Not in black and white
By Connie Veneracion on July 16, 2009 @ 12:07 am
Filed under I love photography! • Tagged: A photo a day, Balay Indang, flowers, zinnia
Filed under I love photography! • Tagged: A photo a day, Balay Indang, flowers, zinnia
Black and white photography has never really interested me. I’ve heard and read all the arguments in its favor from the dramatic effect to the play on lights and shadows but I still don’t see why anyone would want to miss all the color.
I love colors!
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We feast everyday!
i also prefer colors!
Sass I agree that in the present digital world of color, black and white is no longer a factor to even consider pursuing by most amateurs unless in the technical means or approach to visualizing black and white tones in digital, which now belongs to more future developments in the capture of those tones and in software rendering capability. Just like in your knowledge of law, there is a technical and clearly ‘interpretable’ side to the zone system approach in photography which remains applicable to those who still take visualization seriously.
Exactly, digital photography has become too software dependent. Everyone’s “fixing” everything with post editing tools. Which, to me, kinda negates the real purpose of photography as an art.
Hi Connie. Came across your blog and your comment on software. I used to think this way until a photographer friend pointed out that Photoshop today is analogous to the way film photographers were able to tweak their images in the darkroom. Ansel Adams used an off-the-shelf large format camera and his lighting back then isn’t that much different from the available lighting now. The difference lies in the way Ansel would process his negatives and print his positives. That’s what made Ansel Adams well, Ansel. So today we have the equivalent of the darkroom but now residing in a computer. And all digital cameras have firmware which more or less takes the picture we just shot and processes it the way the manufacturer sees fit. So if I see “Marlboro” red, Canon on the other hand might see a different shade of red (“Coca Cola” red) and process that accordingly.
I see. I think it’s time to seriously learn Photoshop. So far, I’ve only been using it for resizing and cropping and putting in my name.
While color photography captures the event, person, mood, place, scenery in a more truthful way, black and white lends the soft drama and evokes a tone which is at once speaking in hushed volumes. I don’t favor one over the other. Maybe it will all depend on what purpose one has behind taking the photograph.
Sam takes great B&W photos. She has a knack for choosing subjects that look good in lack and white. I don’t seem to have the drive for it and it might have to do with the fact that I take food photos mostly. hehehe
Yes, I agree! It might really be connected with your taking food photos most of the time that is why you favor color photography. Can’t imagine food photos in black and white — parang unappetizing at walang kabuhay buhay!
You’ve got a deep thinking artist in Sam! Cool!;)
See this is what I mean. Some people like Sam have a very natural, instinctive eye for black and white, because they’re more drawn to abstract and form, and even a more acute sense of balance or lack of it, in a picture. While color, on the other hand is more attractive to the general eye because that’s what we see everyday. That said, though, it’s why I consider color photography far more complex and difficult to master precisely because your chances of being successful with a color image (by that I mean an image that actually ‘works’ in color) are far more remote than that of black and white. Think of it as a black and white picture being more a result of just what the eye subconsciously recognizes and registers before the brain interprets the color of a scene, and the color photograph a product of deeper reflection and mental intellect.
What kind of flower is that? Is that in your yard? It’s beautiful!
In this case IMO, b&w wouldn’t have done the subject justice, considering all the colors present.
BTW, not sure if I told you but I finally got the G10! I LOVE it. Thank you for your recommendation.
Zinnias, Gabby. The photo was taken at Balay Indang. The white flower in the B&W photo is jasmine. That was taken at home. And I’m so glad you’re enjoying your G10. Cool, no?
Yes, I agree! It might really be connected with your taking food photos most of the time that is why you favor color photography. Can’t imagine food photos in black and white — parang unappetizing at walang kabuhay buhay!
You’ve got a deep thinking artist in Sam! Cool!;)
Oops…forgot to say great post! Looking forward to your next one.
Wow! Like your zinnias…tried to grow them from seeds I bought from Ace Hardware but not one sprouted. Did you grow them from seeds too? I’m also into gardening…wish I had more space for a bigger garden, both for ornamentals and vegetables.
The zinnia photo was taken at Balay Indang.