Innehållsförteckning för Issue 3 från Black & White Photography The Complete Manual

Although we will be talking about how to train your mind’s eye to see the black and white potential of the colour world around us unaided, there is a great method that helps to kick things off and give you some rapid feedback on how your image might look in black and white. The current crop of point and shoot cameras and the more advanced DSLR’s have the facility to record images in black and white. A lot of them even have the ability to add effects and styles to the images before they even get to your computer. We want to concentrate on the very simple setting that basically turns your device into a black and white camera with the option to add simulated colour filters to affect the…

Over the course of time, as photography and photographic equipment developed, the medium moved from only shooting with available light over the course of extremely long exposure times, to the use of additional light sources such as constant artificial light and flashes. Now that photographers were employing flash in their setups, it became apparent over time, that there were several basic lighting configurations that gave excellent and repeatable results when it cam e to lighting a portrait or any kind of scene. It was common to note down these configurations and create lighting diagrams that the photographer could refer back to if they wanted to use that particular setup again. As time went on, it was clear that were a few setups that were favoured above all others when it…

“…it is possible to create photographs that stand on their own as works of art without the burden of context.” The techniques of black and white photography are well suited to abstract art. The world seen without colour is already one step removed from the everyday perceived reality. Adding techniques such as selective focus, narrow depth of field, extreme contrast; and by paying attention to composition, contrast and lighting; it is possible to create photographs that stand on their own as works of art without the burden of context. An everyday object or scene, when photographed in a particular way, can take on an unreal appearance, elevating them above the mundane. Something as simple as a supermarket trolley, the branch of a tree or the smoke from a cigarette, shot…

“…a good wide-angle prime lens starts at around 14mm, capturing 114° field of view.” Advanced compact Advanced compacts are designed for more experienced photographers, and offer superior photographic versatility and quality, as well as advanced creative features such as manual exposure controls, manual focusing, optical viewfinders and external flash connections. They are considerably more expensive than other types of compact, with prices ranging from around £300 to over £500. There are relatively few models in this category, with examples including the Olympus XZ-2, the Panasonic LX5 and the Canon PowerShot G15. There is an even more rarefied category that has appeared more recently of advanced compacts with larger sensors. Notable examples include the Sony RX1, the Fujifilm X series and the Canon G1 X Mk2. Prices range from around £500…

While it’s quick and easy to add filters to an image during editing, you can often get better results by adding filters to the camera before taking the photo. Filters have been an essential part of photography since its very beginnings. Used creatively, they can improve a hard-to-capture scene, add an extra artistic element to an image, or just provide a bit of fun. Modern digital photo editing has provided an almost too easy method to add filter effects to an image after it has been taken; but some effects are better when applied by actual physical filters fitted to the camera when the photo is taken, and this is particularly true with black and white photography. Let’s take a look at some of the different types of filter, and…

With the huge popularity of digital photography, more and more people are taking more and more photographs. In fact there are more photos being taken today than ever before. However, most of those photos will never be seen by anyone except the person who took them, because hardly anyone prints their photos anymore. This is very odd, because many people have home computers with photo-quality printers that are more than capable of producing first-class prints from almost any digital photograph. Printers are ludicrously cheap, to the point that when your printer runs out of ink it’s almost cheaper to throw it away and buy a new one than it is to buy more ink. In this section we’ll also take a look at the resurgence in black and white film…

Note: Always use a red safelight when handling photographic paper. Many thanks to Jeffrey Evans and Exeter College for their generous help and the loan of their excellent darkroom for this article!…

All the previous mono conversion methods we have shown you have their place, and many of them work extremely well. However, there have been a number of Photoshop plug-ins developed recently that are designed for black and white conversion alone. They eke out every last pixel of data from your image to turn it into a beautiful monochrome photo. One of the most highly regarded plug-ins is Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro. It is one of a suite of plug-ins they make that are designed to convert and enhance your images at the touch of a button and the tweaking of a slider. Recently bought by Google, it is still the premier set of plug-ins for image enhancement. Silver Efex Pro has become the go-to plug-in of choice for the…

ELEMENTS When you’re shooting landscapes or architecture, or even when just taking snapshots of your family on holiday, if you don’t keep your camera level you’re going to end up with a sloping horizon or buildings that look like they’re leaning over. Unless you’re holidaying in Pisa this is something you want to avoid, but accidents will happen. Fortunately it’s possible to correct tilted shots using Photoshop Elements by rotating and cropping the image. It’s very easy to rotate an image in Photoshop Elements, to bring the horizon back to the straight and level, and to stop buildings looking like they’re about to topple over. In fact it’s such a common operation that the program provides several different ways to perform it. Which method you choose depends on the particular…

Abstract photography A means of depicting a visual image that does not have an immediate association with the real world. AMOLED Active-matrix organic light-emitting diode. A new type of display technology used in mobile devices and televisions, and in the monitors of some digital cameras. Has several advantages over LCD, including using less power. Aperture Behind the lens of your camera is a movable circular iris which opens and closes to control the amount of light falling on the sensor. This is usually controlled by the light meter, although some cameras have a manual aperture control. Altering the aperture also changes the depth of field. Aperture priority This is one of the semi-manual exposure options found on some cameras. The user sets the aperture according to the depth of field…

“Shape defines how an object looks in its simplest form, as an outline or silhouette only.” You would imagine that the starting point would be to grab your camera, set its functions to black and white mode and start shooting. Many photographers always shoot in colour, in order to maintain as much tonal variation in the Raw image as possible; it just gives you more data to play with when it comes to the conversion process. A key word in the last sentence was ‘Raw’. Always shoot in Raw format. You want to record as much scene data as you can without your camera trying to process the image for you. Although it might sound odd, you need to develop the ability to ‘see’ in black and white. A great…

If you find you are getting serious about shooting portraits, but you have been limited to shooting with available light only, why not consider getting yourself a couple of flashes? The ability to control your own lighting is key to adding an extra level of creativity that shooting with ambient light alone can’t offer. There is a saying that if a serious photographer is shooting a portrait with ambient light alone, and standing next to him is a complete amateur with a similar camera and lens setup, chances are high that they could produce broadly similar shots (we will forego the fact that chances are equally high the amateur’s sense of composition and ability to focus accurately may have a bearing). The fact is, you may find you need something…

High-key lighting was originally developed for the film and television industry back in the days when the available technology was not capable of capturing high contrast ratios. A scene that had a large range of tones from deepest black to brightest white would have been impossible to capture with old technology. So, they came up with high-key lighting. The idea is that increased lighting reduces the range of tones between black and white, or eliminates the darkest shadows altogether, making it easier to capture and display those tones that are in the image. Simply put, black and dark tones are reduced, mid-tone areas become much brighter, and bright and near-white areas are pushed to white. Over time, though, it has become a stylistic and creative option for filmmakers and photographers…

Whereas high-key photography is seen as the process of ‘shooting to the right’, where all the brightest tones are packed on the far right of the histogram. Low-key, as you might imagine, is the reverse of that. A proper low-key shot will have the majority of the tones in the histogram far to the left, even to the point where shadows are ‘clipped’ and therefore totally black. It is perfectly suited to being converted to black and white, often looking more striking than its colour counterpart. Bear in mind that, although you are capturing a predominantly dark image, it is how you control those tones that will create a striking and memorable low-key image. Because you are normally using a one light setup, it is easy to keep moving the…

You can find abstract images in the most commonplace locations; in fact it’s a useful educational exercise to go to a place you wouldn’t think of as a photographic location and see if you can shoot at least three good photos there. This shot of a battered shopping trolley casting a stark shadow on a concrete wall was taken in a supermarket car park in Bournemouth. The contrasting textures and strong lines make a striking composition; and by zooming in and isolating just a small part of the subject, those qualities are emphasised. The photo definitely has a distinct mood despite its humble origins. It was shot in raw mode on a Minolta Dimage 7Hi at close range and nearly maximum zoom, and converted to monochrome in Adobe Camera Raw.…

Most of the cameras mentioned on the previous pages can be used for portrait work. To be honest, if you are always going to be shooting in natural light conditions and don’t require large apertures and high ISO capability, then even the cheapest Compact System Camera will produce acceptable results. As you grow in confidence and experience as a portrait photographer, however, you may find that your once do-it-all compact camera may be lacking in certain abilities, and that non-interchangeable lens is limiting your creative choices. You’ll feel like you’ve outgrown your camera and need to step it up. This is where the Digital SLR can help. There are a number of major manufacturers such as Sony, Pentax, Olympus, Nikon and Canon. They produce a range of crop-sensor and full-frame…

The Cokin Creative Filter System A more affordable alternative to circular filters is the versatile Cokin system, which uses square acetate filters and a special screw on holder [1]. Invented by French photographer Jean Coquin and introduced in 1978, the Cokin Creative Filter System has grown to become the most popular filter system in the world, and has spawned many imitators who make filters and other accessories that are compatible with the Cokin system. The idea is very simple; rather than buying separate filters for every lens, the Cokin system has a single filter holder into which rectangular plastic filters are slotted. The filter holder is attached to the front of the lens by an adaptor ring which has a thread to match the diameter of the lens’s filter thread.…

Home photo printing from digital images is a cheap and easy way to share and display your photographs. Let’s take a look at the two main types of home photo printer. There are two main types of photo printer in common home use. By far the most common is the inkjet printer, which includes most of the models from most of the major manufacturers, including Epson, Canon, Lexmark and Hewlett Packard. They operate on a fairly simple principle. The printer has a head which moves rapidly over the surface of the paper. In this head are a number of tiny nozzles, through which minute droplets of ink are forced, spraying onto the paper in small but precisely measured quantities, as many as 30,000 droplets per second. The actual method by…

Red safelight While black and white film is of course sensitive to light of all wavelengths, black and white photographic paper is not sensitive to red light; so as long as your darkroom is only illuminated by one of these safelights you can at least see what you’re doing while handling paper. This popular Paterson Darkroom Safelight will cost you around £30. Graduated measuring beakers Film and print processing involves a lot of different chemicals, which have to be mixed in the correct volumes and concentrations. To do this you’ll need a selection of graduated measuring beakers, preferably one for each type of chemical to avoid cross-contamination. Make sure you buy ones designed for darkroom use, as these will be chemical resistant. Paterson sells them in a range of volumes,…

There was a time, not that long ago, when image editing meant producing a black and white print in a darkroom under an enlarger; and when the image was processed and fixed, breaking out the brush and ink and physically painting on the print to ‘retouch’ it to enhance or remove blemishes. Things have changed quite a lot since then. One of the great things about digital images is that it’s very easy to improve or alter them using the right computer software. There are dozens of image editing packages available, ranging from simple, easy-to-use programs costing under £20, all the way up to the professional-standard Adobe Photoshop, which costs over £600. On the following pages you’ll find a selection of tips and techniques for improving and altering your images.…

As with most photographic techniques, it’s possible to duplicate the effect of graduated filters using Adobe Photoshop, and as usual there are several ways to accomplish this. For this example we’ll use an image of the harbour town of Brixham in Devon, taken on an overcast but bright day with a washed out sky. You could convert the image to black and white as it stands, but you may not be able to recover detail from the sky, it makes sense to add all your filter effects whilst it is still in colour to increase your chances of a more successful mono conversion later on. PHOTOSHOP…

“It seems nothing can diminish the power and allure of the black and white image.” From its distant origins and development through the 1800s, right up to todays’ most modern digital cameras and software, the black and white image has left an indelible legacy. It seems nothing can diminish the power and allure of the black and white image. Indeed, it can be noted that some of the greatest and most iconic images ever captured, were done through the medium of black and white. From a projected image appearing within a darkened room or box, to the daguerreotype, to gelatin-silver prints, to modern day advanced digital imaging, this whole technology needed a name. The term ‘photography’ is said to have been proposed by the scientist and noted astronomer Sir John…

For many people new to the world of photography, one of the easiest and most accessible areas first explored with a new camera is the great outdoors. And why not? You don’t need a studio or masses of expensive equipment; there is plenty of available light, unless you’re feeling adventurous and want to try night photography; and beautiful seaside or countryside scenes are usually not too far away by car or a brisk walk. Landscape photography is an amazing and rewarding experience for both novice and seasoned professional. Whether it’s just a record of a day trip you’ve made to a new location or a more serious professional endeavour, landscapes, when taken well, are able to instill all sorts of emotions in the person looking at the shot. Even if…

Choosing a camera and lens for landscape or portrait photography may seem daunting at first because there is so much choice out there. Manufacturers inundate us with features and gadgets that they tell us make their camera so much better than everyone else’s. The truth is, if you strip away all the marketing ploys and technobabble, there is a wealth of choice available for every budget and skill level. The trick is cutting through all the hype. With a little research and keeping a budget in mind, there are some great camera systems waiting for you. So dive in and begin your photographic journey. The next few pages will give the low-down on the various camera systems out there. Here are some of the things you need to know. “With…

If you want to take better photographs, the single most useful accessory you can buy is a good quality tripod. By using a tripod you can completely eliminate camera shake, the number one cause of unsatisfactory photos. A tripod is also essential when using long exposures, powerful telephoto lenses or when shooting in low light conditions. There are many different makes and types of tripod, from cheap budget models costing under £15 up to professional-grade tripods made of carbon fibre and magnesium alloy which cost hundreds of pounds. They come in all sizes too, from pocket-sized mini-tripods suitable for small compact cameras, to heavy studio tripods mounted on castors. The type that you should buy depends on how much you want to spend and what sort of photography you’re going…

Even though the final result is a colourless monochrome image, colour filters have a very useful role in black and white photography. Regardless of whether you opt for circular screw-on filters or the Cokin Creative Filter system, there are certain filters that you’ll want to have with you when you shoot in black and white, and ironically these are colour correction filters. Even though the final image will be in colourless monochrome, the scene you’re photographing is in colour; and by using coloured filters it is possible to alter how different colours will appear in the final image. For instance, if you shoot through a red filter, anything in the scene that is coloured red will appear brighter, while anything that is coloured blue or green will appear darker. Many…

There are many brands and styles of photo printing paper on the market. Which one is right for you? There are many different kinds of paper that you can put through a domestic inkjet printer, but not all of them are suitable for printing photographs. If you’ve ever tried printing a photo on ordinary copier paper you’ll know how terrible the results can be. The paper ends up saturated with ink which runs together giving a blurred and muddy picture, the paper crinkles as it dries, and the result is a messy, chalky finish. What you need to use is proper photo printing paper. It is designed with a special coating that absorbs the ink and bonds it to the paper, producing sharp rich colours and a smooth even finish.…

Note: Steps 1-5 must be carried out in complete darkness!…

ELEMENTS There will come a time when your widest lens just won’t be wide enough to capture the scale and grandeur of a particular landscape. This is where the ability to capture a panoramic sequence of shots and combine them into a much wider or higher resolution image comes in very handy. The process is pretty straightforward and just requires a little bit of thought regarding the approach to the sequence you are about to capture. Essentially you are going to take a number of stills, rotating the camera a few degrees left to right with each shot taken, while allowing enough overlap from image to image so that they can be stitched together. This can be achieved with programs like Photoshop, PT GUI or Hugin, that rely on features…

PHOTOSHOP…

Sometimes a digital photograph can be the wrong size. Maybe you’ve got too much of the surroundings in the picture, when you wanted to concentrate on just the main subject; or maybe the whole image is too big, and you need to make it smaller to send via email or publish on a website. Doing both of these things is very quick and simple in Photoshop. As a starting image we’ll use this moorland picture. What we want to do first is crop it down so we just have the granite tor centred in the frame. PHOTOSHOP…