How to find good black and white photo subjects?

Hello!

I hope this is the right place to post this, I'm new to navigating on
googles groups as well and if this is the wrong place...oops. :x My
apologies.

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.) I've
fumbled my way through processing film to negatives and even printed
photos from my negatives (yay!)

My problem is I am required for a project to take pictures of things
that exhibit certain themes (such as texture, form, combination
thereof). I must have shot 9 rolls of film (more actually but I won't
talk about those, lol.) Only one of my shots was acceptable by my
professor, he gave me tips how to take better pictures, but I'm
feeling a bit down about this. I really thought this would be a snap
to take a decent picture of my choice.

Is this normal to go through so much shots before there is ONE
acceptable photo? I expected to go through a lot of film but 9
rolls..my god. Am I that much of a plug?

When I first started taking pictures, everything was a wonder, I was a
click happy photographist. But now, I find myself much more selective
and I know the professor wants a photo that sees with a different
perspective. Suddenly, everything seems so ordinary now when I go out
to find a good shot and I can't seem to find that 'special'
snapshot. How can I change my view, my perspective so that I can
find more than one shot per 9 rolls that the professor will accept? I
must be doing something wrong and I'm willing to change it and do
whatever it takes.

How do you go forth and find your photos to shoot? I've combed the
web for advice and there is a lot out there for digital shooting.
Would those tips apply to film?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Marion

"Marion" wrote in message
oups.com...
Hello!

I hope this is the right place to post this, I'm new to navigating on
googles groups as well and if this is the wrong place...oops. :x My
apologies.

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.) I've
fumbled my way through processing film to negatives and even printed
photos from my negatives (yay!)

My problem is I am required for a project to take pictures of things
that exhibit certain themes (such as texture, form, combination
thereof). I must have shot 9 rolls of film (more actually but I won't
talk about those, lol.) Only one of my shots was acceptable by my
professor, he gave me tips how to take better pictures, but I'm
feeling a bit down about this. I really thought this would be a snap
to take a decent picture of my choice.

Is this normal to go through so much shots before there is ONE
acceptable photo? I expected to go through a lot of film but 9
rolls..my god. Am I that much of a plug?

When I first started taking pictures, everything was a wonder, I was a
click happy photographist. But now, I find myself much more selective
and I know the professor wants a photo that sees with a different
perspective. Suddenly, everything seems so ordinary now when I go out
to find a good shot and I can't seem to find that 'special'
snapshot. How can I change my view, my perspective so that I can
find more than one shot per 9 rolls that the professor will accept? I
must be doing something wrong and I'm willing to change it and do
whatever it takes.

How do you go forth and find your photos to shoot? I've combed the
web for advice and there is a lot out there for digital shooting.
Would those tips apply to film?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Marion


yep, go Digital..............

One thing that occurred to me. I was looking at cell phone camera photos
and amazed how well those crappy little things can capture sunsets...
then I realized that what makes sunsets so great is the soft rich
lighting... it's so agreeable to being photographed that even a crappy
little cell phone has no problem capturing the beauty... and it's always
in your pocket ready.

So the lesson for B&W is good lighting. That's a common photography 101
tip; to wait (or show up early for) that perfect moment at dusk. Well
maybe that applies to color more than b&w but probably both. So train
your eye to study the light, sometimes there is 'good lighting' at any
time of day due to reflections & shadows.

Funny thing is, about the only time I use b&w is if the lighting is
really harsh or the colors come out awful, b&w has a way of making
extreme lighting look good... as long as it's interesting!


Marion wrote:
Hello!

I hope this is the right place to post this, I'm new to navigating on
googles groups as well and if this is the wrong place...oops. :x My
apologies.

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.) I've
fumbled my way through processing film to negatives and even printed
photos from my negatives (yay!)

My problem is I am required for a project to take pictures of things
that exhibit certain themes (such as texture, form, combination
thereof). I must have shot 9 rolls of film (more actually but I won't
talk about those, lol.) Only one of my shots was acceptable by my
professor, he gave me tips how to take better pictures, but I'm
feeling a bit down about this. I really thought this would be a snap
to take a decent picture of my choice.

Is this normal to go through so much shots before there is ONE
acceptable photo? I expected to go through a lot of film but 9
rolls..my god. Am I that much of a plug?

When I first started taking pictures, everything was a wonder, I was a
click happy photographist. But now, I find myself much more selective
and I know the professor wants a photo that sees with a different
perspective. Suddenly, everything seems so ordinary now when I go out
to find a good shot and I can't seem to find that 'special'
snapshot. How can I change my view, my perspective so that I can
find more than one shot per 9 rolls that the professor will accept? I
must be doing something wrong and I'm willing to change it and do
whatever it takes.

How do you go forth and find your photos to shoot? I've combed the
web for advice and there is a lot out there for digital shooting.
Would those tips apply to film?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Marion

On Feb 13, 8:44 pm, "Lez Pawl" wrote:
"Marion" wrote in message

oups.com...





Hello!

I hope this is the right place to post this, I'm new to navigating on
googles groups as well and if this is the wrong place...oops. :x My
apologies.

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.) I've
fumbled my way through processing film to negatives and even printed
photos from my negatives (yay!)

My problem is I am required for a project to take pictures of things
that exhibit certain themes (such as texture, form, combination
thereof). I must have shot 9 rolls of film (more actually but I won't
talk about those, lol.) Only one of my shots was acceptable by my
professor, he gave me tips how to take better pictures, but I'm
feeling a bit down about this. I really thought this would be a snap
to take a decent picture of my choice.

Is this normal to go through so much shots before there is ONE
acceptable photo? I expected to go through a lot of film but 9
rolls..my god. Am I that much of a plug?

When I first started taking pictures, everything was a wonder, I was a
click happy photographist. But now, I find myself much more selective
and I know the professor wants a photo that sees with a different
perspective. Suddenly, everything seems so ordinary now when I go out
to find a good shot and I can't seem to find that 'special'
snapshot. How can I change my view, my perspective so that I can
find more than one shot per 9 rolls that the professor will accept? I
must be doing something wrong and I'm willing to change it and do
whatever it takes.

How do you go forth and find your photos to shoot? I've combed the
web for advice and there is a lot out there for digital shooting.
Would those tips apply to film?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Marion

yep, go Digital..............- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Y'know, if I could go digital I would, however this would fail me for
this photo class as the professors require me to use a manual set
camera and film. Digital would also make this class a helluva lot
cheaper but I imagine there are lessons in film picture taking that
digital fails to give. Being that I'm such a newbie to the photo
world, I don't know quite yet what this is but maybe in a few
months.

Marion wrote:

Y'know, if I could go digital I would, however this would fail me for
this photo class as the professors require me to use a manual set
camera and film. Digital would also make this class a helluva lot
cheaper but I imagine there are lessons in film picture taking that
digital fails to give. Being that I'm such a newbie to the photo
world, I don't know quite yet what this is but maybe in a few
months.

Class aside. I learned more about composition and general photography skills with a reasonably good digital camera in about year than 30 years of film shooting. The current Digital SLRs are film camera's with digital film. [ Flame suit on ] The immediate
feedback. Things like shutter speed and aperture changes and how it affects results. Composition, funny how the little branch that casts an unwanted shadow only shows after the picture is taken. With the digital camera you can try and perfect skills to
achieve the desired results.

w..

Marion wrote:
Hello!

I hope this is the right place to post this, I'm new to navigating on
googles groups as well and if this is the wrong place...oops. :x My
apologies.

Googles groups is the worst way to navigate and post to newgroups.
It's a great way to locate past posts.

Use a dedicated newsreader such as Mozilla Thunderbird, Forte, and many
others. Thunderbird is pretty good and free. Of course your ISP needs
to carry newsgroups.

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.) I've
fumbled my way through processing film to negatives and even printed
photos from my negatives (yay!)

Old school is cool. The wonders of B&W printing.

My problem is I am required for a project to take pictures of things
that exhibit certain themes (such as texture, form, combination
thereof). I must have shot 9 rolls of film (more actually but I won't
talk about those, lol.) Only one of my shots was acceptable by my
professor, he gave me tips how to take better pictures, but I'm
feeling a bit down about this. I really thought this would be a snap
to take a decent picture of my choice.

There is nothing like the cold independant assessment of others to
reveal that we have a lot of work to develop an eye for light, form,
composition, never mind the technical improvements to enhance them.

If you're given honest, impersonal critique about your photos then get
out of it what you can. The critic may see things that you can't. The
critic might not see elements that another critic might see. The
greatest harm we do to ourselves is to take criticism personally.

First impressions go a long way so if some naggling detail catches his
eye off the bat, his overall impression begins very low.

Occasionally a critic will be a dickhead, but they're usually easy to
identify and you can go look for better opinions. A good teacher should
not be jealous of talented students ... but it is known to happen.

Is this normal to go through so much shots before there is ONE
acceptable photo? I expected to go through a lot of film but 9
rolls..my god. Am I that much of a plug?

You ARE taking courses to learn, aren't you? We've got one poster
around here who claims to shoot 50 rolls per average *week* yet we've
never seen a single decent photo from him.

The recipe for a higher "hit" rate is to take your time before you
depress that shutter. Really examine the subject from as many points of
view as possible. Natural light shooting can take place all day and
night long, so the subject can be drastically different at each minute
of the day according to light, clouds, etc.

You mention "texture" as a requirement. Read that as "light". The more
contrasty and dramatic lighting is a hard grazing light over a textured
surface. Softer tratement: difuse light at a more direct approach to
the subject (along the lens axis).

I learn more about light when I _don't_ have my camera with me as it
frees me to simply observe. Then later I can deliberately seek out (or
create) that light to shoot.

A more deliberate approach is to ALWAYS have your camera with you, even
of you have no intention of shooting. Then if you see something worth
shooting you're set to go.

When I first started taking pictures, everything was a wonder, I was a
click happy photographist. But now, I find myself much more selective
and I know the professor wants a photo that sees with a different
perspective. Suddenly, everything seems so ordinary now when I go out
to find a good shot and I can't seem to find that 'special'
snapshot. How can I change my view, my perspective so that I can
find more than one shot per 9 rolls that the professor will accept? I
must be doing something wrong and I'm willing to change it and do
whatever it takes.

Ignorance is bliss, but when you have to deliver to a requirement, then
it takes more discipline and dedication.

One hint is to look at closeups. This allows you a lot more control
over subject, background, clutter, etc. (This may or may not fit the
mandate that you have).

How do you go forth and find your photos to shoot? I've combed the
web for advice and there is a lot out there for digital shooting.
Would those tips apply to film?

Certainly. However, the digital shooter has the luxury of instant
review of his image and can then reshoot with more or less extreme
exposure, perspective changes, etc. to improve the image.

In short, digital removes the pressure to visualize the fional image
that film shooting requires. But practicing that visualization can only
make you better at film and digital.

I sometimes plan an outing "I'm going to such a place to get such a set
of photos"
I sometimes meander "I'm going out on the road and I'll stop somewhere
and take a walk"
Deliberate planning almost always results in the most useful photos.

The best time for contrasty and warm (for color shooting) light is just
before and after sunrise/sunset. (30 minutes before sunrise to about
1.5 hours after; reverse for sunset).

You can also join the shootin, see link below.

Cheers,
Alan.

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.

1. Go to Paris.
2. Look for couples in various states of embrace.
3. Snap away.
4. Crank up the contrast and stomp out all the shadow detail.
5. Voila! You are now a B/W Art-eest!

"Marion" ponders:

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.)

Snow (and we have plenty in upstate New York) lends itself to B/W
photos. So do geometric shapes, light & shadows, low light & night
photography.

--
Don

On Feb 14, 12:27 am, "Marion" wrote:
Hello!

I hope this is the right place to post this, I'm new to navigating on
googles groups as well and if this is the wrong place...oops. :x My
apologies.

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.) I've
fumbled my way through processing film to negatives and even printed
photos from my negatives (yay!)

My problem is I am required for a project to take pictures of things
that exhibit certain themes (such as texture, form, combination
thereof). I must have shot 9 rolls of film (more actually but I won't
talk about those, lol.) Only one of my shots was acceptable by my
professor, he gave me tips how to take better pictures, but I'm
feeling a bit down about this. I really thought this would be a snap
to take a decent picture of my choice.

Is this normal to go through so much shots before there is ONE
acceptable photo? I expected to go through a lot of film but 9
rolls..my god. Am I that much of a plug?

When I first started taking pictures, everything was a wonder, I was a
click happy photographist. But now, I find myself much more selective
and I know the professor wants a photo that sees with a different
perspective. Suddenly, everything seems so ordinary now when I go out
to find a good shot and I can't seem to find that 'special'
snapshot. How can I change my view, my perspective so that I can
find more than one shot per 9 rolls that the professor will accept? I
must be doing something wrong and I'm willing to change it and do
whatever it takes.

How do you go forth and find your photos to shoot? I've combed the
web for advice and there is a lot out there for digital shooting.
Would those tips apply to film?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Marion

Yup its natural. Try this. Go get a tripod you can afford.. Put it in
your back yard. Put it in some place you will be for awhile e.g., your
sisters patio. After the camera is on the tripod. Lock all of the
tripod adjustments very firmly. Set you camera aperture and shutter
speed. Focus your lens. MAKE NO ADJUSTMENTS! Leave everything as you
had set them up. You can do this with a digital or film camera (must
be slide film). Start before sun rise. Just go out each hour and
trigger the shutter. Do this every hour on the hour until 1 hour after
sunset. Look at your results. You will have invested a full day to
what you may think was a waste of time. But look at your images and
look at the various shadows you see and the dramatic changes in how
the exact same subject changes. It is well worth a whole day of your
time. Criticism from my group is welcome..

Marion wrote:
Hello!

I hope this is the right place to post this, I'm new to navigating on
googles groups as well and if this is the wrong place...oops. :x My
apologies.

I'm in my first photography class and learning how to take pictures
with black and white film and a manual camera (Pentax 30T.) I've
fumbled my way through processing film to negatives and even printed
photos from my negatives (yay!)

My problem is I am required for a project to take pictures of things
that exhibit certain themes (such as texture, form, combination
thereof). I must have shot 9 rolls of film (more actually but I won't
talk about those, lol.) Only one of my shots was acceptable by my
professor, he gave me tips how to take better pictures, but I'm
feeling a bit down about this. I really thought this would be a snap
to take a decent picture of my choice.

Is this normal to go through so much shots before there is ONE
acceptable photo? I expected to go through a lot of film but 9
rolls..my god. Am I that much of a plug?


Try Google Images with the search term "How to find good black and white
photo subjects". Pick out the good ones and think about WHY they're
good. Then go out and try to find similar scenes to shoot.

Don't be discouraged if your ratio of good shots is low. You're
learning. The whole purpose of the course is to get better. But to get
better, you have to practice.

When I started out, I was happy to get one acceptable image on a roll. I
get somewhat better than that now, but even for some of the top pros,
less than 10% of their shots are "acceptable". The difference is, that
as you progress, what you'll find acceptable will make higher and higher
standards.



When I first started taking pictures, everything was a wonder, I was a
click happy photographist. But now, I find myself much more selective
and I know the professor wants a photo that sees with a different
perspective. Suddenly, everything seems so ordinary now when I go out
to find a good shot and I can't seem to find that 'special'
snapshot. How can I change my view, my perspective so that I can
find more than one shot per 9 rolls that the professor will accept? I
must be doing something wrong and I'm willing to change it and do
whatever it takes.

How do you go forth and find your photos to shoot? I've combed the
web for advice and there is a lot out there for digital shooting.
Would those tips apply to film?

Any advice is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Marion

You're not doing anything wrong. You're learning. You just have to learn
as much from the things that don't work as you do from the things that
go right.

Make assignments for yourself. When you comb the web, don't look for
shooting techniques, look for images.

Look at the images and figure out what makes them good. And you know
what? A lot of them aren't any good. Anyone can put up a website. So
pick out the ones that are good and figure out what makes them good.

A lot of it is simple basics - S-curves, leading lines, diagonals,
repetition, triangles, rule of thirds, light and shadow, high key, low
key... they're all visual elements that stimulate the emotions.

Learn to see them and use them to build your own composition. Which
means a lot of what you shoot WILL be ordinary. So look for the
extra-ordinary within the ordinary.

And once you've internalized the rules, you'll come to a point where
you're going to have a composition and you're going to realize it's time
to break one or more of those rules. And it's going to work when you do.

Don't get wrapped around the axle about digital vs film. Concentrate on
what makes good images and how you can incorporate those things in YOUR
images.

The only way to get better is to go out and take more pictures. You may
find you take more pictures for less positive result. But the positive
result you do get will get better. While you're taking those pictures,
think before you pull the trigger.

Pre-visualize. Make a picture in your mind and then go out and find it
OR create it. Make the world conform to your vision. Then capture it on
film.

One thing that might help is look a little closer. Break the scene down
into its details. And move in closer again ... and again.

Simplify. What are the fewest elements that you can include and still
make the picture work for you, to say what you want it to say?

Find something. Take a picture of it. Move around to your right (or
left) and take another picture. Get behind it and take another picture.
Get down underneath and climb on top of it ... take more pictures. Back
off and take pictures. Get close to a detail and take a picture of that.

Bracket your exposures, bracket your D.O.F., bracket the plane of sharp
focus.

And for each of these pictures find an element of composition that
applies - a leading line, a negative space, a diagonal...

Texture... light and shadow create texture. Get down at a low angle and
catch the late afternoon sun raking across the subject... or create your
own raking light.

Experiment ... there's an advertising campaign going on around here that
has a billboard with Thomas Edison. It says something about how he had
10,000 failures trying to invent the light bulb... but on the 10,000 and
first time...

For portraiture - go talk to people. Leave the camera behind and find
someone doing something interesting. Get them to explain what they're
doing and why they're doing it; HOW they're doing it. Then come back in
a few days and ask if you can photograph them at work.

And understand one thing. If you do find something special, you'll have
gone far beyond "snapshot".