Black and White photography lecture

1. B & W P H O T O G R A P H Y

2. B & W P H O T O G R A P H Y
I T ’ S N O T C O L O R P H O T O G R A P H Y M I N U S C O L O R

3. B & W P H O T O G R A P H Y
H O W T O C U T Y O U R FA C E B O O K L I K E S I N H A L F

4. D I G I TA L B & W P H O T O G R A P H Y
I T W I L L N E V E R H A V E T H E S A M E F E E L A S F I L M , S O W H Y B O T H E R

5. B & W P H O T O G R A P H Y
S A Y W H A T Y O U W I L L , I T S T I L L C A M E B E F O R E C O L O R P H O T O G R A P H Y

6. B & W P H O T O G R A P H Y
I W O U L D S H O O T I T I F I C O U L D H Y P E R - S A T U R A T E G R E Y T O N E S

7. B & W P H O T O G R A P H Y
D U D E . R U R E A L ? M Y G R E A T G R A N D FA T H E R S H O T B W. # FA I L
# O L D S C H O O L # W H A T E VA S

8. – A N S E L A D A M S
“No one person has the right to dictate what others should perceive, create or
produce, but all should be encouraged to reveal themselves, their perceptions
and emotions, and to build confidence in the creative spirit.”

9. – A N S E L A D A M S
BW
photos?

10. – A N D R I C A U L D W E L L ( A M E R I C A N P H O T O G R A P H E R )
“To see in color is a delight for the eye, but to see in black and white
is a delight for the soul.”

11. I N T H E B E G I N N I N G …

12. I N T H E B E G I N N I N G …

13. T H E N B E C O M I N G M O R E S U B T L E …

14. T H E N B E C O M I N G M O R E S U B T L E …

16. T O T O D AY - R I C H B L A C K S A N D S I LV E R M I D ’ S …

17. T O T O D AY - R I C H B L A C K S A N D S I LV E R M I D ’ S …

18. T O T O D AY - R I C H B L A C K S A N D S I LV E R M I D ’ S …

19. So Why Shoot Black and White?
Simple!
Versatile!
Subtle!

20. – A L F R E D S T I E G L I T Z
“The ability to make
a truly artistic
photograph is not
acquired off-hand,
but is the result of
an artistic instinct
coupled with years
of labor.”

21. There Is No…

22. – A L E C J O H N S O N
“Color is its own subject. With BW, you need to decide on what is
important and focus on that subject.”

23. Black and White photography is
Color photography
Not
Color Photography minus Color

31. C O L O R A N D L I G H T C O N T R A S T
T W O S O U R C E S O F C O N T R A S T

33. C O L O R B R I G H T N E S S

34. D E S AT U R AT I O N - C O L O R P H O T O M I N U S C O L O R

35. C O L O R T H E O RY - B W A D J U S T M E N T L AY E R

40. – J O H N S E X T O N
“I really don't have any secrets. I've never met a photographer whose
work I respected that had a secret…the secret lies within each and
every one of us.”

41. F I LT E R S - F I L M
• A colored filter used with B&W film
will lighten similar colors and darken
opposite colors.

42. F I LT E R S - D I G I TA L
• The “BW Conversion Layer”
• The Happy Mistake: Singh Ray Gold-
N-Blue Circular Polarizer

43. The Gold-N-
Blue
polarizer
adds
variable
gold or blue
tones to
polarized
light,
especially
with water
scenes, both
in dull light
and on
bright,
sunny days.

44. I use the
Gold-N-
Blue filter
to bias
color away
from blue
and toward
gold/
magenta
to give
more tonal
range with
minimal
noise.

45. “Photographers must learn not
to be ashamed to have their
photographs look like
photographs.”
– A L F R E D S T I E G L I T Z

54. – A N S E L A D A M S
“Dodging and burning are steps to take care of mistakes God made
in establishing tonal relationships.”

55. – F R O M “ WAY B E Y O N D M O N O C H R O M E ”
L A M B R E C H T A N D W O O D H O U S E
Dodge and Burn Map

57. DODGEBURN

58. – A L E C J O H N S O N
“We are not curing cancer. Have fun, be
playful, and take chances.”

64. M Y W O R K F L O W T I P S
• Edit as 16bit image
• Next, clean noise from color file
• Consider - Should image have a true
black or white point?

65. Thank You
Alec Johnson
www.acjfineartphoto.com