Back to Photographers Model Contents
Be Artistic with
Black and White
Photography
All about Black and White Portraits
Are you looking for some inside tips about digital black and white photography? Here you will find an up-to-date article from professional digital photographers who are willing to share their knowledge with you. You will learn that black and white is not dead!
Many of the young ladies in the modeling world love color images but there are times, especially if you are a model who works with artistic photographers, it's nice to have the contrast and distinctiveness black and white delivers.
|
|
Black and White and the Digital Camera
Digital cameras have really come around in the past couple of years so black and white photos are more "true to life" than ever! Your digital camera can now capture the choicest details and a large range of colors.
There is no denying that a model wearing colorful outfits in a contrasting background makes for an absolutely delicious picture. |
Go the More Interesting Route with Your Picture Taking
But, have you ever considered that black and white photos can be far more interesting than color images?
Yes, I will say it again. The results of your images can be more startling in black and white! I have personally worked with hundreds of models and always manage to shoot some good old' b&w digital "film" within the session.
I have discovered that inserting black and white images throughout the digital pages of my model photo gallery produces a more interesting feel to the overall gallery.
I also believe that including at least a few black and white photos within a portfolio will add some spice to the section of pictures and make the overall portfolio stronger.
Take a moment to reflect on what you have read so far. Does it back up what you already know about digital black and white photography? Or was some of the information new to you? Hopefully you will learn some new and exciting ways to use black and white photography in your next figure model photo session.
B&W is used in everything
from artistic figure photography to publishing your
own picture books so it does have its place in
society. Below you will learn some of the benefits
of shooting black and white pictures. First, you will get sharper
contrast with b&w images and they will bring
out the details and features in the model's face.
Why Consider Using Black and
White Photos?
Black and white is stark. For lack of a better word the starkness of grayscale photos means the photographer and model must work a little harder because this final picture will depend more upon their skills. In other words this image will not be "just another pretty picture". It will be a serious work.
You can lose the true meaning of a photograph with too much color. Some of the modeling pictures I have encountered online are so "busy" with strong colors and very interesting background scenes and this method tends to lead the eye from the main center of attention which should be the young woman in the image.
When shooting with a model for a portfolio the photographer should be totally focused on making the model look her best and not include anything that is not relevant to the final image.
For instance, if the shot is made on a busy city street the background should be out of focus. This will work in most cases but a colorful street scene can still distract. Not so with black and white. Throw that background out and shoot it in black and white and you've got a "naked" picture (figuratively speaking, of course).
Using Uncluttered Scenes for Black and White
Your model may have the purest blue eyes you've ever seen and the temptation is to show them with a color photograph. Black and white still works great in this situation because of the contrasting lines. She can still give an appearance of a piercing glare with black and white and be very convincing. You don't need color to show off the eyes.
Painting a Figure Model with Light
Figure models are women who work in a more "artistic" atmosphere. Art images beg to be made in black and white, in part to some of the effects mentioned above.
The goal here is to create not just a picture but an image to draw the eye from shadows to light portraying a more symbolic theme. This is accomplished by posing the human body in a position and then "painting" it with light.
Black and white creates darker shadows without losing all detail and the final image gives an illusion of the type paintings found on the wall of an art gallery.
The simple allurement of a model in artistic black and white is almost breathtaking and is considered art by many well-known critics. Most professional artistic photographers will not become famous by producing b&w pictures of this type but they will come away with some work they will be proud to display at the local art show.
Adding Color to Your Black & White Pictures
Another idea for black and white photos is to leave some color in the images. When using photo editing software like Photoshop a digital photographer can create astounding works of art through adding a little color in different parts of a black and white photograph. The beauty is that you can use a variety of plug-ins and Photoshop filters to get the desired results. Photoshop is not the only photo software on the market but it is the best in my opinion.
Don't it make Your Blue Eyes Blue?
For example, the eyes of the model can be brought back to their original color. But remember, less is more when adding color. Pastels work best as the eye will be drawn to the color no matter how discreet.
So if you want to focus on the eyes of your model, you could still have the definitive, clean look of black and white pictures while still enhancing the light blue color of her eyes.
The color will be placed where you want the attention focused so don't be afraid to experiment. If you use the layers in Photoshop you can easily take away any mistakes you make.
Use Photo Editing Software to make Black and White Images from Color Files
It is remarkably simple to change digital color photos to black and white in your digital darkroom. Not so simple is getting it right. The exact systems used for transposing color images to b&w will not be mentioned here as this can be a complete tutorial in itself.
But, with some searching online and a little practice you can be producing some very nice black and white photos and I believe you will fall in love with this age-old art as I did. Now, go get your 5 megapixel digital camera and create some grayscale pictures!
By reading this article you should have picked up some new black and white photo tips. Remember, new ideas come along every day so, in order to stay on top, keep studying and learning about black and white photography.
Resources:
They Laughed when I Showed Them My New Digital Camera - But the pictures were wonderful! Want more photo tips and tricks to use with your camera? This little photography course will take you from start to finish beginning with how to buy a digital camera to learning digital photography 101.
Find your photography heart with these all-inclusive photography tips and become a better photographer whether you are just in the market for a 5 megapixel digital camera or just want to take better black and white pictures.
To get more information about how to get started as a photographer go here now to really learn digital photography .
Bob
Pardue is a professional stock
and fashion model photographer located in the Southeastern
USA. You can view some of his work and read other
interesting model tips by visiting www.bobpardue.com
Disclaimer: Black and white photography is for
individual tastes of the professional photographer and we
hope you will have better results by reading this report but
Bob Pardue Photography cannot that you will know all about
taking digital black and white pictures by the tips shown
here. The results you experience with your 5 megapixel
digital camera will vary dependent upon your personal skill
and experience. Camera equipment will also play a role in
the outcome of your images. The choices in how to create
digital b&w portraits will vary so hope you will find
some unique photo tips here.
|
|
Bob Pardue Photography