The Zone System

The Zone system created by Ansel Adams can be a great tool for getting the proper exposure of a scene when working in black and white. However, it can be difficult to get a grasp on how it works, and how you would actually use it in the field (at least it is for me). The following link is a great entry level description of how the Zone system works. Hopefully you'll find this useful as well.

Zone System Tutorial

Viewing Filters?

Sorry about the long delay between posts, it's been a bit busy. I just wanted to let people know that I've ordered a Tiffen Black & White viewing filter. I've never used one of these before and I'm really looking forward to trying it out. I'll post more information once I get it and have a chance to play with it. For the time being here's a link to actual filter:
Tiffen Black & White Viewing Filter

If anyone has used one of these and has some thoughts on it, please share them. Thanks.

Do I have strong Textures in the scene?

Texture can be a very strong attribute in Black & White photography. Textures can be things like weathered wood, or tall prairies grasses. They add interest and depth to photographs. Many times, textures are overlooked (I know I certainly have), but if you take the time to slow down, look around, and really look for them, you'll be surprised how many there are out there . . . .

Thinking and Seeing in Black & White?

When shooting Black & White photographs with a digital camera, it can be difficult at times to envision what the outcome will be when your preview is in color. Some cameras will shoot in black and white, but what this means is that you'll get a RAW file and a grayscale JPEG. (Assuming that you're shooting RAW) This can be a great tool towards discovering your Black & White vision, but I wouldn't recommend the grayscale JPEG as your final image. Converting your RAW file to a monochrome image will yield a more satisfying result.
Here are a few things that you should think about when shooting your images:

• Do I have strong Textures in the scene?
• Do I have good Tonal Contrast in the scene?
• Do I have Strong Compositional Elements in the Scene?

It is also important to remember this:

"There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs."

-Ansel Adams

Why Black & White?

For me, Black & White photography has a timeless feel. It seems more dramatic and yet simple at the same time. It has the ability to render an image down to its simplest form. It doesn't have the distraction of colors because it works between the lightest and darkest elements of the photograph. It's the shades of grays, not just the darkest and lightest points of an image, that make it interesting. A Black & White image is judged on it's composition and tonal range. It's based on textures, shadows, highlights, contrast, etc. and how they interact to make an image complete.

"A true photograph need not be explained, nor can it be contained in words."

- Ansel Adams

The Fern

TheFern
Originally uploaded by Gimbalaya.

These ferns are all over my yard and I thought they looked like a good subject. It's a decent photo, but I have to admit that it's not exactly what I was looking for.

The Road

TheRoad
Originally uploaded by Gimbalaya.

I took this photo this last weekend up at Carlos Avery Wildlife Management area. It's a truly wonderful place that holds a lot of wildlife.

Converting using Hue/Saturation

Adjustment layer one. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. When the options box pops up, name it “color,” click OK, and just click
OK to ignore the box with the sliders. We’ll come back to that. Next, in your layers palette, pull down the blend mode menu to choose “color.”

Adjustment layer two. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. Name this one BW, and click OK. This time, don’t ignore the slider box. Instead, move the saturation slider all the way to the left to –100. Now your picture looks like a flat desaturated b&w. Don’t panic, just click OK.

Sliding to your image. Double click on the layer thumbnail of the “color” layer. That will bring up the slider box again. Now for the fun part: move the hue slider back and forth until you get the look you want. The effect, like that of the channel mixer, makes your image look like it was shot with different filters.

Using Channel Mixer

In Photoshop, open your image and go through the following steps to get your black and white image:

Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Channel Mixer and click OK. There’s a slider for each channel: increase or decrease the amount of each to change your picture’s look. But if you want to maintain the same exposure, make sure all your numbers add up to 100%.

Then check off the box for Monochrome. Your image will immediately transform into a strong, high-contrast b&w. That’s because the default setting in the Mixer shows the red channel at 100%, and keeps green and blue at zero. So you’re looking at a version of your image as it would be if you had shot it in black-and-white using a red filter.

If a red-filtered image isn’t what you want, experiment. I’ve found that a mix of 80% red and 20% green make what you might call an “average” black-and-white. While you’re playing, remember that pumping up a color channel works just like using that color filter over black-and-white film: that color gets lighter and whatever in your picture doesn’t contain that color gets darker. So if you have a lot of grass in your shot, pumping up the green channel might lighten the foliage too much and cause you to lose detail.

You can than add a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer to the image for a different effect. Experiment with this and you might find you like it!

Using Photoshop to Convert to Black & White

There are many ways that you can convert your digital color images to Black and White in PS. I will list a few of the main techniques that I think are useful. I will then discuss each of these techniques in more depth over the coming weeks.

• Channel Mixer
• Hue Saturation Layers
  
• Color channels as Black and White (Caponigro technique)
  

Sugar Cane Field

Sugar Cane Field
Originally uploaded by Gimbalaya.

Lily

Lily
Originally uploaded by Gimbalaya.

White Tail Deer

White Tail Deer
Originally uploaded by Gimbalaya.

Palm Fronds

Palm Fronds
Originally uploaded by Gimbalaya.

Dandelion

Dandelion
Originally uploaded by Gimbalaya.

My first post . . .

Hello All,

I am starting this blog as a place to put my black and white photographs. I'll also be sharing details on how to convert digital images to black and white using Photoshop. There are many techniques that can be used to get varying results. Here are some of the images that I've taken over the last 8 months.