September 15, 2008
Black And White Photography Brings Out True Beauty
With apologies to Paul Simon, writer of the hit song Kodachrome, everything does not look worse in black and white. To many people’s eyes, everything looks better in black and white photography because with the subtle palette of grey brings out the inner beauty of a subject much better than being masked by a riot of color.
Case In Point: Peter Gabriel
When British rock star Peter Gabriel was asked for a portrait to be on the cover of Rolling Stone for January of 1987, the magazine wanted a color portrait to emphasize the singer’s intensely blue eyes. As Peter Gabriel’s big hit So contained the song In Your Eyes, it was logically thought that a simple portrait of his face centering on his blue eyes would best portray the singer-songwriter.
Robert Mapplethorpe was honored to take the portrait. The sessions lasted over days as both artists battled heads over what constituted a good portrait. In the end, both artists wound up with a profound respect for each other. When Mapplethorpe generously gave Peter Gabriel the pick of the portraits as a gift, Peter Gabriel chose portraits done with black and white photography. That portrait would later grace the cover of his greatest Hits compilation in 1990.
Why Black And White?
Color can be blinding. Just ask anyone who has a red car. Even though there are no actual scientific studies done, it is popularly thought that red cars are ticked more by police than any other color of car. We are ingrained to associate specific color with specific meanings. Colors are archetypes in the collective unconscious. Black and white photography should really be called “grey photography”, since even the colors black and white are softened. But “grey photography” just doesn’t sound as catchy, does it?
In black and white photography, there is no extra baggage hauled around with colors. You concentrate on the shape, the arrangement, the expression, the decay – anything that the photographer wishes to emphasize. Perhaps with the case of Peter Gabriel’s portrait, both Mapplethorpe and Gabriel thought the focus on Peter’s blue eyes and peaches and cream skin did not portray the true man. Gabriel’s music touched more people than just blue eyes white people. By using black and white photography, Gabriel was now race less, sexless and beyond fitting into any categories we automatically place strangers in – he was just a human being like any other one on the planet.
Digital Photography Links:
- Not Everyone Sees Abstract Photography In Same Form
- Art Digital Photography Education: Selection Is A Fine Art
- Black And White Best For Portrait Photography
- Black And White Digital Photography Usually Starts In Color
- Digital Photography Backdrops Made For Camera Technology
- Freeing Light And Time: The History Of Photography
- Learning About Pet Photography
- Nikon Digital Photography Is One of a Kind
- Taking the Time for Portrait Digital Photography
- The Appeal Of Digital Stock Photography For Business Use
- Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual
April 27, 2008
Black And White Digital Photography Usually Starts In Color
Very few times will you see someone taking pictures in black and white with a digital camera as most can use software to create black and white digital photography with a color camera. Most often the image is taken in color and then converted to black and white. This can be done either through the camera and its built-in abilities or the software used to enhance and store pictures on your computer.
Just as there are no traditional cameras designed for color or black and white pictures, it depends on the type of film being used. For black and white digital photography there are no special cameras or memory cards, it hinges on the camera mode the user chooses. Most renderings of black and white digital photography, however are a result of converting the image with software.
Typically, many color images are taken using 8-bit color and are converted to 10-bit black and white. While this technique works well, for better quality black and white digital photography prints, converting the 8-bit images to 16-bit images will allow better grey scale rendering for your black and white prints. Many may not see the big difference between the two, but when viewed on your computer’s software, they become more evident.
Layering Images Offers Better Detail
When converting color images to black and white digital photography many prefer using their software’s ability to work with each color layer individually. For example, Adobe’s Photoshop gives you the option of working with all three layers, red, blue and green at the same time or with each layer individually. Depending on any color misrepresentations by lighting, this can allow more control over the overall quality of your print.
Working with the blue layer, for instance, you may be able to lighten or darken any clouds in the picture without affecting the brightness of the subject of the picture. However, since you are converting a picture to black and white digital photography working with a specific color, in this case blue, any bodies of water or large object that fall into that color spectrum will also be affected.
One of the greatest things about working with black and white digital photography, is that you can save your original on your computer before beginning to make any changes. Later, if you are not happy with the results, you can delete any changes you made and start over again and the only thing you lose is some time.
Digital Photography Links:
- Art Digital Photography Education: Selection Is A Fine Art
- Black And White Best For Portrait Photography
- Black And White Digital Photography Usually Starts In Color
- Digital Photography Backdrops Made For Camera Technology
- Freeing Light And Time: The History Of Photography
- Learning About Pet Photography
- Nikon Digital Photography Is One of a Kind
- Taking the Time for Portrait Digital Photography
- The Appeal Of Digital Stock Photography For Business Use
- Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual
January 13, 2008
The Basics Of Black And White Digital Photography
There are very few items that can match the timelessness of a black and white photograph. The lack of color is great for capturing raw emotions and magical moments without the detraction of vibrant colors. Black and white digital photography captures life on its most basic level and heightens the mood and the drama of the photograph. Many individuals choose to have their wedding photos done in black and white to capture the spirit of the day.
Black And White Digital Photography Options
With black and white digital photography, photographers have three options to choose from. The first option is to shoot the pictures in black and white. Many cameras have the ability to shoot in monochrome and the user’s manual for the digital camera will instruct the photographer in how to use this function. The photograph will appear in the viewing window in black and white, so the photographer can see exactly what the picture will look like.
Some digital cameras will allow the photographer to change their images from color to black and white digital photography within the camera itself. This program creates a copy of the image and converts it into monochrome while still saving a copy of the image in full color. This allows the photographer to see the image both ways and choose which is best for their needs. Some images convert well to black and white digital photography while others are best viewed in full color.
The last option, which is used by many amateur photographers, is to print the photograph in black and white using a standard computer or photo printer. Although this is not true black and white digital photography, it accomplishes the same goal. The shading will not be as crisp as if the photograph was manipulated with a software program, but the images will be of an acceptable quality. A major disadvantage of this option is that you cannot view the image in black and white before printing the photograph.
Of the three options for black and white digital photography, shooting the photographs in black and white achieves the best results. This is also the best option for creating larger prints and portraits. There are many images that look very good in black and white digital photography, such as a bride in her wedding dress or classic landscapes. Whatever the reason it is being used, black and white digital photography can create wonderful images in a classic way.
Print in black and white: You can print black and white photos from those taken in color by using the Grayscale setting, available in your printer preferences menu.
All of these methods work well. However, if your goal is to create larger black-and-white prints, shooting in black and white will yield the best results.
Contrast—the difference between the light and dark areas in a photo—is an essential part of black-and-white photography. There are three levels of contrast that you can experiment with when you shoot:
High contrast means striking white and black tones, with minimal gray. It can heighten tension or add drama to photos.
Look for bright light and shadows (as in the image above) to shoot in high contrast.
Normal contrast provides the most “realistic” presentation of an image, where some things in the photo are light or white, some are dark or black, and some are in-between, or gray.
Contrasts that are strong in color, such as red against green, look about equal in black and white, making for normal contrast.
Low contrast keeps tones mostly in the mid-range, so there are lots of grays.
Atmospheric weather, such as fog, is perfect for shooting low contrast black-and-white photos.
Emotional occasions, such as weddings, are ideal opportunities to shoot black and white. And don’t forget group shots—black and white shots mean that clashing clothing isn’t a problem.
Black and white lends itself to a variety of subjects:
Texture and patterns: Try shooting interesting textures and lines, or patterns in nature. Details that are barely noticeable in color become more prominent and poetic.
Portraits: Baby pictures, wedding photos, family portraits—candid or posed—gain a classic quality when shot in black and white.
Landscapes: From the mountains to your backyard, outdoor shots look magnificent in black and white
Digital Photography Links:
- Art Digital Photography Education: Selection Is A Fine Art
- Black And White Best For Portrait Photography
- Black And White Digital Photography Usually Starts In Color
- Digital Photography Backdrops Made For Camera Technology
- Freeing Light And Time: The History Of Photography
- Learning About Pet Photography
- Nikon Digital Photography Is One of a Kind
- Taking the Time for Portrait Digital Photography
- The Appeal Of Digital Stock Photography For Business Use
- Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual
November 22, 2007
What Constitutes Fine Art Photography?
Sometimes when wandering an art museum or flipping through the pages of a coffee table sized book, you have to wonder what makes so-called “fine art photography” any different from the everyday photos that you and I take. There is a subtle difference in fine art photography that doesn’t gel with every onlooker, just like any kind of sculpture or painting might not be liked by everyone who looks at it.
So, What’s The Difference?
The difference in fine art photography is not in the camera, the film, the lighting or subject matter. It is something a bit more intangible – fine art photography lies entirely in the intentions of the photographer. In fine art photography, the photographer is not trying to record faithfully what everyone can see now for posterity. What he or she is trying to record for posterity is how that photographer views the world.
So, in a photo of, say, a dog, a portrait photographer would usually make the photo bring out the cutest angel of the dog, centering on the dog’s face and expression. The photo of this dog is meant to say “this is Fido; our beloved family member and this is exactly what he looked like.”
But in fine art photography, the photographer would take a vastly different picture of the dog. Perhaps Fido has really big feet. The fine art photographer might take a photo of Fido’s big, muddy feet to see how he or she views Fido.
Is It Real Photography?
Perhaps some of the photos that truly capture what is going on in the photographer’s world are ones that are posed in some way. Infamous American photographer Dorothea Lange made her reputation on portraits of Americans who suffered through the Depression, particularly in the Dustbowl. It was popularly thought that Lange snapped these images on the spur of the moment, and she never discouraged the notion. Long after her death, it was discovered that some of her heart-wrenching portraits were staged. The model was brought in, dressed and made up to look like a usual American in the Southwest leaving the useless farmland in search for survival in the big cities.
So, are Lange’s photos still to be considered fine art photography? You betcha. Although many of her portraits wee printed in news periodicals, she also took them for posterity and to make a monument in film to those who survived the Depression. The rich and powerful may have done nothing to help the millions of unemployed and impoverished fellow Americans if not for Lange’s portraits. So, in the end, her purpose was the same for her spur of the moment and her posed photos – the plight of the Depression era sufferers was accurately reported. And that is fine art photography.
Digital Photography Links:
- Art Digital Photography Education: Selection Is A Fine Art
- Black And White Best For Portrait Photography
- Black And White Digital Photography Usually Starts In Color
- Digital Photography Backdrops Made For Camera Technology
- Freeing Light And Time: The History Of Photography
- Learning About Pet Photography
- Nikon Digital Photography Is One of a Kind
- Taking the Time for Portrait Digital Photography
- The Appeal Of Digital Stock Photography For Business Use
- Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual
November 19, 2007
Meeting The Challenge Of Nightlife Photography
Nightlife photography can let you into a whole new way of looking at the world around you. Taking photos at night requires you to be prepared for locations that have very little light to contribute to successful photography.
For the beginner, starting with nightlife photography is a real challenge. For starters you will need a reasonably good camera to stand a chance of getting any worthwhile photos. It doesn’t matter if it’s a digital camera or the more traditional film kind; what matters is its overall quality.
Basic Tips To Remember
Just as with daytime photography, taking photos at night gives you almost unlimited opportunities for getting good pictures. Although safety should always be paramount, it is especially important at night. You could be carrying around hundreds of dollars worth of equipment.
Make sure you tell someone where you are going and don’t go alone if you can help it. At the very least you’ll have someone else to help carry your camera equipment!
Forget The Flash
It may sound like a contradiction in terms, but good nightlife photography often requires that you turn your flash off. Leaving it switched on usually results in a washed out picture that lights up everything in the foreground and leaves the picture looking somewhat artificial.
Your main task when taking nightlife photography is to get enough light into the picture. This is achieved by having a much longer exposure time than you would have during daylight conditions.
The shutter speed should be much slower to accommodate more natural light. As with all kinds of photography experimenting is the best way to find out what works well for you.
Many digital cameras have preset settings specifically designed for taking nightlife photography. That said however, they are not always ideal and you may prefer to try different settings to get different results.
Unnatural Lighting
Even though it’s night time, you can still use artificial light to brighten up your pictures without resorting to using your flash.
Many an excellent photo has been taken of city scenes filled with traffic lights, neon signs and car headlamps. All of these combine to create a world of their own, which often looks sensational on film. Again, experimenting with different shutter speeds will vary the results you will get and can lead to outstanding pictures where moving lights streak across the photo.
Nightlife photography is hard to master but a joy to learn. Why not start learning tonight?
Digital Photography Links:
- Art Digital Photography Education: Selection Is A Fine Art
- Black And White Best For Portrait Photography
- Black And White Digital Photography Usually Starts In Color
- Digital Photography Backdrops Made For Camera Technology
- Freeing Light And Time: The History Of Photography
- Learning About Pet Photography
- Nikon Digital Photography Is One of a Kind
- Taking the Time for Portrait Digital Photography
- The Appeal Of Digital Stock Photography For Business Use
- Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual
September 26, 2007
Photography Gallery Puts Artists On Display
When professional photographers are looking for way to have their work seen by more people, they often are able to display their pictures in a photography gallery. This exposure puts their artistic and technical work in front of people looking for quality work, as they believe that work displayed in a photography gallery is of high quality and the photographer is becoming known for their expertise.
There is no limit to the types of work being displayed at a photography gallery and while some carry very specific forms of photographic art, a few will carry displays of many varieties and forms including nude, architectural and landscape. Offering different types of photography gives the photography gallery the opportunity to draw different people, who may become interested in other forms of the art while looking for one specific style. Some photographers may want to limit the galleries in which their art is displayed to ones that only display their style of work, while others welcome the diversity of other photographers.
There is no limit to the type of photography on display in a photography gallery or any specific medium and with today’s continued growth of digital cameras, new styles of photographic art are being developed and shown across the world. While it may be rare that a person using color photography, for example is invited to show their work in a photography gallery known for black and white only, it does happen and invites viewers to see other forms of art.
Most Displayed Work Offered For Sale
One of the chief reasons a person wants their work shown in a photography gallery is to match their pictures with an appreciative visitor who is interested in buying the print on display. By having their pictures in galleries and having a resume of fine photographs, the price of each picture continues to climb as their name becomes known in the photography art circles.
Similar to painters who have a following of art lovers that collect his works, there are photography print lovers who seek out photographs of specific photographers to add to their collection. Having works displayed in a photography gallery boosts their chances of being seen by people who collect prints.
Too often displays at a photography gallery are too focused on one specific style of photography with a limited number of photographers being shown. Over time, visitors may grow weary and attendance begins to drop until the gallery brings in different artists’ work to display for the art-loving public.
Digital Photography Links:
- Art Digital Photography Education: Selection Is A Fine Art
- Black And White Best For Portrait Photography
- Black And White Digital Photography Usually Starts In Color
- Digital Photography Backdrops Made For Camera Technology
- Freeing Light And Time: The History Of Photography
- Learning About Pet Photography
- Nikon Digital Photography Is One of a Kind
- Taking the Time for Portrait Digital Photography
- The Appeal Of Digital Stock Photography For Business Use
- Your Digital Camera Owner’s Manual
September 13, 2007
Learn Digital Photography: Many Options Available That Only Require Determination In Order To Succeed
With the increasing popularity of digital photography it is not hard to imagine that there are many people out there that have bought digital cameras and who wish to learn digital photography. Such digital photography buffs are sure to be dead serious about learns digital photography, and for them there is good news in that it is really very simple to pick up the digital photography basics. And, they will not lack for resources from where they can learn digital photography. READ MORE…
Understanding The History Of Digital Photography
Although digital photography seems to be a fairly recent invention, the truth is that digital photography has a long and varied history. The history of digital photography begins with the history of photography itself, for without these original pioneers, photography as we know it may have never existed. Some of the very first forms of photography captured images of the civil war in the early 19th century and the history of digital photography has been advancing ever since. READ MORE…
Develop Your Skills—Take Online Digital Photography Classes
Have you ever wanted to learn a skill, such as digital photography, but not had the time to do so? Maybe you have a busy career that keeps you busy during the day. Or perhaps you are a stay-at-home mom with little free time.
Whatever the case, there is a way that you can broaden your area of knowledge and become an expert in your chosen field. You can take an online course! Taking online digital photography classes is easier than it might sound, and the skills and knowledge you will obtain from the course are incomparable to any other learning experiences. READ MORE…
