Each of the photography modes has its own artistic and aesthetic touch, and among these different modes black and white photography has a special charm and elegance that is not less popular and brilliant over time or by its different application and exploitation in various other shooting modes.
The most important characteristic of b&w photography is itself its main deficiency, as the colors disappear and we are satisfied with the two basic colors, which needs to be compensated for the vitality that the image lacks by the lack of color. Here comes the role of exploiting shadows, depth, and artistic and creative glimpse.
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In this article, we review how to replace the vitality of black and white photography by discussing basic keys recommended by leading photography experts and black and white photography professionals.
Table of Contents
The essential keys to professional black and white photography
Discover missing corners
Professional photographer, Julia Dean, is one of the most well-known professional female photographers in the United States, specializing in black and white photography of streets and people. Dean says that the main key in this type of photography from her point of view lies mainly in the content of the image, which is the content that the photographer will discover as soon as he sees the visions of the eye.
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Dean, who provides lessons in street black and white photography, says the photographer should ask himself a set of questions: Does the image combine good content with the synthesis and composition that serves that content? Does the photo capture a moment, emotion, or a human condition? Does light occupy the space it deserves in the image to serve its combination and composition?
The secret of b&w photography for Dean, then, lies primarily in finding and discovering the missing corners that are intended to explore human moments that need to be recorded and able to add human vitality to the image and the scene as a whole.
A photograph or a painting
Black and White Photography Photographer Jerry Uelsmann is known for being closer to paintings than to photographs. The reason for this is that Uelsmann’s mind sees the image in a way that is inconsistent with the reality it sees completely and completely, so it resorts to editing, cutting and pasting in order to reach what it wants.
Jerry Uelsmann does not rely on modern editing applications, but rather uses classic dark rooms to edit his photos in the old traditional ways, and Uelsmann believes that black and white photography enthusiasts have to follow such methods in case they wish to transform ordinary photos into artistic paintings that combine reality and imagination in a harmony that does not interfere. There is a digital world.
Shooting in black and white or converting to black and white
Black and White Photography originally began in black and white across classic dark rooms. After the development in the world of digital photography, we have several different options. Some people still shoot in black and white while producing images in dark rooms, as we explained in the previous paragraph, and some can convert to black and white using applications such as Lightroom or Photoshop.
But what are the best, most realistic, ways to convert photos into black and white?
First, it must be shot in RAW format, which allows more control over the image and its composition. Whether you use Photoshop or Lightroom, you can convert to black and white the same way.
In Photoshop, the RAW editing window will open automatically, while in the case of Lightroom you will be able to open it through the Develop window. Through any of the two applications, you will be able, through several steps, to convert to black and white in an image that approximates the classic reality used in black and white photography, and we will devote an article soon to learn in detail how to convert.
The use of light shades
Black and White Photography Photographer MJ Kim is one of Hollywood’s most famous portraits. Through his photos, he was able to win a large number of awards in addition to the approval of his clients, their fans and their followers alike. But what’s the secret to Kim’s portrait shine?
Kim says the reason his celebrity portraits shine is because it relies so much on the contrast between light and dark. So that he first builds his composition on a dark foundation and then works to complement this structure through light, which adds a major role to the use of shadows that add dramatic depth to the image.
Exploiting nature in black and white photography
Black and white photography The beauty of nature is mainly due to the wonderful harmony between its colors, which gives landscape photography the beauty it is famous for. But can nature be used in black and white photography to reach a similar result? Photographer Michael Kina answered the answer.
Photographer Michael Kena is best known for his black and white landscape photography, which set him apart from other landscape photographers and professional black and white photography. In the absence of color, landscape photographs lack their supposed beauty and elegance, so Kina works to highlight the contrast between light and shades that he discovered that nature is able to highlight even in the absence of multiple colors.
