Chat Thread weekly competition 19-26th July Subject: Monochrome.
It's MONOCHROME this time, and I would like you to set your camera to monochrome or black and white, to shoot the images.
I have never done this myself (I merely convert colour images), but I've been told black and white photography really is an art in itself. It relies mainly on shapes, lines and textures, and you can judge this better, when your camera screen shows a mono image.
If your camera does not have this setting, then by all means, convert a colour image, but try to keep the 'shapes, lines and textures' in mind when shooting.
No restrictions on PP.
Pictures to be taken between now, 19th July 2015 to 23:59 Sunday 26th July 2015 .
Pictures to be posted in the entries thread no later than 23.59pm Monday 27th July 2015.
Poll will be up Tuesday 28th July 2015.
Winner to be announced Saturday 1st August 2015.
The Rules for the weekly competition are...
By entering you agree to take responsibility to
Post a topic on the Sunday (or sooner) following your declared win
Create an entries thread
Create a chat thread
Create a poll for that weeks comp and declare the winner on the Saturday
(if for any reason there is a problem and no subject is posted by the winner by Monday night admin will advise second place winner to post the topic asap, do the poll etc)
In case of a tie, the first entry posted wins.
Photos to be taken during the specified dates, ie Saturday xx to Sunday xx
Pictures to be posted in the entries thread no later than 23.59 Monday night
I love monochrome so hope I can do this one justice.
The trouble with Monochrome it's all black and white! :P
Think i will take a picture of my understairs cupboard with the lights off, that will just be black. :legit:
I had a go this afternoon, as I'm not sure I'll have time later in the week, but I ran into some difficulties.
I had read somewhere on line, that the controls on a DSLR work as normal when it is in the monochrome setting. Sadly it did not work for mine (which is a Panasonic four thirds camera), so I had to take what the camera thought right, and not what I wanted.
It turned out a series of mono Jpegs, some of which were no good at all. Thank goodness I shoot RAW so I ended up editing the RAW images, then converting them to black and white. As I could not adjust the settings, even quite a lot of the RAW images were far from ideal, but some were okay.
At least I 'saw' with 'black and white eyes,' as the screen on my camera was in mono.
I'm in Edinburgh this weekend. Hope to get something then but not taking all my kit. Will have to take it with my 18-55mm
I've got an 'in camera issue' too. Well, several actually, depending on the camera. With the Lumix set to black and white the images appear as black and white on the camera's screen. When transferred to LR however, they are black and green. With the Pentax and Fuji cameras the images again display as expected on the cameras' screens, but when imported to LR they become colour images. Clicking the 'B&W' button in LR does not reinstate the image to the way it was displayed in camera, but rather applies LR's 'auto' monochrome settings and completely mucks the images up.
I'm to try a few shots as jpegs rather than RAWs to see what happens. Still haven't really got a theme sorted out though, so these may be moot points.
I have been trying to set up my Pentax k50, I can make it shoot in B&Wbut the screen/viewfinder is still in colour. Not sure if it is the camera or the operator! :-\
And I thought I had set a relatively easy task!
I think it was a Digital Camera Magazine article (on line), that told me that on a DSLR all controls would work normally when set to black and white. Well it doesn't work that way with a four thirds. My camera becomes a point and shoot camera, which gives monochrome Jpegs and, of course, coloured RAW files. I will have to work with the RAW files, and I will have to go with the point and shoot shots I took last Sunday, as it's raining now and I won't have much time to go out later.
I did have a black and white screen though, and also the view finder showed a monochrome picture, so I could (try to) compose the shot with the brief in mind; 'seeing' the world in monochrome and looking for lines, shapes and textures. (That's what the article said was important, in B&W shooting.)
My Sony bridge (Jpegs only) does not seem to have a mono setting at all.
If the camera does not allow you to do it 'properly,' just shoot in colour with the brief in mind, and convert later.
I think Reinardina realises this would not be the way that most black and white photography would be done. I thought she was just suggesting using the built in b&W modes , if people can, to see things in black and white. I`d always shoot in raw normally and perhaps use filters on camera / in processing to adjust nut think I`ll play around with my LX100 and use one of it`s B&W built in filters on a jpeg to play with and see how it goes.
Quote from: jinky on July 24, 2015, 02:03:17 PM
I think Reinardina realises this would not be the way that most black and white photography would be done. I thought she was just suggesting using the built in b&W modes , if people can, to see things in black and white. I`d always shoot in raw normally and perhaps use filters on camera / in processing to adjust nut think I`ll play around with my LX100 and use one of it`s B&W built in filters on a jpeg to play with and see how it goes.
Ah, apologies then. I've removed the post.
Strangely, all DSLR's shoot in black and white and it's the software that converts into colour. Some cameras shoot jpeg as B&W but raw files always contain colours. :o
Quote from: StephenBatey on July 24, 2015, 03:18:15 PM
Quote from: jinky on July 24, 2015, 02:03:17 PM
I think Reinardina realises this would not be the way that most black and white photography would be done. I thought she was just suggesting using the built in b&W modes , if people can, to see things in black and white. I`d always shoot in raw normally and perhaps use filters on camera / in processing to adjust nut think I`ll play around with my LX100 and use one of it`s B&W built in filters on a jpeg to play with and see how it goes.
Ah, apologies then. I've removed the post.
I was wondering what Jinky meant.
I did a bit of detective work, and found the article that gave me the idea for this monochrome malarkey in the first place.
http://www.digitalcameraworld.com/2014/02/13/monochrome-photography-how-to-compose-strong-images-using-your-cameras-black-white-mode/
Hmm - not too impressed with the article. I can agree that if you go out with colour in mind, you can have a hard time making both colour and black and white images. But I have to say that I never found it difficult to visualise the result in black and white even when I started (back in the 1950s). Then again, I was very familar with black and white images, as colour was rare.
The post I removed simply explained why using a camera monochrome mode to give a final black and white jpg was a bad idea and removed over half of the controls available to a black and white film photographer (which is what I am).
I can't let this post pass though without saying that whenever someone talks about "gritty black and white" it makes me grit my teeth as the point has been missed so completely. To me, it's the equivalent of saying that the colour images to aim at are overdone HDR. The two are pretty much the same sort of thing. The images show the result if you try to force the subject when the lighting is unsuitable; better black and white images could have been created in that light, but the determination to use that tower resulted in some (to me) dire photographs with a poor tonal range.
I am still not a proper photographer, and only learn and grasp things very slowly. I tend to take articles like that, as gospel truth. I don't know any better.
In the fifties, when I too started to take photographs (snapshots), with my Dad's Zeiss Ikon, colour photography was not even thought of by most photographers, certainly not the amateurs. I think we all 'saw' with 'monochrome eyes' in those days.
It was only through this article, and trying to get good mono results, that I realised, I see very much 'in colour' these days.
And gritty black and whites ... Could this be a matter of taste, or preference? I personally love late 19th/early 20th century photographs,* especially when shot on location, in often poor light. These can be very gritty, and I love that. I have regularly tried to imitate this look, to give a vintage feel to certain images.
* See Riis' 'How the other half lives.'
https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=jacob+a+riis+how+the+other+half+lives&biw=1333&bih=628&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0CCYQsARqFQoTCI7Aicbo9cYCFQw5FAodEr0LQQ
Personally I think the important issue is whether you are happy with the end product, You can always find an article or expert with a different point of view to you. I have posted my image which I am happy with, but I am sure you will all have your own opinions. That's what makes Photography interesting for me! :legit:
Quote from: New Forest Man on July 25, 2015, 12:47:28 PM
Personally I think the important issue is whether you are happy with the end product, You can always find an article or expert with a different point of view to you. I have posted my image which I am happy with, but I am sure you will all have your own opinions. That's what makes Photography interesting for me! :legit:
True. And here comes the subjective/objective, personal preference, and technical aspects of any image into the equation, and the discussion rolls on and on! Forever.
Quote from: Reinardina on July 25, 2015, 01:14:34 PM
And here comes the subjective/objective, personal preference, and technical aspects of any image into the equation, and the discussion rolls on and on! Forever.
I'll accept that. I was going to start a new thread to discuss my viewpoint, but I can see your point - nothing would come of it and it would just drag on. So I won't.
Quote from: StephenBatey on July 25, 2015, 02:30:50 PM
Quote from: Reinardina on July 25, 2015, 01:14:34 PM
And here comes the subjective/objective, personal preference, and technical aspects of any image into the equation, and the discussion rolls on and on! Forever.
I'll accept that. I was going to start a new thread to discuss my viewpoint, but I can see your point - nothing would come of it and it would just drag on. So I won't.
Nothing wrong with a new discussion. It has been done before, and will be done in the future. It's just one of those perpetual subjects that needs regular airing.
We all have our own opinions and preferences, but we can still learn from each others point of view.
Only thing is, it often seems to get a bit heated, with people taking general comments as personal insults, so we have to be careful.
I can't see any point in reinventing the wheel to cause a heated arguments and people taking umbrage. I'll bow out at this stage, but if you want to see my idea of black and white, you can see some here}
https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=3A6DCBEC5B37E3FC!2121&authkey=!ADVE3YpzBI1FKaQ&ithint=folder%2ctif
Stephen,
I just had a look at the link and I am not in the same league. However I can see your point but I have to agree it will be for the best to leave this discussion alone before we upset or offend somebody.
David
Great images Stephen. It just goes to show, that landscapes are eminently suitable for black and white photography.
The ones I took on Sunday, don't even come close!
Apart from the John Deere, the entries are all living things. Why would this be?
Two of my 'possibles' are also animals!
Reinardina, I think with Monochrome you have to see the picture that you are about to take without any colour if that makes sense.
Some topics, in my opinion do not work, those that have a multitude of colour originally, flower boarders, brightly coloured birds, insects etc
Landscapes work as they have detail in the clouds that can be enhanced with filters and to answer your question i think animals in general work, again not too many variations in colour. Having said that my other cat is a tortoiseshell and she does not work well in monochrome as there are too many differing colours in her coat.
Thats it from my point of view on this subject without going all technicle.
Quote from: kerbside on July 26, 2015, 03:28:47 PM
Some topics, in my opinion do not work, those that have a multitude of colour originally, flower boarders, brightly coloured birds, insects etc
I have the contrary opinion - just for the record. Anything can work, if the photographer makes it work. It's the photographer's skill and imagination that makes something work, not the subject per se.
I lack photographic skills, haven't really a clue about most technical aspects, but (hopefully) learn as I go along.
Funnily enough, one of my animal pictures, is a small herd of mainly black cows.
Been to town in the rain today, hoping to get some shiny wet pavements. Came home with some street scenes, which I have been working on. Not sure about anything yet, as the more I do, the more doubts I have over the results.
Quote from: Reinardina on July 26, 2015, 04:38:12 PM
I lack photographic skills, haven't really a clue about most technical aspects, but (hopefully) learn as I go along.
I disagree with that statement, 'That you lack photographic skills', and this can be shown by your photos. Your photo titled, 'Stay at Home Mum', shows this. Once you take a picture it isn't the end of the process rather, it's just the starting point, for when you get home the real work starts. You spend hours working on the photo until you get as close to what you saw in your minds eye. Only a true artist would do this as shown by the great masters. This skill is greater than any technical aspects. :tup:
Quote from: StephenBatey on July 26, 2015, 04:26:28 PM
Quote from: kerbside on July 26, 2015, 03:28:47 PM
Some topics, in my opinion do not work, those that have a multitude of colour originally, flower boarders, brightly coloured birds, insects etc
I have the contrary opinion - just for the record. Anything can work, if the photographer makes it work. It's the photographer's skill and imagination that makes something work, not the subject per se.
Glad we all have differing opinions that's what sets us apart and makes the end results unique, without these opinions we would all end up with the same stereotypical pictures.
Took my image with cameraa set to mono but the RAW file was coloured. I suppoose it has to be or it wouldn't be a RAW file. However, what I took through the viewfinder was mono. Will post it up later.
Quote from: Oldboy on July 26, 2015, 09:36:16 PM
Quote from: Reinardina on July 26, 2015, 04:38:12 PM
I lack photographic skills, haven't really a clue about most technical aspects, but (hopefully) learn as I go along.
I disagree with that statement, 'That you lack photographic skills', and this can be shown by your photos. Your photo titled, 'Stay at Home Mum', shows this. Once you take a picture it isn't the end of the process rather, it's just the starting point, for when you get home the real work starts. You spend hours working on the photo until you get as close to what you saw in your minds eye. Only a true artist would do this as shown by the great masters. This skill is greater than any technical aspects. :tup:
Gosh OB, you have me blush! But thank you for the compliment.
What I meant was, that I only very slowly begin to see the relationship between technical settings on a camera. For years I have been trying to master the theory, but never remembered it.
It is only now, after years of taking photos, that I actually change ISO and aperture settings to fit the situation. But which settings to use, to get the best results for a monochrome image of a colourful flowerbed? No idea. I'd try a few possibilities and hope for the best. When my photographer friend sees the results, he'll immediately say: why did you do that? Or why didn't you try so-and-so? He immediately sees what I did wrong, and I still don't.
But I know what I like to shoot, when I see it, and I am getting better at getting a reasonable result. A lot of my best shots I have serendipity to thank for; I often find unexpected things, I simply did not see, when I pressed the button. Sometimes it spoils the shot and, if possible, has to be cloned out, but sometimes it adds just that little bit, that makes an image special.
The editing throws up practical problems, as my damaged retinas, influence the way I see colour, and make me prefer slightly over saturated photos, or darker monochromes with good contrast.
Film Noir Pears - an experimental image with Silver Efex Pro
(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11291/normal_Pears_2.jpg) (http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=17745&fullsize=1)
I could not really make up my mind, which photo to enter.
I was torn between the two Indian ladies tormented by wind and rain;
(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11140/normal_Wet_and_windy_cr_res.jpg) (http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=17749&fullsize=1)
And the ruin of the medieval Holyrood Church:
(http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/albums/userpics/11140/normal_Bomb_damage_classic_res.jpg) (http://cameracraniums.com/gallery/displayimage.php?pid=17746&fullsize=1)
As a monochrome, I like the church best, but in the end I went for the Modest Marilyn Monroe Moment: 'Wet and Windy.'
Sorry - nothing from me this week. Other than my holiday shooting I`ve barely had my camera out and certainly not had the DSLRs out since my last wedding on March 28th I`ve just worked out. Need to get back into it but no inspiration just now.
Jinky, you need to get those photography juices flowing again.
A nice variety of shots this time, even though they're 'only' black and white.