. One of my favorite b&w photographers. (I used to live in nepal, 2000-2005). :) ...those pictures are from 2005. *sigh*. You might be able to pick up a few ideas from those shots.
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I don't pretend to know anything about it acyually, but I think it's usually important to have a fairly high amount of contrast in B+W photos (more so than in color shots anyway).
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-Everyone is entitled to my opinion- rescope.com.au
We used to use black n white film one week and colour the next. I don’t recall doing anything different for the black n white stuff. It is easier to process at home than colour though. I have heard that if you get a piece of light blue glass or perspex and look at the world through it, it will give you an idea of what your black n white photo will look like before you expose it.
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There are three colours, Ten digits and seven notes, its what we do with them that’s important.
Ruth Ross
...i prentend to know a lot about B&W dont I? ...i'm getting pretty good at it.
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I do everything in color and change to B&W in post, but, that's just me.
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Picture Purrrfect .
A purrrfect world is what we all want, but, seems too unobtainable. If I've viewed and commented on your post, and you liked my remarks then NO THANKS is needed...just getting to see your wonderful work is thanks enough for me!!
Also BIG thanks to all who check out my work!! I appreciate any and all comments & feedback!!
One little tool to enhance your B/W negatives is the use of a red filter. It darkens those blue cloudy skies.
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Darryl
Just a general rule of thumb for black and white is to have a good solid black and a pure white in the image with a full range of greys. If the image doesn't have a solid black and at least something close to pure white, then it will look flat and muddy. If you don't have the range of greys, then it will appear contrasty. Ansel Adams was trained as a concert pianist before taking up photography. He created the zone system with pure black and pure white and a range of greys. I guess for him each zone was like playing a different note.
Judging by your camera, your still shooting film. Is a lab processing the film for you or are you dong it yourself. Also, are you scanning the film?
Judging by your camera, your still shooting film. Is a lab processing the film for you or are you dong it yourself. Also, are you scanning the film?
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shoot to thrill
i happen to take a fair amount of b&w shots. everyone's taste and expression is quite different, but for me, it does one of several things. one, b&w is great for storytelling. it strips away decorative and flashy color aspects, and leaves you with shapes and lighting. something else i keep in mind, as mentioned above, is contrast. an image that has strong lines, high contrast between light and shadow, and lots of texture are all great candidates for b&w. i'd say try shooting all different things, and your own tastes and preferences will emerge :o)
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lately, i've fallen horribly behind in my thanks and comments. I'll catch up, but until I do, please know all your kind words are greatly appreciated.
I have a lab process the film as i dont have access to the materials necesary or the space to do it myself, and i do indeed scan some of the film, but the scanner's old and the picture's don't turn out as well on the computer as they do in print.
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Love them for who they are, faults included
there's a bunch of programs that can help with that. the most popular, but not the only option, is Photoshop. there's also a bunch of freeware available online. try checking out any of the programs listed in this thread here
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lately, i've fallen horribly behind in my thanks and comments. I'll catch up, but until I do, please know all your kind words are greatly appreciated.
I've never had any luck with labs processing my b/w film unless you send it to a lab that specializes in black and white. I don't know if they still make it, but Ilford and Kodak use to make b/w films that are processed in C-41 chemistry (the stuff they process color film in). The labs have a harder time messing that up and you'd have better chances of getting good results. Another thing that you might try is to shoot regular color film and scan that as color, then convert it to b/w with an image editing program. If you don't have photoshop you can download Picasa from Google for free. It has a neat b/w white feature. It lets you apply different color filters to change the tonal values. Like a red filter to darken skies, or a green filter to lighten foliage. etc. Picasa also creates a database of all of your images on your computer so it makes it easier to find pictures. And you can get a free online web album to share your images with friends.
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shoot to thrill
First piece of advice, listen to Chip (Surfcat). He knows what he is talking about.
The biggest thing for b&w photography is the tonal range, as Chip mentioned earlier. Black blacks, white whites, and everything in between.
A lot of people tell beginner photographers that as long as something is in focus, that is OK. I disagree. Focus is always important, but the complete void in saturation makes it crucial. Don't just have something in focus, have what you want in focus! I know that sounds like a given, but be very precise. Especially with film, since you are limited on shots.
A good hint for b&w work is to start bracketing. I am almost positive the Élan can do it automatically if you set it up for it, but if not, I do it all the time manually. Take the exposure as you would, but then take a second exposure exactly one stop below the first and then a third one stop above the first (which would be two stops above of the second). If you do this, you are more likely to get the desired exposure, just pick the best out of the three prints. True, you do have less "shots" to take, but it helps you focus even more carefully on which you do take, and twelve from a roll of 36 suddenly seems like a lot of photographs.
If you are familiar with the Formal Problems, good, but if not, start taking notes.
1) Texture
2) Light and Shadow
3) Repetition of Line
These are the classic formal problems, sometimes considered the basics of all photography. Try to incorporate at least one of these into every shots, but the more you take, the more you will find that they often over-lap. For practice, try taking a roll of film on each. No pressure, no deadlines, but you will be amazed at the things you start to see after you teach yourself to look for them.
As expressed earlier, b&w film (obviously) has no saturation, so the battle for the proper punch of color is side-stepped. This is a blessing and almost a crutch in many situations, but you need to be extra mindful of the other elements. Focus, a delicate exposure, and so on. Also, be very mindful of your framing: be very aware of what is in your shot (the composition) and how you, the photographer, are arranging it. Throwing stuff in the dead center often crushes any artistic merit. Space things so the subject(s) look like they are moving or pointing somewhere. It helps further frame it up and also gives a little more meaning or "intention" to the piece.
I know this is a lot to cover at once, and I have no idea how much you have already learned. If this is all new to you, take it one step at a time: once a week or once a month, make it a project to conquer one of these tasks with a single roll of film. If you would like comments and critiques, on or off Caedes, feel free to message me. I hope this helps. :-)
The biggest thing for b&w photography is the tonal range, as Chip mentioned earlier. Black blacks, white whites, and everything in between.
A lot of people tell beginner photographers that as long as something is in focus, that is OK. I disagree. Focus is always important, but the complete void in saturation makes it crucial. Don't just have something in focus, have what you want in focus! I know that sounds like a given, but be very precise. Especially with film, since you are limited on shots.
A good hint for b&w work is to start bracketing. I am almost positive the Élan can do it automatically if you set it up for it, but if not, I do it all the time manually. Take the exposure as you would, but then take a second exposure exactly one stop below the first and then a third one stop above the first (which would be two stops above of the second). If you do this, you are more likely to get the desired exposure, just pick the best out of the three prints. True, you do have less "shots" to take, but it helps you focus even more carefully on which you do take, and twelve from a roll of 36 suddenly seems like a lot of photographs.
If you are familiar with the Formal Problems, good, but if not, start taking notes.
1) Texture
2) Light and Shadow
3) Repetition of Line
These are the classic formal problems, sometimes considered the basics of all photography. Try to incorporate at least one of these into every shots, but the more you take, the more you will find that they often over-lap. For practice, try taking a roll of film on each. No pressure, no deadlines, but you will be amazed at the things you start to see after you teach yourself to look for them.
As expressed earlier, b&w film (obviously) has no saturation, so the battle for the proper punch of color is side-stepped. This is a blessing and almost a crutch in many situations, but you need to be extra mindful of the other elements. Focus, a delicate exposure, and so on. Also, be very mindful of your framing: be very aware of what is in your shot (the composition) and how you, the photographer, are arranging it. Throwing stuff in the dead center often crushes any artistic merit. Space things so the subject(s) look like they are moving or pointing somewhere. It helps further frame it up and also gives a little more meaning or "intention" to the piece.
I know this is a lot to cover at once, and I have no idea how much you have already learned. If this is all new to you, take it one step at a time: once a week or once a month, make it a project to conquer one of these tasks with a single roll of film. If you would like comments and critiques, on or off Caedes, feel free to message me. I hope this helps. :-)
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Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
"First piece of advice, listen to Chip (Surfcat). He knows what he is talking about.".....Thanks Stuffnstuff!!!! Now can you tell that to my kids.... They think that I don't have a clue!!!
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shoot to thrill
I love Ansel Adams' system. Experiment with different color filters and see what changes in your image. I mainly just did this on the computer, wish i could now how to work with film.
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Here comes treble.
Many digital cameras can apply colored filters when you put them in b&w mode. When you select the option of shooting in b&w, you can choose a color filter in the same way that you can select sepia. Also, some digital cameras have the ability to make the pictures monochromatic in any color. Instead of just black and white, you can now take a picture in black, blue, and white or black, green, and white.
About sixty years ago, standard colored filters became available for use in the darkroom. These filters are colored very precisely and are numbered according to their effects on the contrast of a b&w image. A standard set is numbered 0-5 in 1/2 step increments with 2 being"normal", but enlarged sets often contain 00 and 5+ filters, and potentially others. When you look through a colored filter, the color naturally affects the strength of lights and darks. The first thing we think, of course, when looking through a pinkish filter is that what we see is now pink, but it does subtly affect the strengths of lights and darks. Red is famous for increasing contrast because it makes the darks and lights stand out, but not all colors have this effect. When you are coloring b&w film shots, it is easy to attach a colored filter to the front of your lens to affect how the film will react to the different elements of the composition because your camera is taking this into account when it meters the exposure. To do it afterwards in the darkroom, though, is much more of a science because you are refining the camera's exposure, not counting on it to gloss over your mistakes. This is why you can walk into a camera store and see a "green filter" and a "yellow filter", but when you want a contrast filter for your enlarger, you choose a 2 and 1/2 to start.
Many of the same tricks can be done digitally both in the camera and in post-processing. It makes less of a difference here, though, because software has already been taught how to strengthen the lights and darks in an image without applying colors to do so. Also, it is extremely difficult to find a digital camera that allows you to have complete control over the image. When you choose whether you are shooting in automatic mode or some variation of full-manual, you are just expressing that you would prefer your camera do everything or only half. Electronic "fail-safe"s are great for the consumer, but consumers don't do nerdy things like ask for advice on an art site for b&w photography (or, even worse, read about somebody else asking for advice!). Because all of your decisions with contrast and exposure will be second-guessed by your camera and/or your software, the skill is less (or, depending on how you would define the word, more) pristine.
About sixty years ago, standard colored filters became available for use in the darkroom. These filters are colored very precisely and are numbered according to their effects on the contrast of a b&w image. A standard set is numbered 0-5 in 1/2 step increments with 2 being"normal", but enlarged sets often contain 00 and 5+ filters, and potentially others. When you look through a colored filter, the color naturally affects the strength of lights and darks. The first thing we think, of course, when looking through a pinkish filter is that what we see is now pink, but it does subtly affect the strengths of lights and darks. Red is famous for increasing contrast because it makes the darks and lights stand out, but not all colors have this effect. When you are coloring b&w film shots, it is easy to attach a colored filter to the front of your lens to affect how the film will react to the different elements of the composition because your camera is taking this into account when it meters the exposure. To do it afterwards in the darkroom, though, is much more of a science because you are refining the camera's exposure, not counting on it to gloss over your mistakes. This is why you can walk into a camera store and see a "green filter" and a "yellow filter", but when you want a contrast filter for your enlarger, you choose a 2 and 1/2 to start.
Many of the same tricks can be done digitally both in the camera and in post-processing. It makes less of a difference here, though, because software has already been taught how to strengthen the lights and darks in an image without applying colors to do so. Also, it is extremely difficult to find a digital camera that allows you to have complete control over the image. When you choose whether you are shooting in automatic mode or some variation of full-manual, you are just expressing that you would prefer your camera do everything or only half. Electronic "fail-safe"s are great for the consumer, but consumers don't do nerdy things like ask for advice on an art site for b&w photography (or, even worse, read about somebody else asking for advice!). Because all of your decisions with contrast and exposure will be second-guessed by your camera and/or your software, the skill is less (or, depending on how you would define the word, more) pristine.
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Proofread carefully to see if you any words out.
..."read about somebody else asking for advice!" *no comment there* >_> Er, you should be a writter...like, maybe a website?
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So does anybody have any tips/hints for me, or maybe a helpful link or two for me? I'd sure appreciate it.