This week we go back to the Still Life genre, but the subject is up to you, just make it a black and white shot. Creating black and white shots isn’t as simple as converting any image to black and white. What you see in the camera while you’re shooting could look very different in black and white.
“Pomegranate” by Dan Pupius
Black and white photography emphasizes composition and lighting. The shot above uses a bright, white background and a flash to create strong contrast while placing the subject on the right side of the frame.
This image below uses a black background to make the subject standout. Imagine these two shots with the backgrounds switched. With black and white you need to consider how the color of the subject will convert to gray – will be it dark or light? Will it standout enough from your background?
“Still Life, 2003” by Matt Artz
The image below also uses a dark background, but adds texture. A single flash provides contrast and brings out the texture of the onions.
“Three Onions, Study I – Still Life in Studio” byPhil Pankov
You can also apply what you learned in last week’s challenge – patterns and lines. Compositions with strong lines generally make good black and white shots.
“The Puzzle” by Wolfman-K
Still life can be technically challenging, especially in black and white. You can choose a single subject on a solid background, or compose a shot in a setting you choose. The shot below uses natural light from a window. The shells are main subject, but the textures and lines of the wood add depth.
“Sudek 2” by Wes Peck
And don’t forget, you can have fun with still life photography. Kristina Alexanderson has a wonderful series of Stormtrooper photos that mimic real-life situations. It’s worth taking the time to browse through her shots and see the creative, and sometimes heartwarming, stories she tells.
“Make Teddy mine” byKristina Alexanderson
The rules are pretty simple:
Post one original (Your Image) shot each week per theme posted on this blog to Google+, Facebook, or Flickr (or all three). Tag the photo #photochallenge.org. or #photochallenge2014.
The shot should be a new shot you took for the current weekly theme, not something from your back catalog or someone else’s image.
Don’t leave home without your camera. Participating in the 2014 Photo Challenge is fun and easy.
Now retrieving an image set.
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Now retrieving an image set.
