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03/28/2008 11:37:13 PM · #1 |
I can't get enough...
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Thanks to the B&W thread I've been gravitating away from color. It's a different state of mind when shooting and a fun zone to be in.
There are four new shots and two from a week ago. Any thoughts would be cool. |
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03/29/2008 12:07:29 AM · #2 |
I really like bw too. There is SO much character in bw photos. I think the lack of color forces you to really "see" the photograph... does that make sense???
Love your photos. |
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03/29/2008 12:11:36 AM · #3 |
| I also have to admit that I am a bit B&W/Sepia/Duotone fan. To me they tend to paint out a story better than all the distracting colors :) |
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03/29/2008 05:24:40 AM · #4 |
I am a b&w fan also. So much that I even set my 30D to the b&w option some days and just go with it - its not the same (to me) to shoot colour and then process to b&w. It makes me 'see' things differently - portraits in b&w have to be my favourite
This photo just does not have the same impact in colour
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03/29/2008 05:37:55 AM · #5 |
I'm busy looking at plants at the moment in B&W, they look so different with some of their colours removed.
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03/29/2008 01:09:32 PM · #6 |
| Can you direct me to the Black & White thread that you mentioned in your post? I must have skipped over it in my haste. |
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03/29/2008 01:16:52 PM · #7 |
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03/29/2008 01:22:00 PM · #8 |
great thread!
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03/29/2008 01:25:33 PM · #9 |
| hey steve, i can imagine your addiction towards b&w photography, as i'm beeing addicted, too. i just wonder, haven't you been tempted to or at least thought about changing over to good ol' film camera, as i think b&w film still provides much better tonal and dynamic range then digital...? |
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03/29/2008 01:38:38 PM · #10 |
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I always shoot color. Later if I want, I can convert it to B&W. That way I can desat to zero, and use the color channels to adjust things the way we used to use deep color filters and film. It allows me to bring out color contrasts, and to enhance textures, that are not very evident if I shoot B&W directly in camera.
Shooting great B&W directly in camera is a great exercise in camera skills, but seems a bit like walking when you have a good car. I can get the same or better results will a lot less effort or guesswork by converting after the shot in processing.
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03/29/2008 02:08:58 PM · #11 |
| Hey Steve, I'll try to get to your new ones but I have left some comments on the others already. I did want to say that your style photography, which seems to to be street at this moment, is very condusive for b&w. Add to the fact that you do it well and it's a perfect combo. I have really enjoyed your work so far this year and look foward to more. Trevor~ |
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03/29/2008 02:28:00 PM · #12 |
 Pawdrix has some wonderful images.
I enjoy B&W more every day!
The B&W Side Challenge has been a huge help in forming my appreciation of B&W.
Message edited by author 2008-03-29 14:29:04.
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03/29/2008 03:43:48 PM · #13 |
I prefer black and white too, takes a special image tho.
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03/29/2008 04:45:40 PM · #14 |
| Yep, really like BW. Currently lagging in the side challenge - waiting to catch up with commenting before posting a candid portrait which has been Enormously Improved by BW conversion. BW seems to tell the essential story; I think colour requires a very calibrated (!) and schooled hand to match the artistic possibilities of BW. In each case the end product might be borne in mind: ideal BW - platinum print, or something near, but in colour it seems to me (haven't printed anything recently, nor ever, except BW, larger than snap size) it is worth thinking about inks/dyes and paper to exploit and fine tune. One and one half cents. |
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03/29/2008 05:08:21 PM · #15 |
Guilty. I have a whole folder's worth here that I'll continue to add to as the year goes on. There are quite a few in my current month folder as well. I may have a challenge entry or two (or more) that are B&W. I'm rather partial to that corner of the medium.
Message edited by author 2008-03-29 17:08:38. |
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03/30/2008 12:43:52 AM · #16 |
Here is one of my favorites I've taken for B&W.
In color it just wouldnt be the same to me.
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03/30/2008 08:28:04 AM · #17 |
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There's two more from Fridays outing.
Mephisto-Yes, I have been considering film. I've been visiting a good deal of galleries and museums and I think B&W on film looks better than digital especially of you find the right guy to help you with the processing. I just met a guy, Sid Kaplan (the best of the best film processors) who has worked with Weegee, Robert Frank, Philippe Halsman and maybe he's the key but it still won't be easy. I may carrying around a film camera with my digital and use it if I find something good.
It's pretty funny as so many people around are getting into HDR, overlays, grunge etc. I'm going in the exact opposite direction. I don't even like looking at that stuff anymore (never really did) because it seems to be more about gadgetry and less about imagery or anything symbolically meaningful. Bells, whistles...smoke and mirrors...I'm a little tired of it.
A few months back I was proudly showing this guy my images while on the street. He was walking his newborn and he'd stopped me to ask me about the D200. As it turned out he was City Halls primary Press Photographer and taught up at Columbia's School of the Arts. He liked my stuff but said something that changed the way I looked at booth shooting and more so about processing ...
He understood PS and all but asked me a few questions about an image and again after I proudly explained my cool processing moves he said "someday you won't have to do all that". I said something stupid like, "Huh?" He explained that if you take a shot that has true meaning you won't need to process it at all...it will stand on it's own. Wow, an image that stands on it's own? Pretty cool.
So now...with a few exceptions, it's minimal if no processing. Just basic B&W conversions with a dash of D&B. If I want to compete in a Challenge...that's another story altogether. LOL.
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A few people PMed me about my processing steps so I posted a few originals, my conversion steps of different takes at the same settings. Hope that works.
I'm still looking for comments.
Message edited by author 2008-03-30 11:22:19. |
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03/30/2008 08:38:44 AM · #18 |
| All of my entries in 2008 have been B&W so far. Can't get enough of it! |
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03/30/2008 10:16:24 AM · #19 |
| I have always been a proponent of black and white. I love everything about it. I think the reason is because for some reason, on the east coast, pictures seem to lend themselves better to black and white. I don't know if it is the subdued light we have, or the lack of vibrant color, or the fact that over here there is so much character in the old towns and cities, but I think the best black and white has always come from this particular area. Of course, that is only my opinion, and I am sure there will be hundreds of dpcers that will get a real bee in their bonnet over my opinion, but it is a free country and I can say what I want. |
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03/30/2008 02:38:35 PM · #20 |
| Thanks, pawdrix, that was very refreshing about the (no) post processing. |
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03/30/2008 02:54:24 PM · #21 |
When I started using an SLR back in the early '80s, I soon found that B&W was a fascinating way of capturing images with impact.
I have tried to emulate B&W film with a modern DLSR and cannot get the same effect. I never used exclusive processors, instead I just used the normal High Street ones and got some great results.
I think one of the biggest problems with digital is the noise/grain, it just doesn't look right. ISO 400 B&W film, especially Fujifilm has a distinct grain that makes such an statement. I was thinking a couple of weeks ago about getting a SLR again and shooting some film:)) |
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03/30/2008 03:33:29 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by SteveJ:
When I started using an SLR back in the early '80s, I soon found that B&W was a fascinating way of capturing images with impact.
I have tried to emulate B&W film with a modern DLSR and cannot get the same effect. I never used exclusive processors, instead I just used the normal High Street ones and got some great results.
I think one of the biggest problems with digital is the noise/grain, it just doesn't look right. ISO 400 B&W film, especially Fujifilm has a distinct grain that makes such an statement. I was thinking a couple of weeks ago about getting a SLR again and shooting some film:)) |
I never got rid of my film slr. I still use it, largely for black and white. I agree that film has a definite quality, though there are software programs that emulate various black and white film. And you know, when you print them on the computer, there is very little difference between the film prints and the digital. We are all so used to viewing digital images on a digital medium, that many of us forget that we can still print things out and get very good results, especially in black and white. I have no grain when I print out the images, even if there is a grain in the digital view.
As to pawdrix, I have always loved his work. I listed him as a favorite photographer very early on in my acquaintance with dp. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Steve. Excellence is definitely one of your qualities. |
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03/30/2008 04:27:20 PM · #23 |
great results. what method do you use for your conversions?
 
Message edited by author 2008-03-30 16:29:31. |
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03/30/2008 04:47:31 PM · #24 |
| damn, i was just going to submit a photo for the free study, but i'm dithering between a landscapish-hdr-ish-color shot that has the potential to finish top 40 (i guess...) and a b&w shot that will probably bomb but me likes it a lot more then the color one... what to do what to do...??? |
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03/30/2008 04:50:19 PM · #25 |
Originally posted by Mephisto:
damn, i was just going to submit a photo for the free study, but i'm dithering between a landscapish-hdr-ish-color shot that has the potential to finish top 40 (i guess...) and a b&w shot that will probably bomb but me likes it a lot more then the color one... what to do what to do...??? |
Go to the poll thread and select yes, then wait to see what happens!! |
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