Saturday, February 21, 2015

Black and White Book Club, week 4: subject

Join us all February for the Black and White Book Club. We are sharing and discussing Andrew Gibson's The Magic of Black and White, Vol 1. Consider joining 365Project and sharing a daily picture or jump in with the Boost Your Photography 52 Weeks Challenge for a once-a-week go at black and white. So far we have focused on seeing in black and white and on details in black and white.


Interested in learning more about last year's Black and White Book Club? Last year we discussed Michael Freeman's The Complete Guide to Black and White Digital Photography (or the Black and White Photography Field Guide). Check out each week's posts: the overview and week 1week 2week 3week 4, and week 5.

Black and White Book Club Week 4: subject

The final pages of the book, 45-58, discuss different common subjects for black and white photography and how to approach each one. For those participating via either 365Project or Boost Your Photography 52 Weeks Challenge we specifically narrowed the choice down to macro, but you could really attempt to capture any of these subjects with an eye towards macro or close-up photography. (For more on macro photography, read Getting Started with Macro Photography, Tips to Improve Your Macro Photography, or Top 5 Macro Photography Posts.)

Whether you want to try macro or just experiment with subjects this week, here are my quick take-aways from each of the individual subject chapters.

Portraits. In black and white portraiture, the attention is on eyes and texture. You will often see the elderly as the subject of a black and white portrait.

Landscapes. Black and white landscapes force you to focus on tone, light, and shape. Black and white gives you the freedom to interpret a landscape in a unique or unconventional way to truly make it your image.

Travel Photography. Black and white lends a timeless feel to travel photography and almost immediately makes you feel nostalgic.

Flowers. Without the worry of color, flowers are all about shape, tone, and contrast.

Architecture. Black and white emphasizes form and texture and allows you to create more dramatic compositions against unique skies.

Try to seek out different subjects this week than you have before. Or, use black and white to explore a familiar subject in a different way. See how you can create something special that represents your statement about the subject.

We look forward to having you join us this month via either 365Project (daily) or Boost Your Photography 52 Weeks Challenge (weekly). Please also consider sharing your thoughts about this week's topic in the comments below.





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