Black-and-White Photography Tips
Originally, just as with movies, all film for still photography was black-and-white or sepia. It wasnt until the mid-20th century that color photography became feasible for the masses. Obviously color photography is now open to anyone, and given that we see the world in color, why would we want to deliberately remove color from our photographs?
This question is slightly difficult to answer as it brings up another question; when to take a black and white photo or when to remove color from a photo using an editing program such as Photoshop.
The answer is quite simple, to simplify the photo. Using black and white or removing the color from a photo enables all distracting elements to be eliminated. This process is similar to that of blurring the background or playing with the frame of a photo.
So now we know the why, which has led us to the when, of black-and-white photography, lets look at the three main situations where we might de-saturate (i.e. remove color from) a photo.
# In portraiture – In color, a close-up picture of a person reveals all kinds of distracting details of their face ” blemishes, a red nose, uneven skin tones, and so on. Black-and-white photography strips out these details, and this makes it easier for the viewer to concentrate on what the photo reveals about the persons life or personality, which is what portraiture is all about.
# Abstract Fine Art Photography
Color is very noticeable in a photo, and it generally trumps things like patterns or shapes. So another use for black-and-white is when a photographer wants to take a photo that is about a pattern or shapes. This type of photograph comes up most often in what we might call abstract fine art photography, where there really isnt a clear or recognizable subject for the photo.
In addition, photographers of Abstract Fine Art will often increase the contrast of a photo after removing the color. This is commonly done with the assistance of an editing program.
# Whenever the photo is more or less monochromatic anyway
Having a photo that is lacking brilliant color is distracting. Hence, it only stands to reason that it be stripped and made a black and white photo. Just as color can be distracting, so too can be the lack of lustrous color.
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