The elements of contrast, texture, shadow, shape, and tone can create compelling and dramatic photos even without the use of color. If you have discovered the monochrome art of Ansel Adams and Alfred Stieglitz, you are probably wondering what they did to capture such deceptively simple and amazing images. Minimalist black and white photography is a form of art many have attempted. Mastering the techniques required to make the art great is attained by only a few.
If this is something that interests you, learning to ignore color is one of the first things you need to do. You can try a couple of simple things that might help. There are monochrome viewing filters you can purchase and attach to your camera. You might also pick up some cheap sunglasses, that have dark grey lenses, from a big box or dollar store. Monochrome is an appropriate photographic technique for nearly any subject, including still lifes, people, cityscapes, and landscapes.
Most people who teach photography, and other art courses, put a big emphasis on composition. Composition is certainly an important element, but that is true of both color and monochrome. The difference is that some compositions that work beautifully in color won't work at all in black and white. You have to learn how to judge the elements of composition to make your monochrome photos distinctive.
The foundation of good monochrome photography includes several elements. One of the most important is tone. There are subtle differences between tone and contrast that you must be aware of. When you are taking pictures of something like a street scene that is full of vibrant colors, you may be surprised to learn that the color doesn't translate well if you change it to monochrome. It can become an uninteresting muddle of different gray tones. You will improve the photo with colored filters or by adjusting the lighting.
Shadows are something you must become aware of. These are powerful tools for those making minimalist art. If your shadows are strong, you have a chance of taking a good photo. Shadows are intriguing to people. It's important to understand that a shadow isn't a black void. It can, and often should, be full of shadows that observers may or may not be able to completely make out.
There are shapes in shadows, but it's contrast that creates them. Shadows can be the element that defines your photos. Shapes are the objects the human brain uses to define and recognize its surroundings. One of the ways we identify objects is by the way they are shaped. Working in monochrome makes it even more important to look for shapes, and how they work with contrast and tone.
Texture is partly a product of shadow and light. If you eliminate texture as a way of creating a stark effect, the outcome will be something more along the lines of abstraction than if you included the texture. Texture can be created with the use of a low level light source that creates highlights and shadows revealing your subject's texture.
The decision to strip your work of color can be scary. Color can hide a lot of technical mistakes. Monochrome doesn't give the artist that cover.
If this is something that interests you, learning to ignore color is one of the first things you need to do. You can try a couple of simple things that might help. There are monochrome viewing filters you can purchase and attach to your camera. You might also pick up some cheap sunglasses, that have dark grey lenses, from a big box or dollar store. Monochrome is an appropriate photographic technique for nearly any subject, including still lifes, people, cityscapes, and landscapes.
Most people who teach photography, and other art courses, put a big emphasis on composition. Composition is certainly an important element, but that is true of both color and monochrome. The difference is that some compositions that work beautifully in color won't work at all in black and white. You have to learn how to judge the elements of composition to make your monochrome photos distinctive.
The foundation of good monochrome photography includes several elements. One of the most important is tone. There are subtle differences between tone and contrast that you must be aware of. When you are taking pictures of something like a street scene that is full of vibrant colors, you may be surprised to learn that the color doesn't translate well if you change it to monochrome. It can become an uninteresting muddle of different gray tones. You will improve the photo with colored filters or by adjusting the lighting.
Shadows are something you must become aware of. These are powerful tools for those making minimalist art. If your shadows are strong, you have a chance of taking a good photo. Shadows are intriguing to people. It's important to understand that a shadow isn't a black void. It can, and often should, be full of shadows that observers may or may not be able to completely make out.
There are shapes in shadows, but it's contrast that creates them. Shadows can be the element that defines your photos. Shapes are the objects the human brain uses to define and recognize its surroundings. One of the ways we identify objects is by the way they are shaped. Working in monochrome makes it even more important to look for shapes, and how they work with contrast and tone.
Texture is partly a product of shadow and light. If you eliminate texture as a way of creating a stark effect, the outcome will be something more along the lines of abstraction than if you included the texture. Texture can be created with the use of a low level light source that creates highlights and shadows revealing your subject's texture.
The decision to strip your work of color can be scary. Color can hide a lot of technical mistakes. Monochrome doesn't give the artist that cover.
About the Author:
See the exhibitions of the very talented minimalist black and white photography expert online. To get instant access to the website, here is the link http://www.kieranwalshgallery.com/about.
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