Since its birth, photography has appeared in front of the world as black and white images. Black and white photography is timeless, restrained and quiet, which can allow the artist to abandon the details that are useless to the picture and go straight to the essence of things. Color photography, on the other hand, restores the original appearance of reality with its strong and realistic color advantage, and seems to be closer to the essence of photography.
So is black and white or color photography more expressive?There have been many different opinions on this issue, but fortunately, digital photography can now easily change the color state, making the color more in line with our intentions.
There's no one-size-fits-all formula for choosing color or black and white, and here are four tips that may make your decision a little easier.
This backlit silhouette was unattractive in color, so I processed it into black and white, doesn't it look much more expressive?
Ask yourself the question: "Is the biggest attraction of this ** color or something else?"."It's not that color is not suitable for black and white, but some things are inherently colored, such as rainbows. For a colorful picture, it may often be better to leave it as it is.
However, if the content, composition, and tone of the picture are enough to express your meaning, the color will affect the expression of the theme. This is where the black and white mode comes in, as it can reduce the noise and make the subject stand out without distracting the viewer.
The giraffe's ** in the picture above is very ordinary in color mode, but it is refreshing when it is turned into a black and white image. So, when you only have a monotonous background and colors, you might as well turn it into black and white mode to see, maybe there will be unexpected effects.
I put a small light behind this leaf to make the stem veins from the leaf look clear and distinct from the front, and the black and white treatment in the later stage further highlights this contrast of light and dark and the layering of black, white and gray.
The ** is processed into black and white, which weakens the contrast between colors, and can show brightness and darkness more simply, so that black and white images can express light and shadow more simply and purely.
Therefore, when you want to focus on the expression of light and shadow, and the elements of the picture are dominated by light and shadow changes, such a ** is suitable for black and white expression, which can make people feel the layering of black, white and gray more intuitively.
This ** uses side lighting, and the black and white processing makes the light contrast more intense, and the texture on the hand is more prominent and clear.
When we think of texture, it is possible to describe the feeling it gives us through words. However, textures in photography must be perceived with our eyes, translating the sense of touch into tangible images.
In color, patterns and textures are often overlooked because colors tend to steal the focus, and one of the characteristics of good black and white is to express unique patterns and textures. When the distractions of color are removed, the contours and textures tend to stand out more.
For example, wood, metal, stone, and even plant and human **. These textures are in black and white**, and through subtle layering adjustments, they can be strengthened in places that are usually invisible to the naked eye, so that each texture is clearly visible.
This shot was taken on a sunny day in Boston, and there is a lot of light and color in it, and I chose to make it black and white because I felt that the emotions conveyed by the black and white images were closer to what I felt inside.
Have you ever had the experience of being hit the moment you saw a **?This is often referred to as a ** emotion.
Black and white images have a unique artistic atmosphere. For example, dark tones with heavy shadows can depict feelings of sadness or emptiness, while bright and smooth textures convey a sense of openness and freedom, and the use of black and white tones in portraits can make people look more stoic and calm.
You can also try to change your landscape photos in black and white to see how the emotions conveyed by ** will change.
If you're determined to learn more about black-and-white photography, you may come across terms that resemble black-and-white images, such as monochrome and grayscale images. These terms are often interchanged, but in reality they are not the same. Let's take a look at the differences between them.
1) Monochrome image.
Monochrome images are often mistaken for black and white, but there is a difference between the two. Monochrome simply means different hues, any color can be a kind of monochrome, for example, a black image, it is also a monochrome**.
The picture above is an example of a monochrome **, and it is easy to see that it is not black and white**.
2) Grayscale image.
Grayscale images are also often mistaken for black and white images by many people. A grayscale image is different from a black-and-white image in that it only uses different shades of gray and no other colors. If no special edits and adjustments are made, the entire sheet will have a peaceful, medium gray color. For example, the above picture looks very monotonous and boring in grayscale image mode, without any sense of hierarchy.
3) True black and white images.
This is the result of further processing of the grayscale image above, which looks closer to real black and white**. The contrast of colors becomes more pronounced, and it looks more pleasing to the eye.
Black and white images are indeed monochrome, but not all monochrome images can be called black and white images. Pure black and white** generally only uses black and white to represent the content of the image, although most people nowadays will mix in some gray tones.
Black and white** depicts the world through the simplest black, white and gray. And the simpler the tool, the more it can get to the heart of the field. If you want a picture of the final appearance of black and white, then it is best to observe the world with the feeling of black and white at the beginning. After all, it is only a remedy through post-revision, because you are not thinking through the sense of light and dark, to understand. Even if you make him black and white later, ** will lose the shock of black and white light and shadow that goes straight to the soul to a certain extent.
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