Tag: Photography

Tutorial: When to Choose Monochrome

In my previous post I talked a little about why a black and white version of a photo is sometimes preferable to the original colour version. Below is an example (click on the thumbnails to enlarge) and explanation of a few handy points to keep in mind in your own photography.

In this photo taken at my niece’s outdoor wedding, while the bride and her friends look quite lovely in colour, there is a lot of stuff going on around and behind them, some of it in strong primary colours. The result is a busy composition, which has the unwanted effect of robbing attention away from the three pretty faces in this impromptu portrait. While most photos benefit from a little cropping, in this case it would not eliminate the red lanterns above their heads, nor the blue tent awning. The middle woman’s yellow sash also interacts with the other colours, making them even more prominent. This is a classic case where converting to monochrome makes all the difference in the world, and combined with a little cropping, the shift in focus is directed to right where it needs to be – on their smiling faces.

I was asked today if my camera has a monochrome setting, and whether I use it. Yes it does, and no I don’t use it. Professionals suggest that you always shoot in colour, and make the decision later during post-editing. This makes sense because just as some photos are more impressive in black and white, others don’t work as well and actually NEED to be in colour. This is what I’ve been studying and practicing all summer, and the results have taken my work to a whole new level.

Questions to ask yourself when assessing a photo:

  • What is the most important thing about this photo?
  • What should be emphasized?
  • What should be de-emphasized?
  • Will cropping help to eliminate extraneous objects or people that are distracting from the intended subject of the photo?
  • Am I following the rule of thirds?
  • Are there simple colour harmonies enhancing the composition, or crazy random colours everywhere undermining the focal point and subject of the photo? (Note: sometimes it’s just one harsh colour off to the side that’s throwing everything off.)
  • Would converting to monochrome make this photo really pop? Try it. If it’s not working, switch it back to colour.

Because my background is in fine art, and I’ve studied colour theory and the elements and principles of design, I know that it’s an advantage for me where photography and photo-editing are concerned. Still with a little knowledge, and a discriminating eye, anyone can aspire to make their photos the very best that they can be!

In closing, I would like to add that photographers using older, traditional materials and methods (developing photos in chemical baths in the darkroom) utilized many techniques to improve their final results. They played with contrast, dodged or burned areas in order to compensate for over or under-exposure, and had a variety of darkroom tricks to make their images great. Today’s professional photographers use photo-editing software (digital darkrooms) such as Adobe’s Lightroom or Apple’s Aperture to accomplish the same thing and more. The magic is indeed alive and well in today’s digital world, and I love it!

While this post has focused primarily on situational portraits, my previous post examines the monochrome landscape.

I would love to hear about your work, challenges, and triumphs in photography, so please feel free to leave a comment! ML

Moody Monochrome

I am not a wedding photographer. I don’t even consider myself a photographer. Not really. If something catches my eye, I take a picture with the idea that it might be usable… for something… perhaps a future project. My subjects range from rocks and insects, to shapes and colours, to cherished friends and relatives. One of the best courses I took while studying fine art at Emily Carr College of Art and Design was a black and white photography course… back in the days of film, chemicals, and darkrooms. I transitioned to digital years ago, but I still find that some photos just work better in monochrome.

The images above are from the second of two weddings that I attended up north this summer. This was my niece’s, which took place outdoors on my brother’s 190 acre property in Matheson. Anyway, I basically just wandered around with my camera all day looking for opportunities and anything interesting. The background where the ceremony took place was quite beautiful, and though the sky was unusually ominous, it didn’t rain.

Converting these particular photos to black and white was necessary in order to eliminate the problem of too many colours and shades of green overpowering the composition. By reducing distractions, the vast space and atmosphere are allowed to fully convey their moodiness through texture and contrast in three distinct sections–the sky, the tree line, and the smoother grassy foreground. Objects and/or people in the foreground enrich the whole by suggesting a particular narrative. The result is quite surreal and engaging.

I was surprised that these photos ended up being some of the most interesting of the day, and I just had to share. Let me know what you think, and feel free to share your own experiences/struggles with monochrome vs. colour photography. I’d love to hear from you.

Photography ~ Natural Wonders

It’s been two months since I got my DSLR Canon Rebel T3i 600D, and I can’t seem to put it down. One of my absolute favourite subjects in grade nine was biology, and had things gone a little differently, there’s a good chance I would have pursued a career in science. It’s true what they say — that a teacher can totally affect a student’s life, in either a negative, or positive manner. In my case it was disappointingly so.

In the 1970s it was common in the remote community of Timmins for foreign teachers to spend a year or two in one of the schools at the beginning of their teaching careers. Being in the French Catholic system, I had two Haitian teachers (a married couple) in grades seven and eight, whom I absolutely adored, and on the flip side… there was this muscle-bound, blond and bearded uber-French Adonis-type who liked to strut and torture kids. I’m serious… he would sneak up from behind and whack students’ hands on their desks with a wooden yard stick. But the thing he got the most sadistic pleasure out of was in giving what we called “Indian Sunburns.” This consisted of him wringing and twisting someone’s wrist like a dish rag until the skin turned red. He was known as Hercules on school grounds, and I have no idea why he was not arrested, or at the very least, fired.

Anyway… as I was saying… biology was my favourite subject in grade nine, and I signed up for grade ten biology for the following year with great anticipation. Before I go on, it’s important to understand that the French spoken in northern Ontario is very colloquial and particular to that region of Canada. There are accents, and then there are accents. The first day of grade ten biology, we all filed into the classroom to find our seats as we whispered amongst ourselves about the new, and very sombre face sitting behind the teacher’s desk. This guy was tight-lipped, high-strung, and dead serious. I don’t remember him ever coming out from behind his desk. I knew immediately that this was going to be nothing like the lively, inquisitive atmosphere with our bubbly and enthusiastic teacher of the previous year, but nothing could have prepared me for what ultimately happened.

Mr. X began the class, and a number of students shot nervous looks at each other. I think we were all thinking the same thing — we could barely understand a word he was saying. He spoke in a rapid-fire, possibly Franco-African accent (completely foreign to our young northern Ontario ears), and when asked a question, or for him to repeat anything, the response was more rapid-fire patois, only with an annoyed edge to it. I tried really hard to hack it through the first week, but didn’t make it. I just couldn’t understand what the man was saying. I dropped out of the course with a heavy heart, one thing lead to another, and here I am today giving my friends the heebie-jeebies with random [scientific] photos of whatever creepy-crawlies happen to cross my path. Above is a small selection, but if you’re into bugs, you can see some awesome flies and spiders in my Bugs and Stuff Facebook Album. Enjoy!