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Learning to think in Black and White



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 19th 09, 02:14 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
Fotoguy[_2_]
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Posts: 28
Default Learning to think in Black and White

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:30:39 -0700, eNo wrote:

"The question of what makes a good Black and White (B&W) photograph has
puzzled me more than any other photography-related issue. Frankly, for
some time I operated under the principle that I never saw a B&W image
that didn’t look better in color. Then came a trip to Paris this last
spring. Following someone’s observation that “Paris was made for B&W
photography,” I gave B&W a try, even setting my camera to capture B&W
RAW files. I was amazed..."

You can read the rest of the write-up at:
http://esfotoclix.com/blog1/?p=464

[snip]


If you really want to learn to "see" in b&w, take a year off from digital
for a total immersion course: shoot nothing but b&w film, develop it
yourself, and print with an enlarger on real photographic paper. Shoot
lots of different b&w films, do lots of development tests with many
different film developers, learn how to use Contrast Filters, and use
lots of different photo papers while searching for your "style." And
read at least one good book on The Zone System. The entire process will
help you immensely with your digital b&w work, and you'll be a much
better photographer, too.


--
Fotoguy
BestInClass.com
"Personalized digital camera recommendations"
http://www.bestinclass.com/digital-cameras
  #2  
Old August 19th 09, 03:31 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
Or ...
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Posts: 1
Default Learning to think in Black and White

On Wed, 19 Aug 2009 01:14:20 GMT, Fotoguy wrote:

On Tue, 18 Aug 2009 05:30:39 -0700, eNo wrote:

"The question of what makes a good Black and White (B&W) photograph has
puzzled me more than any other photography-related issue. Frankly, for
some time I operated under the principle that I never saw a B&W image
that didnt look better in color. Then came a trip to Paris this last
spring. Following someones observation that Paris was made for B&W
photography, I gave B&W a try, even setting my camera to capture B&W
RAW files. I was amazed..."

You can read the rest of the write-up at:
http://esfotoclix.com/blog1/?p=464

[snip]


If you really want to learn to "see" in b&w, take a year off from digital
for a total immersion course: shoot nothing but b&w film, develop it
yourself, and print with an enlarger on real photographic paper. Shoot
lots of different b&w films, do lots of development tests with many
different film developers, learn how to use Contrast Filters, and use
lots of different photo papers while searching for your "style." And
read at least one good book on The Zone System. The entire process will
help you immensely with your digital b&w work, and you'll be a much
better photographer, too.


Or ... get any P&S camera with an EVF and a built-in B&W mode. Then you
directly see and compose in B&W whenever you want at the toggle of a menu
option. There's really no substitute for being able to actually see your
scene in B&W as you compose it. The wonders and benefits of digital cameras
with electronic viewfinders. The better ones do not just desaturate the
image data but apply the same luminance values to the color channels as the
eye sees them. I tested this in the Canon Powershot cameras. Their B&W mode
balances the channels with (approximately) 27% R, 62% G, and 11% B. Really
close to the suggested standard of 30% R, 59% G, and 11% B. Shoot in B&W
for the JPG and save the RAW for later processing to apply any B&W
color-filters that you want by using your Channel Mixer tool in your
favorite editor. The one in Photoline is nice because it has a "Fix to
100%" option, as you change one channel it balances the two others to keep
luminance levels across all three at 100%. You can also alter them
individually from -200% to +200%. Using the 100% ranges allows for some
unique faux IR effects when applied to green foliage. It also has a
contrast adjustment going from -200% to +200%. More fun is had by doing
faux IR effects in full color by applying changes to individual color
channels and not just luminance.







  #3  
Old August 19th 09, 09:29 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
PDM[_2_]
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Posts: 61
Default Learning to think in Black and White


Or ... get any P&S camera with an EVF and a built-in B&W mode. Then you
directly see and compose in B&W whenever you want at the toggle of a menu
option. There's really no substitute for being able to actually see your
scene in B&W as you compose it. The wonders and benefits of digital
cameras
with electronic viewfinders. The better ones do not just desaturate the

snip

Or: using a digicam shoot in colour but convert to B&W in PS (or whatever).
And compare the colour pic with the B&W ones so you can directly see how the
colours look in B&W. And mimic filter affects in PS so you can compare
directly how filters affect the image.

PDM


  #4  
Old August 19th 09, 10:13 AM posted to rec.photo.digital
bugbear
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Posts: 1,258
Default Learning to think in Black and White

Fotoguy wrote:

If you really want to learn to "see" in b&w, take a year off from digital
for a total immersion course: shoot nothing but b&w film, develop it
yourself, and print with an enlarger on real photographic paper. Shoot
lots of different b&w films, do lots of development tests with many
different film developers, learn how to use Contrast Filters, and use
lots of different photo papers while searching for your "style." And
read at least one good book on The Zone System. The entire process will
help you immensely with your digital b&w work, and you'll be a much
better photographer, too.


Why does this require the use of film?
All of what you suggest can be done digitally, and to similar effect.

BugBear
  #5  
Old August 19th 09, 12:07 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
Giftzwerg
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Posts: 120
Default Learning to think in Black and White

In article ,
says...

If you really want to learn to "see" in b&w, take a year off from digital
for a total immersion course: shoot nothing but b&w film, develop it
yourself, and print with an enlarger on real photographic paper.


Come now. This is like suggesting that an aspiring motocross racer take
a year off from motorcycles and spend it in the stables learning horse
husbandry and equine science.

Shoot
lots of different b&w films, do lots of development tests with many
different film developers, learn how to use Contrast Filters, and use
lots of different photo papers while searching for your "style." And
read at least one good book on The Zone System. The entire process will
help you immensely with your digital b&w work, and you'll be a much
better photographer, too.


The only serious reasons for learning the vastly different trade of
chemical photography is if the student intends to get into chemical
photography in a big way. Nothing wrong with this, of course, but it's
a bit silly to suggest that a student spend all this time, effort, and
*money* learning something that has only dubious ties to the skills
necessary for digital photography.


--
Giftzwerg
***
"It isn't conservative rumors or lies that are stopping healthcare
legislation; it's the justifiable alarm of an electorate that has been
cut out of the loop and is watching its representatives construct a
tangled labyrinth for others but not for themselves. No, the airheads of
Congress will keep their own plush healthcare plan - it's the rest of us
guinea pigs who will be thrown to the wolves."
- Camille Paglia
  #6  
Old August 19th 09, 12:24 PM posted to rec.photo.digital
Jeff R.
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Posts: 769
Default Learning to think in Black and White

Fotoguy wrote:

If you really want to learn to "see" in b&w, take a year off from
digital for a total immersion course: shoot nothing but b&w film,
develop it yourself, and print with an enlarger on real photographic
paper. Shoot lots of different b&w films, do lots of development
tests with many different film developers, learn how to use Contrast
Filters, and use lots of different photo papers while searching for
your "style." And read at least one good book on The Zone System. The
entire process will help you immensely with your digital b&w
work, and you'll be a much better photographer, too.


Sentimental claptrap.

That's all I did for decades, and it bears no relation to the stuff I do now
with digital.

It's like saying you need to know how to break in a horse in order to ride a
motorcycle.

--
Jeff R.

 




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