"Black & White" or "Similar or Different" Let's give entrants some feedback without worrying about who we're going to actually vote for at the end of the month! :)

Could we do a combination of both topics?

Could we do a combination of both topics?

Go for it, Margie! As long as we submit only one entry, it's up to voters to decide if we nailed the theme or not.

Cool bananas!! Now to find something to photograph :-)

Could we do a combination of both topics?

Great idea!!! I can't wait to see what you come up with!

A question about the black and white theme. Does the picture have to be taken in black and white mode or can it be taken in colour and then desaturated?

A question about the black and white theme. Does the picture have to be taken in black and white mode or can it be taken in colour and then desaturated?

My opinion is that it doesn't matter -- "black and white" could even be a color photo of things that are black and things that are white -- or something more creative that I haven't even thought of yet.

Let me say something "Official" as the moderator -- this competition is here to give us all another reason to shoot images. Let's allow ourselves full lee-way to shoot whatever occurs to us when we see the theme title. When people discuss our images and vote for their favorites, they can say whether they agree or disagree, but YOU are the photographer, and the control is completely in YOUR hands while you decide what and how to shoot. Margie, you always submit interesting images, and I'll just say again -- "Go for it!" :)

Thanks for your reply CJ Swartz, and your comment on my images. I was just curious.

from crazyfly1 in the comp thread.

Scubamargie, I don't know a lot about BW but I think that's an awsome picture. Are those gears really that big or do they just look huge because of how you shot them?

Thanks for your comment crazyfly1. The gears are pretty big and almost true to size in the photo. I was laying on the ground about a foot away from it when I took the image.

I like the idea of both themes, and although I do sometimes shoot in black & white, this is one that I originally shot in colour, but only decided today to see how it would look in b & w. Hope that is ok for the comp terms.

Ducks are always welcome!

Thanks CJ. Pardon me for forgetting the standard duck exemption clause LOL

:happy: It's OK, I know it's hard to read the fine print. ;)

My Photography 101 class instructor made a rule "outlawing duck photos" because so many students went to the nearby parks and photographed ducks, but I love to see that "smile" on most ducks' faces.

A few images have been entered in the competition, and most have remarked about "not usually doing much B/W photography" and not being sure whether their images are successful at showing the moment, etc.

Some of us are old enough to remember when most photos were done in black/white, while others may never have shot in black/white before in their life. When I took my first photography class, I discovered that "color" was a type of "crutch" for me -- that I didn't pay as much attention to exposure, focus, or even composition when I was shooting something that had strong color/colors because my attention was almost totally captured by the color(s). Some images are ALL about color, but most depend upon the other photographic elements as well, with color as "the dessert".

Anyone discover anything interesting about their reactions while they were shooting (or processing) in black/white for this competition?

I actually found it quite difficult to start with, and still do.

I was looking on flickr for some inspiration and saw that there were quite a few flowers in b&w and thought I would have a go at taking some flower shots. I wasn't happy with the results on the LCD. I think maybe that might have been that I was used to taking flower shots in colour. They lacked something, besides colour.

Then I saw the old mining piece and thought that that would make a cool shot. I took a few shots and had a look in the LCD and thought that they looked pretty good. There was something about them that I liked, not sure what. I actually turned the camera back to colour mode and got a couple of shots in colour. I must say I prefer the black and white.

Taking photos in black and white is difficult and also interesting. It feels to me like I have stumbled into a new area of photography that I like and would like to learn more. As a result I have bookmarked a couple of sites on the web about B&W photography, to see if I can get my head around it and the challenges it presents.

I have added one of the b&w flowers that I took. I still can't work out why I don't like it. I have also put in the colour version of my entry.

I started using B&W film and developing the same in my dark room until the advent of digital. I'm still trying to get used to using a digital camera and love the immediacy of "instant images" as well as color. Printing color in the darkroom has always been a challenge. I'm an old fashioned photographer, and still think there is a difference in the quality of the print from each of these cameras.

liz

P.S.
I still need to learn how to size and upload an image correctly! :-0

One of the thing one looks for in the world of photography, is the clarity or rather sharpness of an image. For some reason, the images shown here are very muddy looking. At least this is so on my monitor. (with the exception of the duck image). If it were not for that one, I'd say that it may not be possible to upload a clear photograph.
How can one upload and show a better looking image?
I'm sure that all the photographs posted here were cleaner looking before they were turned over to the computer... :-)

liz

The thing I find B&W captures better than Colour is a sense of atmosphere, and that for me was the real challenge, and also the real joy when I saw those who had got it right.

B&W focuses your attention much more on the composition and particularly the lighting.

There's a couple of the entry pics that for me really capture the mood of the moment, and others that although technically correct don't quite do it for me.

ScubaMargie & MysticalOne, (as well as others, but I'm responding to their posts), you might be interested in reading/viewing the thoughts/images of a photography teacher from my area. I see him more of an inspiration rather than teacher, but that is what excellent teachers do - inspire.
A section on black/white photography (specifically aimed at travel) with thoughts about its limitations and strengths -
http://www.pbase.com/pnd1/black_and_white
From Phil Douglis' page (especially for ScubaMargie since you asked :) It's a point worth considering)
"One other point deserves mentioning: when we shoot digitally in color and convert later to black and white, we lose the advantage of actually “seeing” our subject in black and white as we shoot. Most digital cameras allow you to shoot in black and white. It might be worth doing so, just to train your eye to “see” in tones of black and white, instead of in color. However keep in mind that shooting in a black and mode discards color information, so you can’t change your mind later and have that picture in color as well. The answer: if possible, shoot in black and white and then re-shoot in color. You may not be able to capture exactly the same behavior, etc. the second time around, but at least you will have covered all of your bases, and learn more about the differences between the two mediums."

The portal to all his instructional galleries:
From Phil Douglis' PBase website: http://www.pbase.com/pnd1

"Most travel photographers start out by making pictures of things to simply describe what they see. I call this the literal travel snapshot. Most travel snapshots are made to preserve private meanings. Many photographers will eventually move on to a second phase – making aesthetically pleasing pictures that enhance what they saw. I call this the “artistic” snapshot - essentially the same as a lovely picture post card or a calendar illustration. This cyberbook does not concern itself with either of these phases. Instead, I demonstrate what goes into a third phase – interpreting the things you see on your travels to express meaning to others. I call these pictures “expressive” images. They are images made for public, rather than private meanings. Expressive photography, like all art, offers universal, and often metaphorical, statements.

What is expressive imagery? It is photography that interprets, rather than describes, what we see to others. It tells a story, going beyond conveying information for its own sake. It becomes metaphorical. One of my most influential teachers, photographer Minor White, taught us that "photographs can be outward expressions of inward states. They are about not just what some thing is, but rather, what else it is." By expressing our own metaphorical point of view about what we see, we can communicate ideas to others, triggering emotional, intellectual, and imaginative responses.

In my view, expressive photography is based upon the three principles I demonstrate in the first three galleries of this cyberbook: Abstraction, Incongruity, and Human Values. Abstraction removes literal, descriptive clutter and hones an image down to its essence and encourages unlimited thinking. Incongruity presents elements that seem to be at odds with their context and creates contrasts and juxtapositions that stimulate both the emotions and the imagination. Human values convey the emotions, beliefs, traditions and knowledge that we understand and share as humans. I suggest that anyone using this cyberbook as a learning tool, study these three galleries before going on to the rest of them.

I actually found it quite difficult to start with, and still do. ...

Then I saw the old mining piece and thought that that would make a cool shot. I took a few shots and had a look in the LCD and thought that they looked pretty good. There was something about them that I liked, not sure what. I actually turned the camera back to colour mode and got a couple of shots in colour. I must say I prefer the black and white.

Taking photos in black and white is difficult and also interesting. It feels to me like I have stumbled into a new area of photography that I like and would like to learn more. As a result I have bookmarked a couple of sites on the web about B&W photography, to see if I can get my head around it and the challenges it presents....

When I first started taking photo's b&w processing was far cheaper than colour, so that was the medium of choice. Then again, I was only a kid.

When I went to uni, it would have been great to have decided on something a little more artistic than my eventual decision, but I was supposed to be a practical one at the time. Hence, no photography course for me. Most way throughout my life though, I have always found myself looking at images that I felt would make great photographs. Funnily enough, most of these imagined images, were b&w, concentrating on the interplay of light, shadow, & texture. I still have one of those images held very strongly in my mind, a shadow cast by a barred gate on a solid (old) brick wall, topped with razor wire. Unfortunately, the image cannot be captured due to security in the place where it happens forbidding cameras....

I still find myself looking at things and searching for the kind of images that I considered in days of old, thinking how would certain scenes look in monochrome, and sometimes I do shoot b&w, hoping to capture something of the style that I used to only photograph in my mind. I think, though, that the wilderness we are surrounded by, almost demands the use of colour.

On a more base level, I am hoping that maybe I can eke a small living through photography one day, and, again, the market that I would be targeting demands the use of colour, particularly when capturing wilderness scenes. B&w is seen by many as "arty" and whilst it may be appreciated in a gallery setting, one has to develop a reputation first, and, in this area, that demands the use of colour.

Here endeth my rant.

For inspiration regarding B/W work, here's a link to a contemporary photographer that I just noticed on the internet --

http://www.romanloranc.com/index.html

Sometimes looking at someone's work inspires, sometimes it deflates hope of matching it -- hopefully we are still capable of being inspired.... :)

Thanks CJ for the links will check them out. Cool pic Anna :-)