Yes, in my opinion, the approach to black and white photography nowadays should start with the awareness that not everything is suitable for photographing in black and white, that high contrast does not fit everywhere, that tone is different from contrast... and above all, from the fact that you have to learn to see in gray scale, which takes a lot of time and that black and white is not used to correct overexposed or underexposed color photos... and at the very beginning it is worth knowing whether we are photographing in black and white or color, With words respect
Interesting video. I’d love to critique my early shots but, when I left for college in 1963, my parents moved to a smaller house and threw out all my negatives.
Alex, thank you so much for that video! As I love black and white photography and have done film photography, it was very instructive! Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
I'm a bit late to the conversion. I did cast bronze and aluminum sculpture in school. I think that B&W lends itself to surface, texture, shadow, and links photography to sculpture for me. I transitioned to photography because I prefer the immediacy. What a gift it is to be able to look and see if you captured what you intended instantly. Ansel Adams should be so lucky!
Brilliant video! It comes across like a chat over "a cuppa" and packs tons of information in there! I once had a language teacher doing the same trick ;-) : basically pupils/viewers only realizing afterwards, how far they have been taken.
I'm a bit older than you and dove into photography in 1968 in my sophomore year of high school. That was socially quite a time in the Western Hemisphere, and the photographs you chose, with their high contrast, are reminiscent of the kind of images that were "cool" then and in subsequent years -- rock bands, the rapidly spreading drug culture and "inner personal experiences," anti-establishment protest, and so on. Effects impress us when we're teenagers, both because we tend to reject the previous generation's values as outmoded and because we're seeking our own place and identity as we move toward adulthood. Your view of art generally is wider than my more "conservative" one. My early work shows plenty of coolth and experimentation along with, of course, the sorts of technical mistakes common to beginners. (I later came to be persuaded that a Classical outlook, historically, combines the truly revolutionary with the universal.) To the point here, I think, is Ansel Adams's famous dictum, variously stated, that there is nothing worse than a sharp photograph of a fuzzy concept. By sharp, I think he implied various other technical features that, as you suggest, can characterize a "technically perfect" print of a perfectly boring image. There is a place for considerable departures from "correct" prints -- but the concept must support the expression. When I was shooting a lot of ballet onstage, it was E.I. 1600 and (even with Delta 3200 in Microphen) the blacks often were featureless. I learned to develop and print to render the mid-tones and high values with delicacy while optimzing whatever shadow desired detail existed. Desired is the key word there. And that is, essentially, where I think it wise to part ways with those who either seek only effect, or who attempt to pass off visual chaos as its own kind of composition because "life is chaotic", or who throw aside technical and compositional considerations, alike, as elitist or something. Good art is hard work. Knowing our tools and materials is just the beginning.
Like you I have B&W prints with the yellow stain. I have folders of negatives that I have kept. Transparancies that once I get the slide projector working again I will look at.
What a great video! There was so much specific information and practical advice. I'm going back for a second time to take notes. I love how you are sharing darkroom skills side-by-side with the digital. The balance is perfect.
A very informative and interesting video! As a novice, I’m not really sure what things to look for or what actually makes a good photo, a good photo. But you explaining and observing what needs improvement and how that can be improved is very helpful. And as my screen name suggests, I love your steam train photo series. That is my passion, and this channel helps me to convey that so much better through my photography.
One additional thought. One of my favorite books in learning photography was David Vestal's "The Craft of Photography". It was well illustrated, and I don't recall ever seeing anywhere else so complete a set of images showing results, in negative and print as I recall, of under-, proper, and over- of both exposure and development, e.g., under-exposed but overdeveloped, over-exposed and under-developed, properly exposed but under-developed, etc. Like all my good reference books, I returned to it over and over again.
I try keep all my RAW files now and as many of my slides and prints I can find. Reviewing your older work does show your artistic growth as you mature.
Thank you for sharing this. Great way of learning is to look at our old photos. As I've always said to my mentees at work, "it's OK to make mistakes, so long as we learn from it and move on".
Hi Alex, it was nice to share your old Black and White photos. I wish I photographed Black and White in the past. Now when I look at my old photos, they're all in Colour. Thanks Alex. 😊.
i used to drive a 67 red beetle best one I ever had. No heat and talk about technology the windshield washer hooked up to the spare tire. What could go wrong? Great video again, thanks.
The first 500 people to use my link skl.sh/thephotographiceye09241 will get a 1 month free trial of Skillshare premium!
informative content
Yes, in my opinion, the approach to black and white photography nowadays should start with the awareness that not everything is suitable for photographing in black and white, that high contrast does not fit everywhere, that tone is different from contrast... and above all, from the fact that you have to learn to see in gray scale, which takes a lot of time and that black and white is not used to correct overexposed or underexposed color photos... and at the very beginning it is worth knowing whether we are photographing in black and white or color, With words respect
Interesting video. I’d love to critique my early shots but, when I left for college in 1963, my parents moved to a smaller house and threw out all my negatives.
Alex, thank you so much for that video! As I love black and white photography and have done film photography, it was very instructive! Cheers from Australia 🇦🇺
I'm a bit late to the conversion. I did cast bronze and aluminum sculpture in school. I think that B&W lends itself to surface, texture, shadow, and links photography to sculpture for me. I transitioned to photography because I prefer the immediacy. What a gift it is to be able to look and see if you captured what you intended instantly. Ansel Adams should be so lucky!
Brilliant video! It comes across like a chat over "a cuppa" and packs tons of information in there! I once had a language teacher doing the same trick ;-) : basically pupils/viewers only realizing afterwards, how far they have been taken.
I'm a bit older than you and dove into photography in 1968 in my sophomore year of high school. That was socially quite a time in the Western Hemisphere, and the photographs you chose, with their high contrast, are reminiscent of the kind of images that were "cool" then and in subsequent years -- rock bands, the rapidly spreading drug culture and "inner personal experiences," anti-establishment protest, and so on. Effects impress us when we're teenagers, both because we tend to reject the previous generation's values as outmoded and because we're seeking our own place and identity as we move toward adulthood.
Your view of art generally is wider than my more "conservative" one. My early work shows plenty of coolth and experimentation along with, of course, the sorts of technical mistakes common to beginners. (I later came to be persuaded that a Classical outlook, historically, combines the truly revolutionary with the universal.) To the point here, I think, is Ansel Adams's famous dictum, variously stated, that there is nothing worse than a sharp photograph of a fuzzy concept. By sharp, I think he implied various other technical features that, as you suggest, can characterize a "technically perfect" print of a perfectly boring image.
There is a place for considerable departures from "correct" prints -- but the concept must support the expression. When I was shooting a lot of ballet onstage, it was E.I. 1600 and (even with Delta 3200 in Microphen) the blacks often were featureless. I learned to develop and print to render the mid-tones and high values with delicacy while optimzing whatever shadow desired detail existed. Desired is the key word there.
And that is, essentially, where I think it wise to part ways with those who either seek only effect, or who attempt to pass off visual chaos as its own kind of composition because "life is chaotic", or who throw aside technical and compositional considerations, alike, as elitist or something. Good art is hard work. Knowing our tools and materials is just the beginning.
Like you I have B&W prints with the yellow stain. I have folders of negatives that I have kept. Transparancies that once I get the slide projector working again I will look at.
What a great video! There was so much specific information and practical advice. I'm going back for a second time to take notes. I love how you are sharing darkroom skills side-by-side with the digital. The balance is perfect.
A very informative and interesting video! As a novice, I’m not really sure what things to look for or what actually makes a good photo, a good photo. But you explaining and observing what needs improvement and how that can be improved is very helpful.
And as my screen name suggests, I love your steam train photo series. That is my passion, and this channel helps me to convey that so much better through my photography.
One additional thought. One of my favorite books in learning photography was David Vestal's "The Craft of Photography". It was well illustrated, and I don't recall ever seeing anywhere else so complete a set of images showing results, in negative and print as I recall, of under-, proper, and over- of both exposure and development, e.g., under-exposed but overdeveloped, over-exposed and under-developed, properly exposed but under-developed, etc. Like all my good reference books, I returned to it over and over again.
I try keep all my RAW files now and as many of my slides and prints I can find. Reviewing your older work does show your artistic growth as you mature.
Thank you for sharing this. Great way of learning is to look at our old photos. As I've always said to my mentees at work, "it's OK to make mistakes, so long as we learn from it and move on".
Before waiting for the end, it's orange because not rinced enough after fixing.
Don’t listen to them. You own that contrast slider!
Great insights. I also miss my 1962 Beetle!
If you learn from your mistakes I must have learned quite a lot but I still make lots of mistakes.
Great video! There’s so many important messages here.
Good thing you still got the negatives and you don’t have to wash them now lol
Thanks for sharing.
Hah! Knew it was fixer/wash straight away. Not that I've ever done it myself... 🙂
Keep up the good stuff Alex!
Hi Alex, it was nice to share your old Black and White photos. I wish I photographed Black and White in the past. Now when I look at my old photos, they're all in Colour. Thanks Alex. 😊.
i used to drive a 67 red beetle best one I ever had. No heat and talk about technology the windshield washer hooked up to the spare tire. What could go wrong? Great video again, thanks.