2013 Challenge, Week 10: Black And White

This week, we are going back to basics. Once upon a time, all photography was black and white. It was up to the photographer to work within the limits of black and white to make an interesting image. Now, it’s our turn!

“Hypnosis” by Thomas Hawk

Some things seem to lend themselves to black and white images: strong lines, high contrast between colors, or deep shadows are good choices.

“Shadow Play” by robert madeira

How about a portrait? Today many professional portrait photographers work exclusively in black and white. Try a few portraits in black and white, and experiment with lighting and exposure. You might be surprised with the results.

“835 Face” by Nebojsa Mladjenovic

Another option would be to do some black and white landscape photography. Ansel Adams spent many years documenting the American West in black and white images. Decades later, his images are still some of the most iconic of natural landmarks. If you have a nature scene with movement, such as breaking waves or running water, try a longer exposure and see what happens.

“Sacrifice” by Luke Peterson

You can make the image black and white by turning on the black and white mode of your camera (most cameras will do this), or by converting it to black and white using Photoshop, Lightroom, iPhoto, or GIMP. If you are shooting with an iPhone, you might like the Hueless app. You can even edit it online after it is uploaded to Fickr by choosing “Actions -> Edit photo in Aviary”.

As always, make sure you share your result with the rest of the PhotoChallenge Community! Google+, Facebook, and Flickr are the most common.