Photography Pratical Theory - Thinking in Black & White/filters

Henri Cartier - Bresson

Henri Cartier - Bresson is also defined as the Godfather of street photography, and was very derogative about colour photography.

He saw colour as technically inferior and limited, but did achieved stunning effects in monochrome.

© Henri Cartier - Bresson

In this piece of work H.C - Bresson applied geometry to his images poetically.

Looking at the composition he integrated verical, horizontal, and diagonal lines, curves, shadows, triangles, circles, and squares to his advantage. 

Another point the photographer used to take into account was "The Decisive Moment", he said sometimes it would be spontaneous but others he had to be patient and wait for the right moment, and he would keep his images only if all the elements (people, background, framing....) were perfect.

Heri C. - Bresson traveled all over the world and took shots in many countries as Europe, the United states, Chinese and Africa; he was able to capture a different type life and learn more about other people surrounded by him empathising with the culture.

© Henri Cartier - Bresson

This can be a perfect excuse to travel as often as you can to get inspired and open your eyes.

Henri Cartier - Bresson was a master at taking photos of little children playing, they don't mind being in front of a camera, therefore you are able to capture their true essence in their natural playful state,  even thou nowadays it is very difficult to shoot children thanks to all the hysteria in the news about pedophilia and kidnappings.

Before HCB got into photography, he was interested in painting, once he became a painter he would apply the same aesthetics in classical paintings to his images.

© Henri Cartier - Bresson

Irving penn

one of the most famous photographers in America born in June 1917, he was mainly taking black and white pictures. His most important piece was the Vogue cover shot in black and white published in 1943fashion photographs for Vogue, that made him popular worldwide.

Don McCullin

 was born in 1935 in north London, After serving as an aerial photographer for the RAF during his national service, from 1964 to 1984 he covered battlefields in Cyprus, the Congo, Biafra, Vietnam, Cambodia, Bangladesh, El Salvador, and the Middle East, becoming one of history’s great war photographers. 

He uses stark black and white photographic paper, since he believed that black and white has an impact on the viewer that colour could not match.

Ansel Adams

Ansel Adams was an ambitious in nature photography and wilderness preservation; his signature black and white photographs inspires an appreciation for neutral beauty and strong conservation ethic.

The Sierra Club used Adam’s images for environmental project when they was seeking  the creation of national park in the Kings River region of the Sierra Nevada.

Imogen Cunningham

Born and raised in the Pacific Northwest, she studied at the University of Washington and turned her attention in the 1920's to artistic nudes of people known to her, presenting bold contemporary forms.

Monochrome coloured filters

Certain colours in black and white look very similar when converted into greyscale. This can cause object in a black and white image to blend into one another, leaving you with a photo, which is flat and lifeless, and lacking in contrast, and definition. Coloured lens filters affect the way colours are “converted” to black and white.

This allows the photographer to control the way colours appear in the final image, ensuring that object are well separated and clearly defined.

There are 5 filters colours that are commonly used in black and white photography, red, orange, yellow , green and blue.

RED FILTERS.

They’re often considered too ‘harsh’ for most type of photography, but can be used to produce striking creative effects, as they produce very strong effect and great in contrast. In the landscape photography, a red filter will turn a blue sky almost black and make clouds really stand out, giving the scene a dramatic feel. They’re also excellent for increasing visibility in haze and fog. Red filters produce such an extreme effect that they can make a photo look like it’s been shot through an infrared filer

ORANGE FILTERS

In portrait photography, an orange filter reduce the appearance and blemishes, giving the skin a healthy, smooth look.

YELLOW FILTERS

Yellow filters produce the subtlest effect of the 5 coloured filters. When snapping landscape a yellow filter darkness the sky slightly, helping to balance its exposure against the darker ground. They also bring out clouds nicely, resulting in more interesting skies. In portrait photography, they produce warm, natural, pleasing flesh tones, like an orange filter but less intense. Yellow filters are good for separating shades of green, and can be used when photographing plants to increase the contrast of foliage

BLUE FILTERS

Darken most colours and reduce contrast across an image, they are rarely used for black and white photography.

When used correctly, this reduce contrast can be useful for giving a shot a calm, soothing atmosphere.

A blue filter also increases the appearance of haze and mist, making it handy for enhancing to mood of an early-morning scene

GREEN FILTERS

Green filters are less popular than the others but are useful in some circumstance.

 A green filters is mainly used for photographing plants as it helps separate the green foliage from the brightly coloured flowers and buds