B&W tips

[stroker]

Anybody out there have tips on what makes a good B&W photograph?
Im looking to get some of those breath taking shots soon and really up my game. What should I look for in things like compositon, angle, and lighting? Should I meter different for B&W to get a better contrast with a true black and a true white in the same shot?
Anything helps,
thanks for looking

 

[Davor]

i would love to know too, my knowledge in B/W isn't great either.

 

[dxqcanada]

Are you shooting Digital or Film ?

 

[Bitter Jeweler]

Composition and lighting are subject and photographer dependent. Can't really give tips other than study compposition, and then go find your interpretations in your subject. No two people handle the subject before them the same way.

Good luck!

 

[GooniesNeverSayDie11]

I am no expert in B&W, but I can offer a little input. Since there is no color, black and white relies strictly on tones. So the more variance in tone, or interesting tones that you have in a scene the better b&w it will make. This is sometimes very obvious advice, but it is sometimes hard to visualize a scene in a different way since you see in color. Try shooting in RAW+JPEG(monochrome) that way the LCD will display the monochrome image but the RAW will still be there for better flexibility.

As for getting good contrast, you can do all of that in post. Using levels, gradiant maps, color balance, B&W adjustment layers, etc. There are many different ways to get to that point.

Also, there is software that many people like that NikSoftware makes called SilverEFX.

 

[dxqcanada]

Understanding color is very important.
What ?
Yes, you have to understand how a color appears in monotone.

What you see in color may/will not be as exciting in B+W.
Look at the scene in terms of tone ... and it will make you a better B+W photographer.

Example ... this photo:

The forest is green, and water is powder blue.

 

[stroker]

I think i understand what you mean by that photo. It has amazing compositon but it is missing something because the tones have little contrast. All of the trees have a similar tone and seem to blend together. In color the water, trees and hills would be drasticly different.but in B&W the tones look the same. The hillside all seems to be the same tone aside from the large dark shadow. Is that correct or am I way off base?
Im shooting 35mm film for whoever asked.

Also for whoever commented on photoshop: all those things listed are over my head on adobe photoshop, but I would like to learn. Besides I would rather take a good shot with out any processing to make me a better photographer in the end.

 

[dxqcanada]

Yes. You have to be aware of how color will reproduce.
What you think is a nice color contrasty shot ... can turn into mud.

The color version of this shot is better (I do not currently have a scan of it).
This shot was actually shot on infrared film so the tonality is a little unusual.

 

[reznap]

I read in a magazine that wearing blue-blocker (amber) sunglasses will help you see stuff almost in monotone, helping to visualize a scene in black and white. I've yet to try it though...

I like shooting black and white film with a red filter. Color filters can dramatically change the way a black and white photo comes out. I'd show an example but I don't have a good one right now :/

 

[arcooke]

Shoot in color, control B&W in post processing. If you use photoshop, make use of the Black & White adjustment (Image > Adjustments > Black & White), don't just desaturate your image. The Black & White adjustment lets you control the black and white levels of all of the color channels separately, giving you much more control.

For example, if you take a picture of green trees against a blue lake, the black and white tones will come out fairly close, giving you very little contrast between the two. With the Black & White adjustment, you can adjust blue and green separately, making water whiter and trees blacker.

This will give you a better idea: http://www.photoshopcafe.com/cs3/bw.htm

 

[dxqcanada]

Color filters affect what light will enter the lens.

Complimentary colors will be blocked.
A red filter + green grass = dark tone
A red filter + red rose = light tone

B+W film photographers carried around a number of different colored filters.

I always had Red and Yellow-Green.

 

[reznap]

Shoot in color, control B&W in post processing.

He's using a 35mm camera. Super Rez bonus points for film usage :thumbup:

Ilford HP5 400 is a great film.. contrasty and the grain looks nice. It gets contrasty as hell if you shoot it at 1600 and push it 2 stops.

 

[arcooke]

Shoot in color, control B&W in post processing.

He's using a 35mm camera. Super Rez bonus points for film usage :thumbup:

Ilford HP5 400 is a great film.. contrasty and the grain looks nice. It gets contrasty as hell if you shoot it at 1600 and push it 2 stops.

Oh.

Didn't realize that, thanks. I'll leave my tip up there in case anyone else finds it useful.

 

[dxqcanada]

Using Color Filters in the Camera for Black-and-White Photos

 

[stroker]

Shoot in color, control B&W in post processing.

He's using a 35mm camera. Super Rez bonus points for film usage :thumbup:

Ilford HP5 400 is a great film.. contrasty and the grain looks nice. It gets contrasty as hell if you shoot it at 1600 and push it 2 stops.

I actually have a roll of that at the lab along with some tri-X. I would like to shoot a lot more, but the only camera shop sells it for $6 for a 36 exposure. Is there any good online dealer that sells for less?
What do you mean by pushing it to 1600?
Also, would using ISO 50 or 100 film be a good idea for practice? All of my subjects are stationary and I almost always use a tripod.

Filters- I have wanted a set for a while to experiment with. What should I look for in them?

Thank you so much for those links on photoshop! I had no idea how to do those things.