Shooting black and white photos

[ksgal]

Originally Posted by liquidslap

When do you decide that you are going to make a photo black and white? Because I Love b&w, but I never like the way any of my b&w photos look.

Lightroom3 presets are my friend there...
I think I'll have to spend months shooting exclusively for B&W to even approach what some of these guys do around here... very cool stuff on the B&W board..

[sbay]

Originally Posted by liquidslap

When do you decide that you are going to make a photo black and white? Because I Love b&w, but I never like the way any of my b&w photos look.

Usually when I'm processing my pictures (taken in color), I'll look at it and say color isn't helping here, what does it look like in BW? More rarely, when I'm taking the picture, I'll say to myself this would be awesome in BW.

[jerryph]

When taking the shot, it's not about colour or B&W, in my head I am thinking only 2 things, composition is #2 and #1 is interaction with the subjects. I even found myself doing that when I am not strictly supposed to, like when I am on stage with the band shooting away... It puts me in some strange places like having band members rush me while playing on stage... lol.

As for B&W... For me it happens in post. Some shots just sing to me and I convert them right then and there, maybe do some more minor touching up and that is just the way it stays.

B&W shots, though, for me are very rare... Maybe 1 in 500-1000 shots.

[SpeedGraphicMan]

When I forget to use color film...

[jerryph]

Originally Posted by ksgal

I think I'll have to spend months shooting exclusively for B&W to even approach what some of these guys do around here...

... says the gal with an awesome B&W avatar... lol

[Bobby Deal]

Often based on the color tone and contrast I will know as I am shooting I will convert to black and white. A tonal bias toward red and yellow with strong blacks will always convert nicely. Colder highlights also convert well if the blacks are there though the colder tones tend to convert in a more muted pallets.

I always shoot color and always retouch in color then before saving I will duplicate the image name the copy BW and do my conversions

If I know going into the shot that I will be converting to BW then I also tend to over expose the highlights to push the contrast level up

[Mike_e]

Reread what Bobby said.

Then set your camera to B&W and go looking for something to shoot in that. Shoot a lot and see what works for yourself.

If you really like B&W after doing all of this, switch over to film- medium format is better by a lot and large format is way much better.

Go find a gallery that has some B&W prints made from film to see for yourself, seeing them on a monitor doesn't really do them justice.

[LCR13]

When I shoot B&W, I know that since the picture doesn't have color, you're going to have to use something to catch the audiences' eye. You should really focus on form and shadows so the audience is attracted to the photo and knows what you're trying to photograph because there's no color highlighting what you're exactly photographing.

[Ernst-Ulrich Schafer]

For me it's BW 100% of the time, when I'm working on my "Personal Projects" I see in BW. Whenever I have a portrait session I always pick out my favorite and turn it into a BW. When I offer a Gift Certificate for a fundraiser thru my studio they get a Matted (Museum White) 14X17 BW Portrait. I show alot of BW and I sell alot of BW. It's who I am as a photographer.

As for going back to film because I'm a BW photographer, I strongly disagree!!!!

[Rain Lily]

For me, it depends on the setting, textures, contrasts, and crop, when it comes to portraits.

For some things, though, I actually shoot in raw b/w. (gasp! ) For instance, I like to visit old historical cemetaries and buildings. Always, I shoot b/w in cemeteries and many times for buildings.