I started "serious" photography during college as I was taking photojournalism courses. There, we shot and developed our photos as we hoped they would be produced in newsprint. My wife's wedding gift to me was a complete B&W darkroom setup. Those were the days.
I still like the effect of black and white. And while I shoot in (default) color RAW these days, some images just cry out to me as black and white.
Virginia Beach boardwalk at sunrise
I have others, but I'm working right now, and I have to hunt them down. More later. Thanks for starting this subforum!
Great view! I ran the VA Beach marathon a few years ago. Brings back a mix of memories.
Thanks.
A serene scene in a Copenhagen park
I find the Copenhagen shot to be very engaging for the decision to present it in b&w.
For me, one of the most important questions when deciding to shoot for, or edit for, b&w: what does color add? Many would think the (presumably) lush greenery should be showcased, but as Paul pointed out in his welcome doc, removing color removes the distractions.
Love your work, Fred!
This is really nice. Sharp, crisp, leading lines, etc. What’s not to like?
Thanks, folks. Since this is a discussion forum and not just a display site (I think), let me just throw out my thinking when addressing black-and-white:
I have two approaches. The first is when I see the image or photo and think to myself, "That lends itself more to B&W than it does color." The second is when I'm reviewing the photos I've taken and something tells me, "You should try changing this to B&W." I don't have a "true" approach to B&W photography, but I think my early experience of shooting Tri-X and such, and developing in my darkroom gave me the foundation I needed to pursue B&W.
Just Fred wrote:
Thanks, folks. Since this is a discussion forum and not just a display site (I think), let me just throw out my thinking when addressing black-and-white:
I have two approaches. The first is when I see the image or photo and think to myself, "That lends itself more to B&W than it does color." The second is when I'm reviewing the photos I've taken and something tells me, "You should try changing this to B&W." I don't have a "true" approach to B&W photography, but I think my early experience of shooting Tri-X and such, and developing in my darkroom gave me the foundation I needed to pursue B&W.
Thanks, folks. Since this is a discussion forum a... (
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I also hope to see a lot more discussion than is the norm in Photo Gallery.
I hosted a topic years ago in For Your Consideration that addressed what you have just mentioned about visualizing a b&w result vs. exploring the possibility in post work. It is very interesting to me to learn the mindset and process of others!
Linda From Maine wrote:
I also hope to see a lot more discussion than is the norm in Photo Gallery.
I hosted a topic years ago in For Your Consideration that addressed what you have just mentioned about visualizing a b&w result vs. exploring the possibility in post work. It is very interesting to me to learn the mindset and process of others!
Without intending to, I think I "trained my eye" to envision what a photo would look like in B&W. I didn't have a choice when I was shooting B&W film and doing my own developing. These days, as mentioned earlier, even if one sets the camera to shoot B&W, it still takes a full color RAW image. If one can chimp a B&W JPEG in the camera, it might give one an idea what the finished photo will look like, but it still means there's post-processing involved. As we all know, a photograph begins with the photographer composing the shot. I just think I can sometimes compose in shades of gray.
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