B&W photography

• see also:
  • film
  • filters
  •  

Introduction:

• users of digital cameras often have difficulty understanding and coming to terms with B&W photography as the cameras are primarily designed to produce colour photos although many have inbuilt options to produce a B&W often with options to mimic the use of a certain colour filter.
• B&W photography is quite different to colour photography as by eliminating the distraction of colour and its attendant colour contrasts and emotive aspects, it forces the viewer to concentrate more on content, form, and texture.
• B&W is often a much more flattering option for portraits of older women as inconsistencies in skin colouration can be more easily disguised.
• it is often important to pre-visualise the requirements for the B&W photograph for success, in particular, choice of colour aspects in the image (eg. lipstick, makeup, clothing and background colour) become very important in how the final image can be optimally manipulated for the desired affect.
• although digital photography does not quite allow the characteristics of different B&W films (including infrared film) with their dynamic range and grain characteristics, digital capture makes manipulation of the colour components and contrast so much easier, and furthermore, can provide a much wider range of images derived from the one image.

Contrast control:

• image contrast is often a critical component of a successful B&W photo.
• traditional B&W film photographers manipulate image contrast and dynamic range using a number of techniques:
  • film selection
  • reduction of dynamic range using fill-in lighting and/or gradient ND filters
  • use of colour filters to darken some colours and lighten others
  • polariser filters to darken the sky or reduce reflections
  • exposure selection (eg. Ansell Adam's Zone System) and then selecting compensatory film development to adjust the negative contrast.
  • selection of printing paper with its differing contrast characteristics
  • use of different type of enlarger
  • local contrast control during print exposure using techniques of dodging and burning in to give different areas of the print more or less exposure.
• digital photographers:
  • should ideally be shooting in RAW mode to provide maximum dynamic range and data to manipulate, whilst exposing to give as much exposure as possible without causing highlights to burn out.
  • colour filters are not useful but reduction of dynamic range using fill-in lighting and/or gradient ND filters &/or polariser filters may be useful.
  • in computer processing of the RAW data to produce a B&W image with the desired contrast range:
    • use Channel Mixer or Curves in Adobe PS to mimic the effect of use of colour filters and adjust contrast.
    • use Levels in Adobe PS to adjust levels
    • once a B&W image is obtained, using the Channel Mixer in Adobe PS can create a coloured monochrome image.