First roll of B+W film!

Synergy · Jul 30, 2004

Wahey! Ive just bought my first roll of black and white film, Tmax 100.

Any suggestions on what I should try shooting? I told the person in Jessops I wanted to try B+W portraits. He then suggested the film but i might try other stuff like landscapes.

Any thoughts?

Synergy

Bob_McBob · Jul 30, 2004

What kind of film did you end up with?

Edit: I'm an idiot

Sash[DSL] · Jul 30, 2004

I havent had that much experience with bw but from what ive done I learned one thing: THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO SHOOT WITH BW IS LANDSCAPES. It will usually look very boring as the biggest advantage of BW film is the hight contrast of values that simplifies the picture and draws more attention to the subject. In landscapes you would often hardly have a well defined and obvious subject, or it might be far away=>small and dull looking. What is good to shoot with black and white? High contrast gardens/flowers, outdoor portraits, architectural shots.

Bob_McBob · Jul 30, 2004

Ansel Adams is rolling in his grave

Bosscat · Jul 30, 2004

I would think you could shoot anything you want with B&W.......but the more colorful something is....the better it will look in B&W.

Artemis · Jul 30, 2004

I was in your shoes along time ago.

Few things of advice, think alot about your subject.
Another thing is, try purchasing a Red filter if your going to do it alot, and i agree, landscapes wont look good, poetic and portrait pics are the best.

Good luck with it, let me know how it turns out.

MDowdey · Jul 30, 2004

Artemis said:
landscapes wont look good, poetic and portrait pics are the best.

i disagree, its the photographer, not the film that determines interesting subject matter.

md

Artemis · Jul 30, 2004

hehe I see what you mean mate, and Ill refrase to say, thats what happens for me, althought im not a good photographer.

You got a good point the MD, thanks for raising it.

MDowdey · Jul 30, 2004

Artemis said:
hehe I see what you mean mate, and Ill refrase to say, thats what happens for me, althought im not a good photographer.

You got a good point the MD, thanks for raising it.

thanks artemis!

md

jadin · Jul 30, 2004

I think you'll notice shapes and lighting a lot more with black and white. Since these are much more apparent than in color photog. Have fun.

Walt · Jul 30, 2004

Synergy, shoot what ever you like with the B&W and find what works for you!
Artimes mentioned getting a red filter. Red will give you a lot of contrast. You may want to experiment with a couple of different colors and see what strikes your fancy. Orange is a little less drastic and may do the job.

Alison · Jul 30, 2004

Just have some fun, try a variety of subjects. If you're a good photographer the film won't change that

I love black and white, and use it almost exclusively for children's portraits. I don't think there's any subject that doesn't work well in black and white, in fact, I think it usually brings out the emotion of the photo more and can make every day object look amazing. I hope you will share your results with us!

Sash[DSL] · Jul 30, 2004

MDowdey
No offence but I really think those are just fancy words that are not to be taken literally. Like theres no small roles, but there are small actors. Sure, if youre the best photographer in the world, youd do great with any film HOWEVER not everyone is like there yet. The reason why I suggested not shooting landscapes is not that there is no way one can get a good landscape picture in bw, but it is less likely than with film since colour IMHO plays a VERY important role in landscape shots and contrast isnt as important. On the other hand, in portraits colour may sometimes add to the quality of the pic, but will in more cases take something away from it, especially if the model doesnt have perfect skin tones.

Shutterbug · Jul 31, 2004

I usually use B&W for still life focusing on old objects. Like for an example:
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/8307781/ that shot, is a 200 year old Piano Forte. If I had done that in color, it would have looked bland and boring, but in Black and White, it looks great.

photogoddess · Jul 31, 2004

Personally, I think b&w is the way to go when you are learning. It seems to make you really think about how the image is going to look before taking the photo. At least it was that way for me.