Shutter Sisters

no color required

By

I admit I lean heavily toward color photography. There are those times where the absence of color just makes sense in processing, some photos almost seem to call out for it, but have you ever actually intentionally shot knowing you wanted a black and white image? I admit that is very rare for me and it truly makes my eye see differently than if i was just out shooting. It makes me work harder on compostion.  I notice the light differently and compose accordingly.  I find myself seeking out extreme areas of both darkness AND light. Stripping away all the happy shiny color leaves you with shadows, light, textures and emotion.

This week Erika Ray is hosting “A Week of No Color”  on Flickr.  I knew I wanted to join in, but then I personally decided that for this entire week I would shoot solely in black and white or dramatic sepia.  No color at all.  I knew it would challenge me,  but I also knew that this was just the sort of focus I needed right now. 

I have a few editing “go tos” when post processing an image over in Flickr’s editing program, Picnik.  I wanted to share them here today for anyone who doesn’t have editing software of their own OR just wants to try something for fun.  Of course Picnik has the standard black & white conversion button,  but if you venture off that page into “Advanced Tools”, go to “Curves” and then open up the drop down menu where it says “Default”.   There you will find “Dramatic Sepia”  and “Faded Daguerreotype” keys. The use of these buttons will easily transform your color image into something completely different in one click. The first, Dramatic Sepia, gives you a deep rich image full of darkness and drama just like its title says. The latter, Faded Daguerreotype, lightens and warms up the image almost whimsically, i especially love this one if you photo has a bit of grain or noise to it.  Go on over and play around,  Flickr editing is a user friendly and fun way to experiment, especially if you if you are new at processing your images. 

Today let’s all strip away the colors,  what do you see?  Share a black and white or sepia image here with us, and remember to click on over to Flickr and join in Erika’s group too! 

Comments

  19. I recently switched to black and white in the middle of shooting a random display of culture happening around me. I think it captured what I wanted to, the gritty sound of drumming and horns in the street, better than a blur of color.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/jnkay01/5365495113/

    Thanks for the reminder about the Picknik "Curves" tips! I had totally forgotten about those.

  20. Thanks so much! I get lost in that group every time I click into it. I'll look for some good B&W for you while I'm on the road today.

    Surprisingly, I've got all B&W too (ignore my 2 365's). I didn't anticipate that, but it's happened.

  24. When I learned photography, about 12 years ago, the digital area as not yet begun – well it existed, but it was not affordable and accessible for everyone, so we shot only films that we developed in dark room. Most of them were black and white (we used Ilford film and paper: I still miss the « Ilford feeling » ) and our teacher trained us to « see » in black and white so we had a better control on what we were shooting. The post today reminded of this time where the black and white conversion has to be made by our eyes first.
    Digital photography came to me 5 years ago and I have to admit it made me forgot this capacity to see in b&w. Because it always leaves you the choice… I shot a RAW and then, when I am in front of my screen, I decide if the image's going to be color or b&w. I have to admit though that I've been seeking for the better way to make those b&w photo, I want them to be as deep and beautiful as the one I made in real dark room… This is where I've putted my efforts on and sometimes, I make photos that satisfy me.

    Like this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bouquiniste/3504202385/in/set-72157607197744144/

    This: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bouquiniste/5054530917/in/set-72157607197744144/

    Or this: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bouquiniste/2680528595/in/set-72157607197744144/

    I love black and white. It's a return to the basics of photography, it's very important.

  25. Sometimes I can see the image as a b/w when taking it:
    http://www.pbase.com/skiingrn1/image/132017125
    http://www.pbase.com/skiingrn1/image/106599469
    Foggy conditions and backlighting made it a natural b/w.

    Other times I'm sitting in front of the computer and struggling with an image before realizing that b/w is the way to go:
    http://www.pbase.com/skiingrn1/image/131851836
    http://www.pbase.com/skiingrn1/image/122057630

    I'd love to be able to develop the skill to see a scene as b/w while actually standing there. Seems like I can only do so if the conditions are foggy and leading me mentally that direction.

  33. Your post rings so true today. Isn't the absence of color in photos almost like winter? Suddenly we are no longer distracted by the vibrant colors of the fall leaves but now we see what lies beneath–the bare but beautiful intricacies of the trees, with their branches like lace against the sky (or the wrinkles in our face or the details in our eyes). And winter seems to often make us focus more on ourselves, on what has been hiding in our souls. Black and white photography is winter, exposing our bare branches.
    Here's mine:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/papillonsky/5390620610/

  42. One of my favorite photos for the year is a b/w of my sons at a game with me that I had to shoot for work. The color version was okay, a bit off as I had my camera set for the lights on the court, not the lights where they were sitting. As such, when I turned it to b/w, it was just about perfect.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/mrsjennahatfield/5351104804/in/set-72157625603055361/

    I want to shoot black and white more, but I don't think about it. Perhaps I will work on it for a week sometime soon as well. Thank you for the encouragement.

  53. I love black and white photography, almost more than color photography. For me, black and white definitely seems more emotional, or perhaps even more honest.

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/chartlaub/5391671973/
    (This is the backside of a giant snowboard ramp built in the middle of my city, and you can see the city and county building in the background.)

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/chartlaub/5391888437/in/photostream/
    (And then you've got to love the Hipstamatic BlacKeys supergrain film for the iPhone!)