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CASTLEFORD CAMERA CLUB Monochrome Photography Slide 2 What is Monochrome Photography? Monochrome Photography is photography where the image produced has a single hue, rather than recording the colours of the object that was photographed. It includes all forms of black and white photography, which produce images containing tones of grey ranging from black to white. Slide 3 Slide 4 Don McCullin 1935 - Slide 5 Ansel Adams 1902 - 1984 Slide 6 Nick Brandt 1966 - Slide 7 Why Black & White Photography? Versatility It suits almost any type of photography. Portraits, landscapes, urban landscapes, architecture. Not only that, its a medium that adapts really well to all lighting situations. Whereas colour photography often works best on sunny days or in brightly lit studios low light just makes a black and white image moody. No Distractions Colours can be terribly distracting in some images and can take the focus away from your subject. Slide 8 Why Black & White Photography? Subtlety of Tones The subtlety of tones that black and white images have can be amazing. We live in a world that often boasts about how many millions of colours a TV or monitor is able to produce, but in a Mono photograph there is such a variety of what can be achieved with so many shades of grey Variety The creative process with black and white images is so artistic. Its like moulding clay you can shape it into a myriad of shapes. Black and White images can be strong, high contrast and powerful or they can be so soft, gentle and subtle. Slide 9 Learning to see in B & W 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 colour. Since you wont have colour in the final shot, youll need to visualize the core of the scene instead: How is the light behaving on the objects in the scene? What forms are involved? Are there lights, darks, and shades in between, giving you a good tonal range? Slide 10 Shape and Form Slide 11 Good Subjects for B & W photography Contrast, Shape and Form One of the fundamental aspects of black and white photography is that your whole composition relies on contrast For this reason, look out for subjects that feature simple, strong lines and shapes. Its often the shadows that define shape and form, so pay attention to areas of darkness, as well as light. Slide 12 Good Subjects for B & W photography Tone Black and white photos actually include a whole range of greys, which add subtlety to your images. Normally, you look for subjects that will translate into a range of tones from black to white, but you can also get great results where the subject is mostly light (high-key) or dark (low-key). Slide 13 Good Subjects for B & W photography Texture and Detail Fine detail, or strong textures such as weather-beaten stone, foliage or clouds, can help to give your black-and-white shots depth and interest. Strong side lighting is perfect for bringing out the texture in any subject. You can use strong natural light, or get creative with flash to create side lighting on the subject. Slide 14 Good Subjects for B & W photography Graphic Composition Black-and-white images need strong compositions to really work. Keep an eye out for strong lines or features in your scene that can be used as leading lines, or positioned diagonally across the frame to create dynamic images. Slide 15 Bad Subjects for B & W photography Bland Skies Its easy to think that because you dont need bright colours you can shoot black and white photography in any light or in any weather. Its certainly true that with some skillful conversion and adjustment in Photoshop post-shoot you can add drama, but the sturdier the building blocks the better your finished image will be So, unless youre trying to create a minimalist image its worth taking the time to capture maximum detail in the best lighting conditions Slide 16 Bad Subjects for B & W photography Safeguarding Mood If the scene youre shooting relies on colour for mood or impact, chances are youll be better off keeping the image in colour, as in our mushroom image above. Sunrise or sunset shots are another good example; you should always ask yourself whether the image loses some impact without the subtle hues Slide 17 Bad Subjects for B & W photography Colour Contrasts Subjects that rely on contrasting colours such as a purple crocus against a green lawn generally dont work well in black and white. This is because the two colours will end up looking similar in tone when converted. Slide 18 Getting Started When shooting a scene with an eye to creating a mono image, select the Monochrome Picture Style on your D-SLR: this enables you to see images in black and white when reviewing them on your LCD, or shooting using Live View mode Always shoot in RAW or RAW + JPEG Slide 19 Getting Started All you have to do is to select Monochrome in your cameras menu. Look under Picture Control for Nikon cameras or Picture Style for Canon cameras. Slide 20 Getting Started Slide 21 Filter Effects Yellow Filter-boosts contrast yellow tones appears almost white Red Filter darkens cool colours / lightens warm ideal for darkening blue skies Orange Filter boosts contrast and lightens orange tones Green Filter- lightens green tones- darkens warm colours and lightens cool Slide 22 Software Conversions JPEG Desaturation Greyscales Channel Mixer Black & White Conversion Raw Conversion Slide 23 Desaturation Slide 24 Greyscales Slide 25 Channel Mixer ( Stage 1) Slide 26 Channel Mixer ( Stage 2) Slide 27 Black & White Conversion ( stage 1) Slide 28 Slide 29 Raw Conversion (ACR) 1 Slide 30 Raw Conversion (ACR) 2 Tick convert to Greyscale- and make adjustments as required Slide 31 Raw Conversion (ACR) 3 Slide 32 Raw Conversion (ACR) 4 Make adjustments as required Slide 33 Lightroom & Elements Lightroom http://digital-photography-school.com/3-tips-for- better-black-and-white-conversion-using-lightroom/http://digital-photography-school.com/3-tips-for- better-black-and-white-conversion-using-lightroom/ Elements http://jfletcherphoto.wordpress.com/2009/03/13/p hotoshop-elements-tutorial-converting-to-black-and- white/ Slide 34 B & W Conversion Software Google Nik Software Silver Efex Pro Cost $149 ( 91) comes with HDR Efex Pro Viveza Color Efex Pro + others Power Retouche B & W studio -$30 (18.50) Topaz B & W Effects - $60 (37) BW Workflow Pro - $19 (12) Slide 35 Final Thoughts To get the best B & W photographs try shooting with black and white in mind - and you may get some spectacular results