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PHOTO TIPS: BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
CREATING
WITHOUT COLOUR
A STEP-BY-STEP BLACK AND WHITE WORKFLOW
In this photo editing masterclass, we look at how to capture and edit for more striking and dynamic black and white results.
Black and white photography is often perceived as being a very pure form of photographic visual communication, in that we expect it to commu- nicate a photojournalistic 'truth'. This perception came about through it being used by newspapers to tell factual stories in the early days of mass visual commu- nication, before colour was available. However, the only 'truth' is that black and white doesn't exist unless you are unfortunate enough to be colourblind!
That said, black and white photography (often also referred to as 'monochrome photography') has in re- cent years become the realm of the photographic artist, be it via street photography, portraiture, or landscapes, but just about all genres of photography can suit a black and white treatment.
THE REDUCTION PROCESS
I see and use black and white photography as being part of my ‘reduction’ process when making an image. By remov- ing colour, we are effectively breaking the image down into the very basic elements of line, tone, and texture.
Line directs the eye around the image through shapes and patterns, while lighter tones project them- selves forward as darker ones recede. Textures further break up the tone into smooth or rough which create a greater visual depth.
It's how we use these ingredients that make up a 'black and white' or 'monochrome' image, with the lat- ter name being possibly a little more correct in its de- scription. That said, an even better way to think of it might be as a 'grey tone image', as most of a black and
white image is made up of grey tones that exist between the extremes of black and white.
MY BLACK AND WHITE PROCESS
My black and white process always starts in cam- era while shooting a subject by selecting the 'Mono- chrome' picture style via my camera’s in-camera jpeg mode. I’ll also make a raw capture at the same time so I have the opportunity of also working the colour chan- nels through the raw postproduction if I wish to, as I will explain later in this article.
Shooting monochrome in-camera allows me to see the image as a clean series of graphic shapes, lines, and tex- tures, which simplifies how I compose. It's a little like doing a sketch of what is in front of me before filling in the details.
Added to this, I also increase the contrast through the in-camera monochrome picture style setting, as this increases the graphic nature of the image, making the lines and shapes appear stronger by spreading the tones out from each other. You can see what effect this is having by looking at the camera’s histogram while making these changes.
If I'm shooting a scene that has clouds and sky in it, I then also turn on the red filter in the monochrome cam- era setting which makes the blue sky darker. This will separate the tone of the clouds out from the background blue sky, creating a three-dimensional look to the clouds.
On many occasions the image I have made through the camera jpeg capture ends up being the one I end up using as it is often cleaner and stronger than the one that needs processing from raw.
MIKE LANGFORD
| 62 | SEPTEMBER 2022 | AUSTRALIANPHOTOGRAPHY.COM