"To be a photographer or a digital artist that is the question? Whether
it is nobler in the mind to 'authentically' photograph the scene and
risk suffering the slings and arrows of outrageous criticism and
misfortune or to take up extensive post processing to avoid a sea of troubles and
so alter the image to one's perception".
However, there's the rub, many photographers do have their own
perception of the scene and often their final image on the web or print
on the wall invariably deviates from the reality.
When you read the internet reviews or articles on black and white conversions,
many photographers will state that the viewers are only interested in
the final result they see. There is some truth in this and
with digital photography when you shoot colour and then convert to black
and white, it is obvious that some post processing will have to be
administered to make the conversion. However, it could be argued that
the extensive manipulation of light by 'dodging and burning' and
'layering' in post processing could be regarded as fraudulent to your
talent as a photographer but a credit to your talents as a digital
artist. Mind you 'digital artist' on your business card might not sway
it with a guy looking to employ you as a photographer!
Here are a few of my black and white attempts which have been converted from
'RAW' colour files - there is no extensive post processing, other than
adjustments to sharpness, brightness and contrast. The image shot at
Lake Garda has been softened and the highlights slightly lifted.
A video of
some of the black and white work of
Rui Palha.
Those who spend a great deal of their time in post processing very often
miss the fact that a true black and white 'masterpiece' is usually
judged by the content, composition and appears natural. In fact some of
the best black and white images are straight out of the camera as jpegs
or digitally scanned negatives produced by 'film' cameras. After all -
photography it is all about light in the first place and if the light is
correct and the image is captured properly then there should be hardly
any requirement for extensive post processing.
The location, subject material and the correct light conditions
are important but so is the camera, lens and even the filters. A
photographer is working with all of those elements together and
seeking the optimum image quality in the composition. The ability of the
equipment to resolve the finer detail at distance and especially with
landscapes is crucial for black and white images.
The 'draw' of the lens is another factor to be considered and how it
works with the filters to marry that fine detail to create the proper
effect. Some lenses have a natural ability to soften and retain a 'high
yield' of sharpness that is very visible and yet it is not seen as harsh
within the softness of the overall picture - the effect can be quite
stunning. Some lenses were made for black and white photography, not
literally but turn out as such. These kind of lenses are often used to
produce 'Fine Art' black and white images which display incredible
luminosity.
The most popular post processing software packages for creating black
and white conversions with extensive editing tools are Adobe CS5and
Nik Silver Efex Pro.
I use Adobe Lightroom to convert my colour 'RAW' images into black and
white, most often a sepia or an antique grayscale conversion. I don't
possess any soft lenses so I tend to soften some of my images using the
software. It does a reasonable job
but
I refuse to be 'completely' seduced by post processing and to date I
constantly strive to keep PP at a minimum. It is a very hard route to
take - to properly develop your photographic skills with a camera and
lens, a few filters and a tripod but I submit it brings greater
satisfaction that 'dodging, burning and layering/merging an image in a
computer darkroom for hours on end - unless of course you want to get
into digital art.
For those of you photographers who seriously want to get into 'Digital
Art' and extensive post processing or HDR, then
Twisted Tree is
certainly a site that you can learn from. It is simply breath taking and
the monochrome images will blow your mind! The site takes you through
standard colour photography to monochrome HDR and into the realms of
impressionist art..............worth checking out for any photographer who
aspires to make a start in photographic art!
The hard part regarding black and white photography could be considered
the finding of locations and subjects but a large part is also the
dedication required in preparation - judging the right light conditions,
the setting up of the gear and taking the shot. Sure a lucky subject
might just pop up and in that 'decisive moment' the shot is taken but in
the main, it is dedication and hard work that delivers the images!
My apologies to William Shakespeare!
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Charity of Choice - The Sick Kids
