Making a Black & White Photo—Decisions to Make at the Point of Conversion

Submitted by Dwight Pounds

Supplementing Keith Bridgman’s excellent article on black & white photography, I would like to offer a few additional ideas on the subject from the perspective of one who has been working in the medium at one level or another for 70 years.  For starters, there is the subject of black & white film and no doubt many of us are acquainted with many common names—Kodak Verichrome, Plus-X, even XX, Tri-X, Ilford, Fuji, and the list goes on.  Likewise, the sizes—120, 220, 620 (!), 35, medium format and large format.  I’ll forgo mentioning camera models for sake of brevity and staying on the chosen subject of decisions to make in the process of producing convincing black & white photos in an age and plethora of color images.

 In the beginning there was the plate and other receptors of light which evolved into film, b/w to be sure, but eventually color, a medium which is still with us.  With the black & white negative, 

what we got out of the soup when it was developed (properly or not) was what we had to work with.  Like photography of all ages, it was a game of light manipulation, contrast, and definition.  Now well into the second century of photography, we have been enabled to both color and b/w photography to a degree and excellence only dreamed about in previous decades…but this comes with a serious caveat—by no means should one ever throw out their old negatives!!  New techniques and scanning and processing programs offer opportunities to squeeze more out of them that ever could be done in a wet darkroom. 

 

Concerning b/w photography in a digital age, I would like to present a digital color photograph and discuss some rather important, immediate decisions that must be made, even before the refinement processes begin.  This image of three posts from an old fence on very sandy soil and a pump jack from the West Texas oilfields will be my starting point.  Keith mentioned several conversion programs, 

to which I will add that I generally use “channel mixer” in PhotoShop.  The first step in the conversion process (see the series of three below) usually looks rather bland and in serious need of more attention.  One of the first elements of a photograph to get our attention is that of the sky and how to handle blue and keep it in balance with the remainder of the contents.  Here personal taste, to say nothing of the goal of the photographer, comes into play, as well as his/her intended audience.  While the first of the three photos may look perfectly acceptable to some, it probably is worth exploring additional options.  Please notice how the sky treatment gradually darkens and the changes in the following two images and how the lower half of the image is perceived. 

 

               

 

Ansel Adams used variations in sky shadings to great effect, relying primarily upon the blue-red relationship, a red filter darkening a blue sky considerably.  This of course, like any other aspect of human life and existence, can be taken to ridiculously and unacceptable levels, but even here there may be some lessons learned in what happened to the lower portion of the image that may be more acceptable than in the first three images.

 

Once the basic image is selected and the b/w conversion method selected, immediate decisions have to be made and the two I wish to briefly discuss concern (12) one’s artistic goal(s), (2) content, and (3) selection of a proper tint.  Again regarding the original color print, these considerations:

 

       

 

Precisely what is it that you as the artist are trying to say and how are you going to manipulate the original colors to get what you want…and to whom are you going to say it?   What is it in the photograph that you want to emphasize—the broad expanse of the area, the posts…or might it be the needle-like strands of prairie grass that are almost hidden in the first series of photos?  And what about that annoying can and the obtrusive scrap of paper?  Is your audience a photo club such as we have with Sunny 16?  If so, you may wish to clone out the paper and the can, but if you are preparing a program for an environmental group or simply citizens wanting to keep neighborhoods and open places clean, the “annoying” paper and the can may suddenly become key to your presentation. 

 Finally, there is the matter of tint.  Ansel did very well with standard black & white, but other tints of b/w are worth considering, most common being sepia and occasionally shades of blue.  Given that this image originates in a West Texas prairie area, I offer the same image in sepia for the viewer’s consideration. 

 While this is by no means a definitive description of everything that goes into the early phases of creating a viable black & white photo, perhaps it will get you off to a good start! 

The Making of A Black and White Photo

Submitted by Keith Bridgman 

What makes a good black and white photo? It's not such an easy question to answer because black and white photos encompass a wide variety of subtle and subjective characteristics. Personally I love black and white. Color has its place and can present a powerful mood generating image. However, black and white allows for the removal of the distraction of color to focus more on subject and story. It becomes a graphic representation of what is captured, not an exact reproduction, but something that at once captures the essence of the subject yet allows the creative instincts of the photographer to interpret the story.

Story. I could write 20 articles about the photographic story and still not cover all of it. Story is key in a black and white photograph. It represents what was important to the photographer at that precise moment. It connects what happened before, to the moment now, through to what will happen. It allows the viewer to understand what the image is about. This of course can apply to all forms of photography, but in black and white, story is a must and it should be clear and to the point. Story is told through the composition and the elements within the composition should be kept to a minimum and obtain just enough information to clearly identify the story. Too much clutter confuses the story. Its probably better to have too little than too much. A minimalist approach can often provide a wonderful story. The capture interpretation is up to the photographer and how he / she visualizes the finished image can make or break the image.

There are two examples illustrated here. The first one above is a classic black and white interpretation where bold light and contrast is used to good effect. The second one is much more subtle and softer, yet it retains all the same elements as the first one. 

Let's look at those elements. In black and white, contrast is a key component. One thing to keep in mind is that most black and white images will run the range of tonal values from almost completely black to almost completely white with varying degrees of gray tones across the story line. Although these two images are quite different in nature, they still contain a full range of tonal values.

Composition is, as with all photographs, very important. The same principles apply. Things like Rule of Thirds, Point of Interest, and Light all add to the flavor of the black and white image. Look at the top image. Notice how light is used here. Taken at dusk, there was just enough ambient light to capture some background detail without overpowering the image. The light from the candle lantern illuminates the snow that has gathered on top of the small table. Some additional off camera light brings out the detail in the end-woodgrain of the table, and the hatchet handle reflects some of the light provided by the candle lantern. All these things provide separation of the elements within the story. The hatchet provides an action-taken element. The snow identifies time of year. The table offers a rustic flavor. The overall scene tells the story of a winter campsite.

The second image, a mirror image created to represent a reflection, was taken during a morning of heavy fog which almost completely obscured the tree and its surrounding terrain. The exposure turned the background almost white, yet hinted that something was floating around through the subtle nature of the soft gray effect. It's a simple story with soft, subtle elements, yet a very pleasing capture of a moment in time.

So what kinds of subject matter translate well into black and white. Personally, I favor big sky images, especially panoramic big skies. When shot using a polarizer, the contrast of the sky and clouds can be quite dramatic. Care should be taken to retain texture in the clouds when setting up your exposure, and you should always include something of interest in the foreground. 

Another of my favorites are dark ominous clouds. These can be tricky to capture, but when captured as a panoramic, they are quite dramatic. 

Snow is another great subject for black and white, but it can be tricky to capture. Auto exposures will almost certainly turn a bright white snow gray. 

It's just the nature of how the camera's auto exposure is made which wants to move white to a middle tone 18% gray value. Usually, snow requires from +1 to +2 stops of exposure compensation, but this is very subjective and sometimes something less will also work. What to avoid is flat 18% gray or blown out no detail white. It can be tricky and the right combination is often a subtle blend of whites and grays.

Flat 18% Gray Snow

Overexposed Snow

Most of my black and white photos were converted from color images. 

Most of the ones I converted were taken specifically for that purpose. Although post processing is 

important when it comes to creating a finished photo, that subject is well outside the intent of this article. I will say I use Silver Effex for my black and white conversion process, but there are numerous Lightroom and PhotoShop black and white conversion software addon's available. Lightroom and PhotoShop alone will do a credible job of creating a black and white conversion.

What makes a good black and white photograph? Well, I've only touched the surface of it here. Hopefully, this will give you some idea of how to approach this amazing form of photography. Thinking in terms of black and white while photographing the world around you can open creative opportunities and contribute a great deal to your photographic enjoyment.

The Environmental Wildlife Portrait

Submitted by Keith Bridgman

 Let me start off by qualifying a few things. First of all wildlife photography is something I do...occasionally. I have many photographer friends who are far more adept and skilled at capturing wildlife than I am. Even so, I do enjoy getting out and attempting to capture whatever wildlife happens to present itself in front of my camera lens. Doing so I have employed various ways to conceal myself such as a rustic burlap hide to get in close to backyard song birds. I have sat fully camouflaged, and shivering on a cold January morning before sunrise to hopefully catch a glimpse of a deer as it meanders across a frozen field.

 I have also sat, again fully camouflaged, inside a bramble of fence row shrubs to hopefully have a flight of Sandhill Cranes land into the wind in front of me. There have been times I have trudged through waste high prairie grass in sweltering heat in hopes of discovering some prairie wildlife. I have even shot from inside my Jeep. More often than not, the wildlife did not cooperate and I would walk away empty handed.

But, on those occasions when the wildlife did appear, I have one thing in mind photographically; that is to capture the subject and include as much of the environment as possible. The reason for this is to not only capture the natural behavior of the critter, but to include its personal story as it relates to where it lives.

Closeup portraits of wildlife whether it be backyard song birds, or wild animals are nice captures in their own right. Usually only a small part of the natural environment is captured.

 But sometimes including a larger part of its environment as part of the composition can make a very powerful and interesting photograph. My goal is to give the wildlife context. To show where he lives, and combine elements of landscapes with the wildlife image.

Equipment is important, but not absolute. What works best for me is my main lens a Sigma 50-500mm f/4 - f/6.3. It has performed very well for me over the years, however I also use a basic 75-300mm Minolta lens, not unlike what you find with common relatively inexpensive combo lens / camera sets. It's just a matter of what fits your budget. Almost any telephoto lens from 200mm up will work just fine.

I much prefer for an environmental wildlife photo to have my subject close enough so I can get a good clean sharp image, yet far enough out so the telephoto lens effect can blur the background just enough to place emphasis on the subject, yet show the environmental situation. Also by shooting from a low down eye level position the effect is enhanced by including portions of both the foreground and background.

Another technique is capturing flying birds, especially large flocks of birds such as geese or sandhill cranes against a setting sun. This can create an awesome bold image. The trick here is to do it in such a way as to compress the background against the flight of the birds. This serves to enlarge the setting sun, enrich the colors, and generate a silhouette effect of the birds. 

 Deer can be one of the most fascinating subjects for an environmental wildlife portrait. They can also be very difficult to capture. Stealth is required most of the time and I usually will setup either a blind or be fully camouflaged and sit well back into the natural cover. I am fortunate to have access to about 30 acres behind where I live and I have several times setup well before sunrise in anticipation of seeing the deer as they work their way across and into the corn stubble fields.

 The tawny light of sunrise I feel is the best time, especially in winter as there will often be a heavy frost across the landscape that enhances the moment. The deer do not always have to be real close. For a environmental portrait, one that is some distance away often offers a better composition simply because it allows for more of the landscape to be included. 

I love to photograph large groups of flying birds especially against a woodland background on an overcast day. The contrasts of colors, brightness, and detail can create a magical mood. A good place to look is around large lakes especially in winter. You can often find flocks of gulls that offer wonderful environmental wildlife opportunities and sometimes pelicans or geese.

Shooting environmental wildlife portraits is a fun and productive way to get out and enjoy the great outdoors. It can be as varied as you want to make it. It does require a little planning and patience. Almost any DSLR camera and a basic telephoto lens works just fine. In fact they can be even better than larger focal length lens as they are so light weight you can often shoot by hand with really good results...this also allows you to be more mobile and adaptive to the situation.

Give it a try sometime if you have never done so. I'm sure you will agree the results will far out weight the effort required to make the attempt.

Old Car City

 Submitted by Sheila Reeves

On October 29^th and 30^th, 2021, I participated in Mike Moat’s photo tour of Old Car City in White, Georgia, approximately 50 miles NNW of Atlanta, and about 75 miles SSE of Chattanooga. To get there from Kentucky, you don’t have to go through Atlanta!

According to the Old Car City, USA website:

“Old Car City in White, Georgia contains the worlds largest known classic car junkyard. Visitors enjoy the beautiful vegetation of the deep south that is intertwined with the hundreds of cars that reside in Old Car City. Old Car City started as a small general store in 1931 and is still family owned and operated. Come enjoy the Old South environment, folk art, ghosts of beautiful classic cars, and much more! With over 34 acres and over 4000 American-made cars from the early 20th Century, these cars, trucks, vans, and even a couple school buses are placed in such a way as to be ideally suited for photos, videos and custom camera shoots.  …  Mayor of Old Car City USA, Dean Lewis, … is also an artist in his own rite with some of the most unique canvas...the styrofoam cup. In his upstairs loft, Lewis has hundreds of styrofoam canvases featuring his artistic talents on display along with some paintings he will proudly show off.”

 
The cars at Old Car City range from the 1930s through the 1970s. We concentrated on the older ones, and never got to the area with the 60s and 70s. In addition to the outside shooting, there is a building full of all kinds of old stuff you can photograph.

The weather during my trip was overcast with a few periods of rain. We did not have to contend with much dappled light or glare since the sky acted like a big soft box. Perfect! I shot using two lenses – a 28-70 zoom lens and a 100mm macro lens. Almost every shot was on a tripod since the forest environment did not allow for fast shutter speeds.

I found myself attracted to three types of images: 1.      Wide shots encompassing entire vehicles or groups of vehicles 2.      Shots of hood ornaments and emblems 3.      Close up shots of rust and patina (textures)

 It was fun shooting these old cars, but it was also fun going a little crazy with the post-processing. I added textures and grunge borders, and even turned one hood ornament into an undersea fantasy!

 Mike runs a trip every spring and every fall and he knows where all the good shots are. The place is a bit of a maze, and I was glad I didn’t have to worry about getting turned around. I had a blast photographing something different than I can do around here. I hope some of you can make it over there sometime.