It's Black & White- Part 2

Contrast is the key to good black and white photography.

Contrast in a photograph leads your eye to the point of greatest interest; which should be your main subject. It brings together the points where the lightest and darkest elements converge. It is the element that creates texture and depth in a  B&W photograph. The result is an image with impact. For this reason, I believe contrast is the single most important element of a good B&W photograph.

Without it, our eyes get lost and our mind is confused, so the photograph becomes less impactful. But with too much contrast, our subject can become a distraction itself. So it's a balance.

So how do we do this?
The key is lighting. It's the facilator to creating impact in your B&W photograph. Lighting allows you to create shadows. And how you light your subject has a direct effect on all of the elements that will make your photograph good- shape, contrast, pattern and texture. The proper use of lighting, especially along edges combined with good contrast is an especially good opportunity to express details in a photo. I often use B&W photography to express these details at weddings. The image below is an example.

Because there is good contrast in this photo, black and white creates the impact needed for this image to work. In color, the bubbles simply blended in with the background. In B&W, the bubbles give the image the impact needed to make it an effective image.

For B&W photography, directional lighting from one key source is usually the best type of lighting for those elements mentioned above. Your "main" light source in general should be brighter and stronger than any other light in the scene. This creates a "ratio" of light to dark areas in the photograph essential to creating contrast and depth. A typical ratio would be 2:1, meaning your main light is 2 times stronger than your fill light. Directional lighting enhances shapes and increases contrast by adding highlights as well as enhancing textures and patterns.

None of these tips are only applicable in a studio. In fact, learning to use light in a natural setting to create texture and depth to an image is part of the art of photography. Look at the image below I shot of a bride in a limo during a wedding in Connecticut.

In this image, the light outside the window is the main directional light. It is a 2:1 ration to the light within the limo, hence the effective shadows and details throughout the image. Notice you can even see the raindrops on the window. 

In a studio, you control the ratio's using artifical lights, an art in itself if done right. Unfortunately, most studios now don't use any "ratios" in their photography. One of the barameters I use to evaluate a photographer is the photographer's use of shadows. Many bargain studios (think Sears or some school day studios) don't use any "ratio" in their photographs. Take a look at most of their work. No shadows. It's all even lighting (basically the easist way to shoot without risk of error). So theorically, most of those evenly lit photographs will not look good in B&W.

Always remember, that since photography is a two dimensional recording device, shadows and contrast are your only way to create the depth you need to add impact.

Despite all the post processing possiblities, it's still very important to plan your B&W photographs even though you are shooting in color. In my next discussion on B&W, I will lay out my favorite tips for B&W photography, plus a few of my own Photoshop techniques....-cg