wonder of mono

From silver image fine art to digital conversions
mikehawthorne
Grand Caliph
Posts: 421
Joined: Thu Aug 07, 2008 5:41 am

wonder of mono

Unread post by mikehawthorne »

hi
even with all the colour reproduction that is possible, black and white photographs still manage to have that sense of tangable feeling that i find sometimes hard to describe.

mikehawthorne
User avatar
Dr. Harout
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 5662
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 7:38 pm
Location: Yerevan, Armenia
Contact:

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by Dr. Harout »

Seconded
A99 + a7rII + Sony, Zeiss, Minolta, Rokinon and M42 lenses

Flickr
David Kilpatrick
Site Admin
Posts: 5985
Joined: Sat May 19, 2007 1:14 pm
Location: Kelso, Scotland
Contact:

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by David Kilpatrick »

Agreed. My first photography was b/w and most of it is much better aesthetically than stuff I do now. Technically, although I was considered good, I think now have massive advantages. Some of my best prints were the result of difficult rescue work on badly exposed and developed films.

David
User avatar
bakubo
Tower of Babel
Posts: 5865
Joined: Tue Nov 06, 2007 7:55 am
Location: Japan
Contact:

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by bakubo »

Yes, I love B&W too.
User avatar
sury
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 5419
Joined: Sun Jun 17, 2007 6:58 am
Location: San Jose, California, USA
Contact:

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by sury »

I agree. It was always a challenge for me to visualize in black & white. Is that a pre-requisite?

Sury
Minimize avoidable sufferings - Sir Karl Popper
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I'd go as far as to say it would never bother me taking colour shots again..at times that is.
Some stuff just works better in b&w..but let's not forget sepia too. In particular people shots are made for mono.

Olivia & Alan 15th May 2010-28.jpg
(112.27 KiB) Downloaded 6802 times
Olivia & Alan 15th May 2010-154.jpg
(144 KiB) Downloaded 6802 times
Olivia & Alan 15th May 2010-2.jpg
(97.13 KiB) Downloaded 6802 times
(I'm using a Marumi soft fantasy filter on this one..)
User avatar
Dr. Harout
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 5662
Joined: Wed May 30, 2007 7:38 pm
Location: Yerevan, Armenia
Contact:

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by Dr. Harout »

Thumbs up, Barry.
A99 + a7rII + Sony, Zeiss, Minolta, Rokinon and M42 lenses

Flickr
User avatar
Birma
Tower of Babel
Posts: 6585
Joined: Sun Jun 29, 2008 3:10 pm

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by Birma »

Hi Barry - I really like shot number two in your series. I always enjoy the pictures you post - often less contraversial than your 'reviews' :D

I agree that B&W really suits people shots - why is this? Is it that B&W is more flattering to skin tones?
Nex 5, Nex 6 (IR), A7M2, A99 and a bunch of lenses.
User avatar
bfitzgerald
Subsuming Vortex of Brilliance
Posts: 3996
Joined: Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:48 pm

Re: wonder of mono

Unread post by bfitzgerald »

I think colour can work very well at times for people shots, though I'd be into the less contrasty softer tones on that side myself. Depends a lot on your type of shooting with this one. For this type of work I tend to be more "candid" style informal. For that I think b&w is just perfect and preferable to colour shots.
Removing the colour helps take away the distractions and focus on the what's going on in the image (if there is anything going on! lol)
Those shots just don't really appeal to me in colour. The only downside of the candid take is you have to work fast and be spontaneous, for examples I kinda jumped behind the girl in the mirror and quickly took a shot..she just started to look at me when I captured it. So you have to be fast thinking at times. 5d and a 50mm are perfect for this type of work..not too big and obtrusive..a whacking great zoom lens might be less well suited.

B&W also means I don't have to worry about WB as much (it does influence the tones in conversion)
So overall I'm sure a lot of folks feel mono focusses the viewers attention better than colour...strong colours can work great if colour is a big part of your shot..if it's not I feel mono really does help get the "vibe" across better. Imagine a strong red (or any other colour) in any of those shots and it could pull your eye away from the subject..that's why mono appeals to me.
Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 6 guests