I've been playing with black & white a lot throughout my time as a digital photographer. For a long time, though, I restricted it to buildings and cityscapes, portraits, and indoor objects, and reserved color for my nature and available light shots. That's changed over the last few years, and I've been getting braver and applying the technique to Nature; not just landscapes, but macros, too. As Ansel Adams showed so well, you can photograph anything in black and white and make it as beautiful and interesting as anything in color. And as a photographer friend told me decades ago, the proof of a photographer's skill is the quality of his or her b&w shots.
So last night I started fooling around with some of my best shots in color and re-processed them in b&w. In many ways I think the b&w shots work better. Those of you who have been following my work here may recognize these from when I first posted them. Ignore those originals; for all intents and purposes these shots exist on their own, are their own unique entities. Look at them with new eyes!
So last night I started fooling around with some of my best shots in color and re-processed them in b&w. In many ways I think the b&w shots work better. Those of you who have been following my work here may recognize these from when I first posted them. Ignore those originals; for all intents and purposes these shots exist on their own, are their own unique entities. Look at them with new eyes!
© 2012 by A. Roy Hilbinger
The details are so sharp, & I think that's one quality of a really good B&W photo. Love what you're doing.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful! I love the black and white! That spider shot is amazing, too. I ordered your black and white calendar for this year and didn't realize it was only for 2011! I just assumed it would be updated to a 2012 one. Oh well...the photos are nice! ha.
ReplyDeleteWell clarity is certainly not a problem for you here. I have a devil of a time keeping smudges off my filters and lenses. Then I took some macros of an orb spider and a stick insect the other day. Haven't uploaded yet so we'll see how I managed Didn't want to get too close...eeek
ReplyDeleteYou are right, taking colour out of the equation changes the nature of the image entirely. Shape and pattern become far more important as your chosen shots so ably demonstrate.
ReplyDeleteroy, these images are amazing, so inspiring to me --as always!
ReplyDeleteroy, these images are amazing, so inspiring to me --as always!
ReplyDelete