Contrast, Monochrome, Grey, Tonal, Opposing, Polarities, Clear-cut, Night and Day, Dark and Light . . .
What is Black & White Photography?
Colour can be seen as a distraction from all the details that are in a picture such as form, contrast, shape and the lighting. However, there are some photos that require colour because of the nature of the object, place or person.
Colour can be seen as a distraction from all the details that are in a picture such as form, contrast, shape and the lighting. However, there are some photos that require colour because of the nature of the object, place or person.
Michael Kenna
"Black and white is immediately more mysterious because we see in colour all the time. It is quieter than colour."
Michael Kenna creates minimalistic landscape photos which create a real feeling of loneliness because of the way he uses contrast against objects as well as very few objects such as a row of trees in a completely white landscape. To create these ethereal landscapes, Michael shoots at either dawn or night and uses exposures that can be up to 10 hours. He also travels the globe, mostly going to places such as Hokkaido in Japan and France.
Michael's images make the viewer feel as though there is no human presence which makes it that much more ghastly and interesting to look at because of how refreshing it is to see a place with nothing but nature. There is a lot of beauty in the way he shoots because of the quality and detail of what he captures, with the contrast giving the images that much more detail which can really make you focus on the objects in the image.
In response to his work, I am going to carry out a shoot similar to his style however, I won't have access to the vast landscapes that he has therefore, I will find places that have very little structure to them. I might also take photos of minimalist structures. I want to be able to take photos in a similar to style to present the loneliness in his photography.
"Black and white is immediately more mysterious because we see in colour all the time. It is quieter than colour."
Michael Kenna creates minimalistic landscape photos which create a real feeling of loneliness because of the way he uses contrast against objects as well as very few objects such as a row of trees in a completely white landscape. To create these ethereal landscapes, Michael shoots at either dawn or night and uses exposures that can be up to 10 hours. He also travels the globe, mostly going to places such as Hokkaido in Japan and France.
Michael's images make the viewer feel as though there is no human presence which makes it that much more ghastly and interesting to look at because of how refreshing it is to see a place with nothing but nature. There is a lot of beauty in the way he shoots because of the quality and detail of what he captures, with the contrast giving the images that much more detail which can really make you focus on the objects in the image.
In response to his work, I am going to carry out a shoot similar to his style however, I won't have access to the vast landscapes that he has therefore, I will find places that have very little structure to them. I might also take photos of minimalist structures. I want to be able to take photos in a similar to style to present the loneliness in his photography.
Michael Kenna's Photos
Michael Kenna Shoot 1
In this shoot I was able to shoot some minimalistic objects and scenes. I took photos of buildings which looked as if they were merging or fading into the sky similar to some of Michael Kenna's photographs. As well as taking photos of objects that weren't surrounded by anything else which I think created the lonely feeling of Michael's work. I edited these photos in Photoshop by cropping the original images to get rid of most of the surrounding objects as well as adding a bit of noise to add to the faded look. I felt as though I was able to achieve the kind of isolated feel of Michael Kenna's images even though, I didn't have access to the landscapes that he was able to shoot.
This shoot was carried out in Shoreditch and around Central London which had high rise buildings and shot them at angles which would single them out creating the feeling of loneliness for example, shooting the buildings at a high angle. I was also able to find objects and buildings that had nothing surrounding them around the Thames Barrier which I felt was a good location because of how the river created a beautiful background because of how the sun reflected on it.
I felt as though this photo shoot contained images that were very successful and some that weren't quite as successful because the aspect of loneliness wasn't fully expressed in some of the cityscape images I took which had many other buildings in the background and foreground. However, some of the other images I captured were more successful like for example, the image of the stump in water which worked because there was nothing surrounding it making it seem completely isolated.
In this shoot I was able to shoot some minimalistic objects and scenes. I took photos of buildings which looked as if they were merging or fading into the sky similar to some of Michael Kenna's photographs. As well as taking photos of objects that weren't surrounded by anything else which I think created the lonely feeling of Michael's work. I edited these photos in Photoshop by cropping the original images to get rid of most of the surrounding objects as well as adding a bit of noise to add to the faded look. I felt as though I was able to achieve the kind of isolated feel of Michael Kenna's images even though, I didn't have access to the landscapes that he was able to shoot.
This shoot was carried out in Shoreditch and around Central London which had high rise buildings and shot them at angles which would single them out creating the feeling of loneliness for example, shooting the buildings at a high angle. I was also able to find objects and buildings that had nothing surrounding them around the Thames Barrier which I felt was a good location because of how the river created a beautiful background because of how the sun reflected on it.
I felt as though this photo shoot contained images that were very successful and some that weren't quite as successful because the aspect of loneliness wasn't fully expressed in some of the cityscape images I took which had many other buildings in the background and foreground. However, some of the other images I captured were more successful like for example, the image of the stump in water which worked because there was nothing surrounding it making it seem completely isolated.
Harry Callahan
“If you choose your subject selectively — intuitively — the camera can write poetry.”
Harry Callahan was an American photographer known for his black and white photographs of objects and scenes taken on the street. He also shot landscapes and cityscapes that had a very lonely and minimalistic look to them. The photos that Harry Callahan took on the streets were very candid and caught people in decisive moments whilst they were going about their days and even caught people in the reflections of windows to create a layered look similar to the multiple exposure technique done in Photoshop but in this case, done manually. He had explored a lot and experimented with his photography which can be seen in some images where they are shot at very odd angles or that some of the heads are cut off at the edges. However, he focused on the urban city as well as nature and combined people with nature in some of his images using multiple exposure similar to the more recent artist, Ade Santora.
Harry Callahan has one recurring subject in quite a lot of his photography which is his wife. He photographed her in many different scenes both indoors and outdoors and is usually placed in a way that makes her seem very small compared to the rest of the landscape around her.
Harry Callahan's images that were superimposed onto each other inspired me to crate images that had combined nature and man-made scenes. This is because of how they showed a very clear contrast between the two forms whilst also showing their similarities in a surreal and beautiful way.
“If you choose your subject selectively — intuitively — the camera can write poetry.”
Harry Callahan was an American photographer known for his black and white photographs of objects and scenes taken on the street. He also shot landscapes and cityscapes that had a very lonely and minimalistic look to them. The photos that Harry Callahan took on the streets were very candid and caught people in decisive moments whilst they were going about their days and even caught people in the reflections of windows to create a layered look similar to the multiple exposure technique done in Photoshop but in this case, done manually. He had explored a lot and experimented with his photography which can be seen in some images where they are shot at very odd angles or that some of the heads are cut off at the edges. However, he focused on the urban city as well as nature and combined people with nature in some of his images using multiple exposure similar to the more recent artist, Ade Santora.
Harry Callahan has one recurring subject in quite a lot of his photography which is his wife. He photographed her in many different scenes both indoors and outdoors and is usually placed in a way that makes her seem very small compared to the rest of the landscape around her.
Harry Callahan's images that were superimposed onto each other inspired me to crate images that had combined nature and man-made scenes. This is because of how they showed a very clear contrast between the two forms whilst also showing their similarities in a surreal and beautiful way.
Harry Callahan's Photos
Harry Callahan Shoot
I took photos in central London which were of the buildings, people and the streets which I converted to black & white in Photoshop. In the style of Harry Callahan, I layered photos on top of each other to create the sort of surreal aspect of his photographs and changed the opacity of the photos I layered to create my own version of the multiple exposure he used. I wanted to achieve the candid shots that Harry Callahan was able to shoot for example, I shot people in a sort of decisive moment. These candid images suited the black and white theme because since there is no colour, it makes the subjects of the photo become one with the surroundings whilst also making the viewer focus on the contrasting elements in the photo. I felt as though this photo shoot was quite successful in terms of the theme, "Black and White" because I was able to layer images that opposed each other as well as editing noise into the images to create a monochrome feeling.
I took photos in central London which were of the buildings, people and the streets which I converted to black & white in Photoshop. In the style of Harry Callahan, I layered photos on top of each other to create the sort of surreal aspect of his photographs and changed the opacity of the photos I layered to create my own version of the multiple exposure he used. I wanted to achieve the candid shots that Harry Callahan was able to shoot for example, I shot people in a sort of decisive moment. These candid images suited the black and white theme because since there is no colour, it makes the subjects of the photo become one with the surroundings whilst also making the viewer focus on the contrasting elements in the photo. I felt as though this photo shoot was quite successful in terms of the theme, "Black and White" because I was able to layer images that opposed each other as well as editing noise into the images to create a monochrome feeling.
John Blakemore
"British obsession with photography."
John Blakemore is known for his very detailed silver prints which have a lot of tone and texture. Blakemore takes photos of natural landscapes and tulips which are in black and white. His photography often has a mysterious feel because of how they quite dim and dull he makes his scenes which also has a vintage and aged look to them which is probably because of the time they were taken but I feel like it adds to his images. He has taken very close up shots of trees for example which lets you see every detail especially since it's in black and white. There is a lot of richness which is what makes his photos very recognizable as well as tone which creates photos that contain a lot of shapes and natural forms which the viewer would have to look at for a while to take it all in. I chose to look at John Blakemore for this reason as I wanted the express the natural forms which are becoming more and more scarce due to the urban environment increasing in size and technology advancing making people focus on nature less.
"The daffodil, although it is a delightful flower, exhibits a stubborn rigidity of form; it lives and dies at attention. The tulip, however, is a flower of constant metamorphosis; it stretches towards the light and gestures to occupy the space."
"British obsession with photography."
John Blakemore is known for his very detailed silver prints which have a lot of tone and texture. Blakemore takes photos of natural landscapes and tulips which are in black and white. His photography often has a mysterious feel because of how they quite dim and dull he makes his scenes which also has a vintage and aged look to them which is probably because of the time they were taken but I feel like it adds to his images. He has taken very close up shots of trees for example which lets you see every detail especially since it's in black and white. There is a lot of richness which is what makes his photos very recognizable as well as tone which creates photos that contain a lot of shapes and natural forms which the viewer would have to look at for a while to take it all in. I chose to look at John Blakemore for this reason as I wanted the express the natural forms which are becoming more and more scarce due to the urban environment increasing in size and technology advancing making people focus on nature less.
"The daffodil, although it is a delightful flower, exhibits a stubborn rigidity of form; it lives and dies at attention. The tulip, however, is a flower of constant metamorphosis; it stretches towards the light and gestures to occupy the space."
John Blakemoore Shoot 1
These are some images that I took based on John Blakemore's photography. I took these images around Greenwich which I changed to black and white and added noise to create a more vintage and weathered look like John Blakemore's photos as well as manipulating the selective colours to make the images look warmer. I chose to take these photos in Greenwich because there was a lot of natural structures which I found in the Park as well as many man-made structures that contrasted against them. The photos I took were of tree branches which I zoomed in on because it allowed the camera to focus on the detail of the branches which also created a mysterious look because you couldn't see where they started or ended. I used a low f-stop to take these photographs as I shot them on a bright day. I took a shot of the skyline from Greenwich park which captures high rise buildings and old houses which looked vintage and modern at the same time due to them being modern structures in a vintage style. This photo shoot was successful in achieving my aims of creating images that had a feeling of nostalgia like John Blakemore's images as well as a rich look created by the sepia tones combined with the noise that I edited into the photos I took.
I felt like I could've explored natural forms further as I felt as though the image I took of the branches accomplished a similar feel to John Blakemore's photos and has a feeling of mystery. Therefore, I took another shoot based on only natural forms, specifically plants.
These are some images that I took based on John Blakemore's photography. I took these images around Greenwich which I changed to black and white and added noise to create a more vintage and weathered look like John Blakemore's photos as well as manipulating the selective colours to make the images look warmer. I chose to take these photos in Greenwich because there was a lot of natural structures which I found in the Park as well as many man-made structures that contrasted against them. The photos I took were of tree branches which I zoomed in on because it allowed the camera to focus on the detail of the branches which also created a mysterious look because you couldn't see where they started or ended. I used a low f-stop to take these photographs as I shot them on a bright day. I took a shot of the skyline from Greenwich park which captures high rise buildings and old houses which looked vintage and modern at the same time due to them being modern structures in a vintage style. This photo shoot was successful in achieving my aims of creating images that had a feeling of nostalgia like John Blakemore's images as well as a rich look created by the sepia tones combined with the noise that I edited into the photos I took.
I felt like I could've explored natural forms further as I felt as though the image I took of the branches accomplished a similar feel to John Blakemore's photos and has a feeling of mystery. Therefore, I took another shoot based on only natural forms, specifically plants.
John Blakemore Shoot 2
I then did another shoot based on natural forms where I took photos of plants and then edited them in Photoshop. Like my previous shoot, I added noise and changed the contrast and colour balance to create a warmer tone the the images. Unlike the first photo shoot, I edited the noise so that it was monochrome rather than coloured noise that I used in the previous photo shoot which fused properly with the details of the image. Adding monochromatic noise to the images was what created the aged look inspired by the silver prints of John Blakemore. The images I created give a feeling of nostalgia, as if these images were taken in the past because if the weathered look I edited in. I focused on specific branches and flowers in these images by using a low f-stop which allows the viewer to look a specific details as the object I focused on was surrounded by similar objects and forms. It also makes the images look quite mysterious as it becomes slightly harder to distinguish the details in the leaves and branches in the background as they are out of focus. I chose to look more into the natural forms that I started to look at in my first response to John Blakemore which was successful as I was able to show a lot of contrast as well as grey features which linked back to the theme of "Black and White".
I then did another shoot based on natural forms where I took photos of plants and then edited them in Photoshop. Like my previous shoot, I added noise and changed the contrast and colour balance to create a warmer tone the the images. Unlike the first photo shoot, I edited the noise so that it was monochrome rather than coloured noise that I used in the previous photo shoot which fused properly with the details of the image. Adding monochromatic noise to the images was what created the aged look inspired by the silver prints of John Blakemore. The images I created give a feeling of nostalgia, as if these images were taken in the past because if the weathered look I edited in. I focused on specific branches and flowers in these images by using a low f-stop which allows the viewer to look a specific details as the object I focused on was surrounded by similar objects and forms. It also makes the images look quite mysterious as it becomes slightly harder to distinguish the details in the leaves and branches in the background as they are out of focus. I chose to look more into the natural forms that I started to look at in my first response to John Blakemore which was successful as I was able to show a lot of contrast as well as grey features which linked back to the theme of "Black and White".
John Blakemore Shoot 3
In this shoot I looked at more natural forms which were bones from small animals. My intentions in this shoot was to express natural forms in the structures of animals because bones have very distinct, angular properties that are still quite similar to the natural forms of plants. The bones I shot created quite harsh angular lines which were still free flowing and random which showed the nature of the objects also adding a surreal aspect to them because of how close up I got to the bones. I took this shoot outside rather than in a studio because the natural lighting had much more of and effect which brought out the details of the bones better as well as creating shadows which created more contrast with the lighter areas of the photos. This meant that I had to use a low f-stop which also allowed me to focus in and zoom in on the bones which showed all the pores and crevices of the bones. Similar to my previous shoots inspired by John Blakemore, I also edited them in Photoshop by adding noise however, in this shoot I didn't add the sepia tones as I felt that the bones suited a more colder look because of the harsh nature of the forms. I felt this shoot was quite successful as I was able to capture forms similar to John Blakemore's style as well as express natural forms in more than just plants and tree branches.
In this shoot I looked at more natural forms which were bones from small animals. My intentions in this shoot was to express natural forms in the structures of animals because bones have very distinct, angular properties that are still quite similar to the natural forms of plants. The bones I shot created quite harsh angular lines which were still free flowing and random which showed the nature of the objects also adding a surreal aspect to them because of how close up I got to the bones. I took this shoot outside rather than in a studio because the natural lighting had much more of and effect which brought out the details of the bones better as well as creating shadows which created more contrast with the lighter areas of the photos. This meant that I had to use a low f-stop which also allowed me to focus in and zoom in on the bones which showed all the pores and crevices of the bones. Similar to my previous shoots inspired by John Blakemore, I also edited them in Photoshop by adding noise however, in this shoot I didn't add the sepia tones as I felt that the bones suited a more colder look because of the harsh nature of the forms. I felt this shoot was quite successful as I was able to capture forms similar to John Blakemore's style as well as express natural forms in more than just plants and tree branches.
John Blakemore's Photos
Kumi Yamashita
Kumi Yamashita is known for creating shadow sculptures out of different materials such as metal wire, paper and other materials that create a shape which you wouldn't expect to give off such a shadow. Her sculptures rely on light as well as the placement of the objects which is the key to creating her sculptures. She focuses a lot on the human figure and creates a lot of detail as well as showing a lot of emotion and meaning like for example, her origami which is made using a single piece of paper and creates a shadow that resembles the side of a face emerging from the paper.
Kumi Yamashita is known for creating shadow sculptures out of different materials such as metal wire, paper and other materials that create a shape which you wouldn't expect to give off such a shadow. Her sculptures rely on light as well as the placement of the objects which is the key to creating her sculptures. She focuses a lot on the human figure and creates a lot of detail as well as showing a lot of emotion and meaning like for example, her origami which is made using a single piece of paper and creates a shadow that resembles the side of a face emerging from the paper.
Cameron R. Neilson
"Kids do it all the time - lying on the grass, looking to the sky and visualizing shapes in the clouds. As adults, we don't often have this luxury of time, and if we do, it's rarely spent on our backs in grassy fields."
Cameron R. Neilson is an architectural and interior based in New York City who has worked with many world renown architects and designers. He shoots buildings that display a lot of repetition from abstract points of view to make it challenge how we see buildings. His images are quite perfect and beautiful which shows the artificial nature of the forms he shoots. I particularly liked Cameron's work because of how his style is very unique despite being based on architecture which is difficult to make original. I felt as though his images have a lot of detail which would not look as effective in colour as it allows the viewer to focus on all the geometric shapes that can be seen in his work as well as the contrast. The meaning behind Neilson's photography is that by taking his architectural shots from his "straight up" angle, he expresses what a child would see by laying on the grass and looking up creating a tunnel vision which makes the images have a sort of overwhelming feeling as it looks as though you're surrounded by the structures and trapped in it.
"Kids do it all the time - lying on the grass, looking to the sky and visualizing shapes in the clouds. As adults, we don't often have this luxury of time, and if we do, it's rarely spent on our backs in grassy fields."
Cameron R. Neilson is an architectural and interior based in New York City who has worked with many world renown architects and designers. He shoots buildings that display a lot of repetition from abstract points of view to make it challenge how we see buildings. His images are quite perfect and beautiful which shows the artificial nature of the forms he shoots. I particularly liked Cameron's work because of how his style is very unique despite being based on architecture which is difficult to make original. I felt as though his images have a lot of detail which would not look as effective in colour as it allows the viewer to focus on all the geometric shapes that can be seen in his work as well as the contrast. The meaning behind Neilson's photography is that by taking his architectural shots from his "straight up" angle, he expresses what a child would see by laying on the grass and looking up creating a tunnel vision which makes the images have a sort of overwhelming feeling as it looks as though you're surrounded by the structures and trapped in it.
Cameron Neilson shoot
In this response to Cameron's work, I took a photo of buildings from an interesting angle similar to his work however, I edited the image to show more of a contrast between the building in the background which was a lot lighter and faded out than the building in the front which was done on Photoshop. I wanted to show the different polarities in my photo which is why I edited them so that they opposed each other in terms of brightness.
In this response to Cameron's work, I took a photo of buildings from an interesting angle similar to his work however, I edited the image to show more of a contrast between the building in the background which was a lot lighter and faded out than the building in the front which was done on Photoshop. I wanted to show the different polarities in my photo which is why I edited them so that they opposed each other in terms of brightness.