This week's reading in The Magic of Black and White by Andrew S. Gibson covers pages 32-44.
We've been exploring several components of black and white photography, especially compositional elements which are enhanced by the black and white genre. This week we turn our attention to the foundation of all photography, light, and how it works in black and white. The word "photography" is actually derived from two Greek words, photos which means "light", and graphe which is a form of the verb "to write". As you "write with light" this week keep in mind that the quality of the light in your picture, determines the quality of your photograph. Does the light suit your subject? Is it the best light for your subject? If "no" is the answer to either of these questions, you may want to consider taking a photograph at another time when the lighting is better. Gibson writes, "Black and white gives the photographer freedom to take photos in all sorts of lighting conditions. The secret is to make sure the light fits the subject."
Gibson proceeds to describe and analyze 6 NATURAL lighting conditions. While some of these can be replicated with studio and man-made lights, the focus of Gibson's book deals with the light at hand, unmanipualted and as is.
SOFT LIGHT- is the kind of light you find in the shade or on a cloudy day. The contrast in this lighting is lower and the shadows have softer edges. The key to using soft light is to understand contrast. It is opposite of hard light. Soft light is best for photos of people (especially portraits), rainforests, woodlands, still life, and flowers. Gibson says, "The best thing about soft lighting is that it requires no skill to use it, only the ability to see it and match it to your vision."
HARD LIGHT- is the direct light of a sunny day which is strong and harsh, and casts deep shadows with hard edges. Due to its severe nature, hard light is often undesirable, especially if you're shooting a landscape or portrait. BUT during the golden hours (just after sunrise and just before sunset) harsh light becomes softer and its quality improves. Since the light at this time of day is coming from a lower angle it reveals form and texture in a more interesting way than it would at midday.
DRAMATIC LIGHT- is created by dramatic weather such as a thunderstorm, or when the sun breaks through the clouds at sunset. It is ideal for landscapes, seascapes, architecture and almost anything outside. Gibson says, "Treat dramatic light as a gift adn take as many photos as you can while it lasts" because dramatic light is transient in nature. You don't know how long it last, or if and when it will return. Be careful though as some of the weather conditions that cause dramatic lighting can be dangerous!
BACK LIGHTING- is created by a light source that is behind the suject. It is characterized as having lots of contrast like HARD LIGHT and is best at the end or start of the day. Back lighting works well with landscapes, portraits, and architectural shots because it is a powerful, moody and evocative type of lighting. Gibson advises his readers that they must keep their lens "scrupulously clean" for back lighting as "the light may shine on the front element of your lens." If a flare should occur, it is best to incorporate the flare into your picture rather than to try and erase it in post processing.
SUNRISE & SUNSET- We often think of these two beautiful light conditions in terms of color, but don't be afraid to shoot them in black and white too! Gibson points out that a sunrise or sunset shot in black and white "brings out an incredible tonal range and contrast as low light accentuates textures." Professional landscape photographers particularly love this type of lighting, often rising earlier than the sun and staying out unitl it has set to capture a shot.
NATURAL LIGHT INTERIORS- use natural light coming through windows and doors to photograph interiors. Pay attention to where the light is coming from when you are doing this. Open doors and windows have a tendancy to "burn out" because they are much brighter than the rest of the scene. However, if the picture is exposed correctly, this type of light can be very dramatic and moody, especially inside older buildings. Although using HDR techniques in this lighting is an option, Gibson prefers not to use it. He believes that nuances in light, such as shadowy corners, leave a lot to the imagination and allows the character of the interior to show through.
This week develop your skill at seeing light. Try to find three or more of the different types of light to photograph this week. There are no pre-selected subjects, but you may want to find a number of different scenarios to photograph which will allow you to "see" how light affects that picture. Or, you may choose one subject and try different lighting applications. For example you could take the approach of asking, "What does my neighborhood look like at sunrise, midday and during a storm?" You could also try to copy one or more of Gibson's examples but with your own personal twist.
this owl kept presenting itself to me and then i had an epiphany almost belatedly for my flash of red. never thought valentine's day could get me so excited! :-)
For the 'flash of red' of b&w month...It was fun planning and executing! I've been saving these hearts since last year and so glad I finally got to put them to work!
I've loved doing the flash of red, especially when I discovered that our new camera does SC in camera. I did several shots for my different albums, but Dabelle was my favourite, as she often is.
I am looking forward to focusing on light this week, this month has been such a great learning experience so far, thanks Ann! @olivetreeann
Here's mine.. not exactly in Valentines theme.. but hey!! This week i'm really going to try and get back on track with the actual themes! Thanks for organising us Ann!
I had been worrying about finding something red for my shot since the beginning of the month, luckily the kids were playing in the yard and I saw this...
This was my very first attempt at SC in lightroom, not sure I have fully understood the process but this was my photo for the day and I think it worked OK (had to keep the blue as its my daughters colours!
Thoroughly enjoying the whole process and learning loads on the way! ~ thank you so much.
I was thinking about my red subject for a long time and couldn't think of anything until the day and this was it ! No skill required in this one really for selective colouring ~ I just moved all colour sliders other than red and orange to zero.
As you can see by the smile on my face, I really enjoyed this project!
Thanks Ann for organizing this and for your helpful advice on selective coloring.
I have been tagging all my B&W shots Flash......but apparently not really following the weekly theme! I'm a failure at following directions it seems! I really have enjoyed shooting in B&W only though so thanks for that push and I will try to be a little more conforming the rest of the month! Basically I wanted to thank you, Ann, for the huge undertaking you are monitoring! You are a jewel!
@radiogirl@salza Hi, this was probably more luck than judgement! but I found this tutorial on youtube quite useful http://youtu.be/RH2NW-jjrtQ
I found a few others too since then
Wow- I love the diversity of your shots- which has always been one of the things I enjoy about 365- so many different voices of expression and so much fun involved in "hearing" (i.e. seeing) them all!
Never feel badly about "breaking the rules"- there really are none! The weekly guidelines are just that- guidelines. You can follow them exactly or use them as a starting point. And there are no 365 Rule Police checking up on you and writing tickets if you don't follow them to a T! So relax and have fun this week while you are paying attention to the light.
@grammyn The official tag is "flashofred-2015" but that's ok. It's up to you as to whether or not you go back and edit the tags on your pictures. The only drawback to not doing that is that your shots will not show up with all the other ones posted for this year's challenge and "flash" could be mistaken for the flash on your camera- a completely different meaning. But I'm glad you've been doing some black and white and enjoying it.
Finally it's my pleasure to put this together and don't forget- I'm reading and learning right alongside you!
@susie1205 thank you Susie, I've watched the video and it looks very easy thank you for link.
I've actually just started using light room in January and was recommended to watch Anthony's videos and I have really enjoyed them, I just hadn't got to this video yet.
I am so glad I stopped by here to take a look. I read some of the comments and learned I could have (and did, today) done this in Lightroom. I used this tutorial:
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-easily-create-selective-color-using-lightroom/
I used Photoshop to create this image (which, when I saw it, made me laugh... so ridiculous to hang paper hearts on a Saguaro cactus). I didn't know you could use LR to create a sc image, so I must investigate further.
@kiwinanna Nicely done Liana! Thanks for sharing it here. It looks very welcoming. @bill_fe I'm glad you stopped too Bill! @rosiekerr LOL Rosie- great shot! I think it might be ridiculous to hang ANYTHING on a Saguaro cactus! Ouch!!
A late entry but it was, indeed, very late on the 14th (prolly wee hrs of 15th) when it was taken. I'm much happier with this selective coloring than the shot I originally posted. Certainly learned from each. What a great experience. Thanks, again, Ann!
@homeschoolmom Wow Lisa! I sure am glad I did not see those in the store! Great sc shot and treat for Valentines Day! @voiceprintz Not a problem JT! Great shot- I can see why you wanted it in your project! @royb40 Nice sc shot! Yes, I think a lot of people will relate to this! Thanks for posting it here.
@karlow75 That is such a fun shot for sc! You can always go into "edit" and add the tag in Kane. That way your shot will come up with all the others if someone wants to browse through the tag.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
It wasn't exactly what I'd planned to do, but it's ok!
On to week 3!! Happy snapping!
I am looking forward to focusing on light this week, this month has been such a great learning experience so far, thanks Ann! @olivetreeann
I was thinking about my red subject for a long time and couldn't think of anything until the day and this was it ! No skill required in this one really for selective colouring ~ I just moved all colour sliders other than red and orange to zero.
Thanks Ann for organizing this and for your helpful advice on selective coloring.
I found a few others too since then
Bob and Buster Bender wish you a happy Valentines Day.
Wow- I love the diversity of your shots- which has always been one of the things I enjoy about 365- so many different voices of expression and so much fun involved in "hearing" (i.e. seeing) them all!
Never feel badly about "breaking the rules"- there really are none! The weekly guidelines are just that- guidelines. You can follow them exactly or use them as a starting point. And there are no 365 Rule Police checking up on you and writing tickets if you don't follow them to a T! So relax and have fun this week while you are paying attention to the light.
@grammyn The official tag is "flashofred-2015" but that's ok. It's up to you as to whether or not you go back and edit the tags on your pictures. The only drawback to not doing that is that your shots will not show up with all the other ones posted for this year's challenge and "flash" could be mistaken for the flash on your camera- a completely different meaning. But I'm glad you've been doing some black and white and enjoying it.
Finally it's my pleasure to put this together and don't forget- I'm reading and learning right alongside you!
Have a great and light-filled week everyone!
Ann - thanks again for all your input on this. I'm going to include a few more red 'flashes' in my shots to vary the b&w!
I've actually just started using light room in January and was recommended to watch Anthony's videos and I have really enjoyed them, I just hadn't got to this video yet.
http://digital-photography-school.com/how-to-easily-create-selective-color-using-lightroom/
Here is the image I created using The Gimp:
@bill_fe I'm glad you stopped too Bill!
@rosiekerr LOL Rosie- great shot! I think it might be ridiculous to hang ANYTHING on a Saguaro cactus! Ouch!!
Wolf? I ate him for breakfast!
Familiar to all partners?
More info on that here:
http://365project.org/discuss/themes-competitions/24826/sandbox365-new-sky-challenge
@voiceprintz Not a problem JT! Great shot- I can see why you wanted it in your project!
@royb40 Nice sc shot! Yes, I think a lot of people will relate to this! Thanks for posting it here.
Thanks Julie and Paula for your pretty red shots! And both well done I must add!