Your introduction to the world of creative black and white photography begins here... Our aim is simple, we want to introduce you to the world of black and white photography and the creative possibilities that this medium has to offer. Black and white photography, to many, is the essence of what photography is all about. It is considered traditional, yet has a magic that is hard to deny. Many people who have been avid colour photographers, are pleasantly surprised by how magical monochromatic work can be. It suddenly opens up new avenues of creative endeavour that can become quite captivating. The breadth of black and white imaging is considerable. With this in mind, we want to pass on essential advice regarding topics that cover a little history, aspects of portrait work, shooting landscapes, even abstract work as well as structure and composition. We hope you will discover a passion that takes your current photographic skills and adds a new level of artistic scope as you take a big step forward into new creative areas.
Your introduction to the world of creative black and white photography begins here…
WELCOME
The Black & White Photography GuideBook
The origins of photography • A SMALL HISTORY LESSON ABOUT HOW THE BLACK AND WHITE MEDIUM WAS CONCEIVED
The development of photography • A BRIEF GUIDE TO HOW PHOTOGRAPHIC TECHNOLOGY TRANSFORMED OVER THE AGES
Introduction to black and white photography • YOUR JOURNEY INTO BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY BEGINS HERE
Black and white core concepts • BEGIN TO TRAIN YOURSELF TO ‘SEE’ IN BLACK AND WHITE
Cameras and lenses for landscapes • AN OVERVIEW OF SOME CAMERA SYSTEMS AND LENS TYPES
Cameras and lenses for portraits • AN OVERVIEW OF SOME PREFERRED CAMERA SYSTEMS AND LENS TYPES
Keep things stable with a good tripod • ONE OF THOSE ESSENTIAL ADDITIONS TO YOUR GEAR LIST
Filter types and systems • ONE OF THOSE ESSENTIAL ADDITIONS TO YOUR GEAR LIST
The Cokin creative filter system • A COMPLETE FILTER SYSTEM FOR THE CREATIVE PHOTOGRAPHER
Using filters for black and white • SEE THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT COLOURED FILTERS
Understanding black and white photography • WE OUTLINE THE ESSENTIALS FOR SUCCESSFUL BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
Seeing in black and white • HERE’S A QUICK AND SIMPLE METHOD TO GET YOUR EYE USED TO ‘SEEING’ BLACK AND WHITE
Top black and white photography tips • ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR BETTER BLACK AND WHITE IMAGES
PORTRAIT PHOTOGRAPHY
Portrait photography tips • SOME GREAT TIPS TO HELP YOU PRODUCE STUNNING PORTRAITS
Using flash, studio lights and modifiers • LIGHTING GUIDANCE FOR YOUR BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
Types of light modifiers
Lighting techniques and diagrams • SHEDDING SOME LIGHT ON SETTING UP LIGHTING FOR PORTRAITS
High-key portraiture • WE GIVE YOU THE LOW-DOWN ON HIGH-KEY LIGHTING FOR PORTRAITS
High-key portraiture • THE GREAT DEBATE; WHAT IS A HIGH-KEY IMAGE?
Low-key portraiture • WELCOME TO THE DARK SIDE WITH LOW-KEY LIGHTING FOR PORTRAITS
Low-key portraiture • SOME KEY INSIGHTS ON SHOOTING LOW-KEY PORTRAITS
Landscape photography tips • USEFUL TIPS TO TRANSFORM YOUR LANDSCAPE PHOTOGRAPHY
ABSTRACT BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY • AN INTRODUCTION TO THE TECHNIQUES OF ABSTRACT ART AND PHOTOGRAPHY
Introduction to abstract photography • WHAT EXACTLY IS ABSTRACT PHOTOGRAPHY? IT DEPENDS WHO YOU ASK
Abstract photography
Mono conversion techniques • SOME ESSENTIAL GUIDES TO CONVERTING YOUR WORK TO BLACK AND WHITE
Convert to mono with Silver Efex Pro • MONO CONVERSIONS USING A DEDICATED THIRD-PARTY PLUG-IN
Conversion examples
Inkjet and dye-sub printers...
