Considerations for
Black and White Imaging
by Ed Auger
Assignment for September 10, 2013
Complete Photographer meetup
Download PDF file of this assignment
Black and White
- High quality capture
- Seeing in black and white
- Look for contrast
- Look for shapes
- Look for texture
- Look for lines Look for shadows
- Look for patterns
- Look for silhouettes
High quality capture
- Don't use the camera grayscale mode.
- Use RAW to capture 65,536 values instead of 256.
- Smoother gradations.
Seeing in black and white
- Look for contrast
- Contrast is everything in a black and white image.
- Colors can have similar tonal values, watch for adjoining colors.
Adjoining colors
Black and white conversion
Seeing in black and white
- Look for shapes
Bold shapes, curves, edges and details become almost abstract in white and white.
Seeing in Black and White
- Look for texture
Whether wood grain, sand, skin or hair, texture often looks better in black and white.
Macro plus good strong texture is great in black and white.
Seeing in Black and White
- Look for lines
- Lines can direct the eye.
- They can end up being the sole subject matter.
Lines
Seeing in Black and White
- Look for shadows
Deep, black shadows, thin, almost invisible light shadows.
Seeing in Black and White
- Look for patterns
Repetitive grain, stitch, row of hedges, sea of brick or set of waves can be noise for your eyes in color, but mesmerizing in black and white.
Repetitive
Seeing in Black and White
- Look for silhouettes
A striking outline of a backlit object always appears interesting , and in a black and white image it can be anything from surreal to sinister.
Silhouettes
Seeing in Black and White
- Last tip
Black and white can rescue images that are beyond repair — help fix ruddy complexions, awkward color balances, high noise imagery and just plain uninteresting shots.
Shoot and upload two images into the web site under “Black/White11”.
Recovery
