wat to look for in b&w photography

Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Sydney

Hello

im new to photography and I'm taking a black and white photography class.

what makes a good b&w photo/ image?

volt

Posted: Mon Mar 13, 2006 5:16 am

Bit of a broad question,
You'll learn soon just how many elements there really are to photography.

Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Sydney

sorry for being so broad...

what would you guys say that works exceptionally well in b&w that wouldn't have the same effect on photography.

a friend of mine mentioned that shadows work really well on b&w photos but couldnt really explain because we are on the same class.

Joined: 29 Nov 2004 Posts: 792 Location: St. Louis, MO

B/w to me works good when there is alot of tones or gradation in light. Patterns and that sort of thing work good as well as simple pictures. But then again, all these same things work good in color photography as well.

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2006 7:30 pm

It's an interesting question.

I would say that b&w is quite effective when you wish to emphasize contours, shapes, edges, texture... geometry in general. Sometimes, b&w can unmask the more interesting geometrical aspects of a subject. Without colours to dominate a composition, we start to notice geometry and connectivity.

Bear in mind that b&w is one thing, monochrome is another. Just like b&w, monochrome and duotone can produce quite different impressions, compared to full colour.

:) keithwms

Joined: 14 Apr 2006 Posts: 621 Location: New Mexico, USA

Voltaire,
As with color photography, it's important to expose and print B&W photos so that there is still detail in the whites, and still detail in the shadows. Don't make the whites so white that you lose detail, and don't make the darks so dark that you lose detail.

Using B&W film gives you much more latitude to capture the range of luminance of a scene than color, although color print film has more range than color slide film

Posted: Fri May 12, 2006 3:22 pm

High contrast and wide variety of tones. IMO both are a must for good bw photos.

Joined: 12 Jun 2006 Posts: 27 Location: New York City

I would say that the overall composition of the BW image has to satisfy your photographic eye. If people don't like the image, they'll let you know why and you'll learn from your experience at your own pace.

Joined: 02 Jan 2007 Posts: 240

May I ask what the difference between shooting B&W and monochrome is?

Joined: 26 Oct 2006 Posts: 53

i heard that black and white are better at conveying the mood. Many portraits look much better when in black and white, though of couse it is not always the case. I love silhouette and shadow photos in black and white. Also i think nude photographs are always more appealing in b&w. While landscapes mostly look better in color IMHO.

Posted: Tue Apr 10, 2007 12:35 am

B&W white is all about defining the tones that make up a certian given situation. as many people have told me expose for the shadows and develop for the highlights. you can always give something more time this is too light but you cant put information there that never recorded on the film/(sensor).