The Black & White Photography Book

180 Pages·2016·41.41 MB·English

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Welcome to…
There is something magical yet traditional about monochromatic photography.
All the distractions of colour are taken away and what you’re left with is
the structure and form of a place, object or person. In The Black & White
Photography Book Fifth Edition, you will be guided through all the fundamental
aspects of the medium, including how to shoot professional-looking black-and-
white portraits, landscapes and travel images. Soon a moody city scene will
transform into piece of black and white art through your lens. In this revised
edition, we have provided you with essential advice from industry professionals
who shoot black-and-white images in all genres, including stunning architecture
. But it’s not all just about shooting techniques and skills – we also have several
editing tutorials, so you can take advantage of image-editing software to turn
your black-and-white shots into monochromatic masterpieces and add effects
that nature couldn’t provide you with on the day. If that wasn’t enough, we’ve
included video tutorials and source fi les exclusive to readers on fi lesilo.co.uk, so
you can follow along with many of the editing tutorials at home. Enjoy the book.

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way with the companies mentioned herein.
The Black & White Photography Book Sixth Edition
© 2016 Future Publishing Limited
Part of the
bookazine series
Contents

Getting started in
B&W photography
An introduction and essential tips to the medium
22
TECHNIQUES
Essential kit for
32 5 tips for shooting in B&W
B&W photography
Capture stunning mono masterpieces with this
The best kit for great black-
pro guide
and-white photographs
40 T op 10 mono secrets
Ever wonder how the experts get the perfect
black and white shot? We uncover all
48 Professional effects for B&W
Discover how expert photographers create
compelling monochrome photographs
58 P erfect portraits
We show you how to shoot professional
monochrome portraits
66 Standout landscapes
Discover how to make your black and white
landscapes pop
74 Inspirational architecture
Learn how to make buildings look otherworldly
78 F ine art B&W
The 10 very best professional techniques to help
you master the world in black and white
6 THE BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK
106
166
92 Shooting the streets
in B&W
Head outside and photograph the streets in
black and white with our guide
98 B &W abstracts
EDITING 58
Search for shape, pattern and structure
and go abstract
142 Six black and white
SHOOTING
conversion techniques
The ultimate guide for converting colour
SKILLS
images to black and white
150 Go mono in RAW
106 Master composition
Use Adobe Camera Raw’s processing interface
Make sure it’s all in the frame for effective conversions
112 Control images 152 Master Elements
with filters Learn how to use Photoshop Elements to
convert your images
Improve your black and whites
with filters 156 Convert to monochrome
118 High-key lighting with Nik Silver Efex Pro
M aster modern high-key Produce inspiring effects in a matter of minutes
photography techniques with Nik Collection’s free software
126 C apture a moody 158 Use Dodge & Burn to
mono seascape enhance portraits
Create fine art with a ten-stop neutral Lighten and darken areas under control
density filter 162 Create a black & white HDR
132 Create a film noir portrait in Photoshop
Shoot and edit some atmospheric Blend three black and white images into one
black-and-white portraits
166 Master tone edits
136 Fake a dark background
Work with tone to create a masterful
Produce a dark backdrop in-camera monochrome image
in brightly lit environments
170 Sepia tone your images
138 Go mono with speedlights
Add a traditional brown tone to your photos
It’s not all about colour effects, as
174 Create off-centre vignette
a portable flash can be used for
black-and-white effects Learn how to make your own vignettes 74
Getting started in B&W photography
&
Getting started in
black white
photography
8 THE BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK
Getting started in B&W photography
WATERFALL IN GLENCOE
“I was only [available] to visit this lovely
location in the middle of the day and the
light was harsh, so I decided to shoot in
black and white and use my Lee Big Stopper
to smooth out the water and give a feeling of
calm against the stormy-looking sky”
Shot details: Canon EOS 50D with a
17-40mm lens, f9, 30sec, ISO 100
© Helen Rushton
Master monochrome by learning how to
capture incredible black-and-white images
P
hotography began in black and white. making black and white much more accessible to
But with rolls of monochrome fi lm and photography enthusiasts. As it works effortlessly with
darkroom experiments, the equipment and any photographic genre, the black and white medium is
techniques used were a long way from the used across the industry, from landscape to portraiture,
digital cameras and image-editing software as well as in music, wildlife and street photography.
that we have now. With some of the world’s most iconic Over the next few pages you will learn all the
images having been captured in the black-and-white fundamentals of the medium. Featuring great inside
medium, there is a lot of history behind it, but it’s no information from industry professionals, you will get
surprise that it remains as popular now as when it was to grips with all essential shooting tips, tricks and
fi rst developed. techniques behind taking successful black-and-white
Advancing successfully from fi lm into digital over images. By reading this guide to black and white
recent years, the monochrome medium has improved photography, you will soon be on your way to mastering
dramatically. Even darkroom tools and techniques monochrome and applying all you have learnt to your
have seen a digital revival with computer software, own images.
THE BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK 9
Getting started in B&W photography
e Before you begin shooting straight in monochrome,
consider your camera settings. Most digital cameras offer a
5 TOP TIPS
monochrome fi lter, allowing you to shoot directly in black
and white; however, this setting is only available when Dean Sherwood
opting to capture JPEG fi les. JPEGs are not ideal fi les for any
serious photographer and are rarely used by professionals. Web: www.deansherwood.com
t
Compressed image data JPEGs are more diffi cult to alter in “I am a Grimsby-based
postproduction, with many decreasing in quality after just a commercial photographer/
cinematographer producing
few adjustments. Instead, pro black-and-white photographers
high-quality imagery for
i will always opt to use RAW if shooting a commercial project. commercial businesses, retail
When looking to create great black-and-white images sites, portraiture, weddings,
you need to begin by setting your camera up to shoot in the musicians/bands and HD web
h
RAW image format. Although they’re much larger, RAW TV films for commercial
businesses.” Dean specialises in
fi les are ideal for digital black-and-white photography. You’ll
music photography and has
be capturing in colour fi rst, but RAW images can later be
worked closely and been on tour
converted with much more control, as Antonia Deutsch (www. with big British bands such as
antoniadeutsch.co.uk), a professional AOP photographer who N-Dubz, Feeder, McFly and
specialises in black-and-white photography, advises: “When I One Direction.
w am shooting digitally I shoot in colour and convert my images 1 Choose RAW
into black and white – this gives much more information Photograph in RAW if you can.
in the digital fi les. It is extremely important not to use the
2 Emotive work
camera’s software but to be in control of converting the colour
Capturing emotion always looks great in black and white.
into black and white in the way that suits your image, in the
same way that you would choose which type of fi lm to use 3 Contrast rules
prior to digital technology.” Think about the contrast between the main subject and the
background, like a light subject against a dark background.
Setting up your camera correctly is just one part of
capturing a great black-and-white photograph; getting out 4 Throw some shapes
&&there ready to compose is another. When shooting with the Lines, shapes and textures look great in black and white.
intention to convert your colour captures to monochrome, you 5 Composition is key
will need to take a whole new approach to composition. Unlike With colour removed you have to concentrate on your
a colour photograph where you can rely more on the hues and composition. The viewer’s focus is purely the content of the
colour tones, a black-and-white image gets its strength from image so make it good.
the contrast and visual composition.
Work slowly when framing your image, as looking for
more unusual and unique shapes can help to add detail and
texture to an otherwise bland black-and-white shot. Helen
Rushton, a professional landscape photographer who runs
See Life Through The Lens photography workshops (www.
seelifethroughthelens.com), remarks: “Take your time with
your composition; black-and-white images need to be strong
to work well. With my black-and-white images I am always
looking for bold textures, contrast between layers and lines in
the composition to draw my viewers through the image.” TULISA, N-DUBZ
Light is equally as important to consider when shooting Tulisa having her hair and make-up
k for black and white. Whether it’s a portrait or landscape, done before a show
Shot details: Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
understanding how it falls can make a noticeable difference
with 24-70mm lens at 35mm and f5.0,
to the success of your black-and-white photographs. Look 1/400sec, ISO 3200
carefully for the highlights, midtones and shadows in your
composition before you shoot, helping to ensure you expose
all your captures correctly. Don’t be afraid, however, DAPPY, N-DUBZ
c aactoonr ondsult-iwrngadhhs ttiwl,ty ewi tochhov ienycrohveue xcrraps einoox snipen o – afs anouc firttme eb ntaeo gti hbdee ret iahwnla,go ta roisssu t H itin tae twlneendinl dl ha ediddgod h fisosl:ir gi“ nbPhclltaa rdceyeka t-saei ls caSShtmh a3oan5tlcm lederem t vto aea gninleusdt:e fsCs5h aw,o n1it/tosh4n l 0ig kEo0eOo stSdeh c i1lsi,Dg ISh MtOian 3rgk2 o 0IVf0f ewri tah m a u2c4h- 7b0emttmer lens © Dean Sherwood
that catch your eye.” MCFLY
a Check your image’s histogram as you work on the back of The final shot of the ATN tour. There’s always that glimmer
of doubt: ‘Will they forget I’m here?’ Within a minute of this
your camera. This can help to ensure you’re on the right track,
photo we were on the tour bus and leaving the venue
as it is important to note that too much midtone in a histogram Shot details: Canon EOS 5D Mark II with a 24-70mm lens
can make an image it appear fl at when converted, as it will at 24mm and f2.8, 1/160sec, ISO 2000
lack any contrast or depth.
Not all colour images work well when converted to black “Not all colour images
l and white, and this is usually due to a lack of tonal range.
Tonal range is largely affected by colour and, along with light,
work well in black
b defi nes the contrast areas in a black-and-white photograph.
When shooting, you can take some control of this simply by
paying more attention to the natural colours of the subject and white… due to a
you’re photographing.
For instance, what may look like a striking photograph
in colour, with two dominant colours such as red and blue, lack of tonal range”
in black and white you will fi nd these colours are recorded
10 THE BLACK & WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK