Shooting Monochrome -by Gord Barker

     "The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera."                                - Dorothea Lange 

   So it's almost the end of November, perhaps the dreariest month of the year. Was it only a month ago that the whole world was a blast of colour? It's about this time that I tend to shoot more black and white photos. I mean, the world around me looks monochromatic anyway. Time to dust off the street photography skills. I've always liked shooting in monochrome. It makes me work a little harder when I don't have the advantage of glorious colour to save my butt.

Small town street photography. Paris, Ont.

    Back in the dinosaur days of film photography, I spent over a year shooting almost all of my personal work on black and white film. Back then, I was doing a lot of commercial work and would shoot colour only if the client specified it. I learned a lot. (And I'm still learning!) When you eliminate the advantage of letting pretty colours save the photograph, visual elements like composition, form, shape, texture, shadow and lines become a lot more important. I became far more conscious of the quality and direction of light and how it affected my subject. It has been a crucial part of my personal education into just how powerful this medium can be.

Waiting. Brantford, Ont.

    These days, working in the digital realm, it can be tempting to shoot everything in colour and just convert it digitally to black and white later in post processing. I mean, hey, I can have the best of both worlds right? I find that the problem with this approach is that more often than not, the images taken never get transferred to monochrome. I just end up with a lot of mediocre colour shots. For me, the best approach is this. If I think that the image would look best in black and white, then shoot it in black and white in the first place! With the digital advantage of being able to see the photo right after I take it, I can quite often make any adjustments needed and, if necessary, re-shoot the image while still on location. I'm an old school photographer. Despite the creative advantages of post processing programs like Lightroom and Photoshop, I still firmly believe that, as much as possible, the photograph should be made in the camera. I've found that a little forethought exercised while still on location, saves a ton of post processing work later! Quite frankly, I'd rather be out shooting than spending hours in front of a computer screen attempting to fix up lackluster work.

    Black and white is, perhaps, the most dynamic genre of photography. It can be bold and powerful or seductively subtle. By eliminating the distraction of colour, it can command the attention of the viewer. From the standpoint of a photographer, it forces me to see the world in a different way. And, ultimately, that's what the practice of photography is all about. 

   ....more later  

  

 P.S.   It occurs to me that my next blog post will be published after Christmas Day. I want to take this opportunity to wish everyone the best for the Holiday Season. I am constantly amazed by the kindness and support I receive in pursuing a craft that I love.  When you get to make  photographs and have the joy of sharing them with family and friends, every day is Christmas!

   ...more later (again)