In the sixties, I had an English teacher who was only a few years older than we, and she was so much fun. One day she brought in photographer friends of hers to show us a slide show of their work. I will never forget how impressive their black-n-whites of graphic looking things were. Full of angles and shadows, stripes and boxes, corner to corner off kilter subjects and people hanging upside down. They made an impression on me and were the first real longing I had to someday get a camera and use it to create art. This week I had a few opportunities to capture some shots that captured that aesthetic. If you look around, good black n whites are everywhere. But the best ones are not where you set the camera to black n white but where the light and darks create a grey tone image with touches of color. Sometimes a rainy day and some silouetting adds to the effect. Rocks in water under gray skies for example.
Another way to make things happen is to dress subjects in black n white or grays, and make sure the background is also a grey, white, or black, and let the only thing in the picture be skin tones and 1 tiny object with a defined color. Rather than going back to computer colorize the object, make it real. To go one step further, the subject could wear gloves, and colored hose, ( stiped ones are fun,) and a white outfit and hat. Turn the subject away from the camera, and avoid getting any skin in the pic. Really fun artistic prints can be acheived.
One of my favorites is my brother's arched bridge over the ditch near the road at his house. In the early morning sun, it was all grays and whites. Open your eyes to the things around you, and create a black-n-white pic that is taken in full color!
