Want Impressive Black & White Images? DON'T SHOOT THEM IN BLACK & WHITE! Really.

by A. Mac

All Rights Reserved/Images & Article

If asked to name a famous photographer, I'd bet the ranch that most people would say "Ansel Adams."

Adams worked in "traditional" photography ... film, chemicals, darkroom, prints; heaven only knows what Adams could have done with a digital camera and "digital darkroom"!

Fact is, Adams manipulated many, if not all of his images in the darkroom ... dodging and burning until a given negative would yield a print as he pre-visualized it before releasing the shutter.

Using Adams as the "standard," there should be no criticism or guilt ascribed to digitally editing/manipulating a photograph after it is uploaded from memory card to computer, worked through Photoshop et al to print or electronic display/finished stage. Fact is, if you shoot in the jpeg file format, even the highest quality jpeg setting ... the camera edits your shots before recording them to your memory card ... even beyond any settings you selected!

Damn!

But all right ... I won't belabor that now ... look for future articles on RAW file format digital photography; now let me clear up my apparent oxymoron of a discussion title.

Even if you shoot with the intention of a black & white "finished" image ... if you have image-editing software, shoot it in color , adjust things like LEVELS, CONTRAST and BRIGHTNESS in the color original, and DON'T CONVERT THE IMAGE TO BLACK & WHITE , instead DESATURATE it an save is as a variation of the color original ... that way you'll have both versions.

WHY? Did someone ask "why?"

Good question.

Black & White digital image files (a.k.a. "Grayscale") are comprised of about 256 gradations from pure white to solid black. Color images have millions!Begin with more ... end with more.

That's why.

Time to put my money where my mouth is. Here are a number of black & white images I've taken with various digital cameras ... and although the will look every bit like black & white images ...

They're actually desaturated color images.

Don't tell anyone ... o.k.?

(1) Autumn is about "texture" as well as color.

(2) Texture!

3) Did I mention "texture"?

4) Uhhhhm ... yup ... that "T" word.

5) I'm not here to disparage color imagery ... I do believe however that black & white images allow the viewer to get to the essence of the subject matter by "undressing" it ... by taking off its facade and opening its "soul." Just my opinion.

6) Like so ...

7) White Rock, B.C. Canada

8) Light and shadow sometimes says all that needs to be said.

9) Or even more.

10) Lehigh River, Pennsylvania.