a world in grey

So a recurring thought in my mind has been…

was the world black & white before the first colour TV’s and camera’s were invented?

of course i know that the answer is NO… duh! But it’s a thought that amuses me.  I also imagine the world being a very noisey and not crisp and clear picture simply because of the photos i’ve seen from back then.

But I’ve always had a fascination with the quality of photos from the time my parents we’re my age… i love it & i especially love B&W photos from my grandparents era!!… and I always wondered what my photos would look like if we were able to travel back into time with my SLR or compact and take photos from the 60′s, 1900′s, 900AD and earliar!.  Probably like a permanent theme – dress party haha.

But B&W photography is something I’ve been experimenting with the past couple of months.  and here are some of my fav shots!  And to be fair… all these photos we’re taken on a black & white setting on my camera, i didn’t go through my photos and suck the colourful life out of them with iPhoto…

That last photo is actually one of my all time favourite photos =D

So what is it about black and white photos that fascinates me?  B&W photos bring out a certain type of detail that colour photos can’t.  Colour photos are fueled by their diversity in… colour… but take the same photo as B&W photo and it can be as dull as lecture on a friday arvo… and vice versa.

So what fuels a B&W?  in my observation: Contrast, details and shading.

A red ball and a green ball look great in colour but in black and white… not so spectacular.

Standing in front of a giant blue door looks great in colour! but in black and white… not so spectacular.

and i think you catch my drift.

You might have noticed a lot of my photos are taken at night… So I’m still learning how to adapt to day light =D

So here are my tips for B&W photography!

#1. A colourful scene usually doesn’t translate well into a B&W shot – try looking for a the contrast in light and dark rather than a mix of colours!  And shadows help as well!

#2. Look for Detail – I’ve found the more details or things going on the better!  A brick wall looks far better than a plaster wall.  But trees, not so great.

#3. Shoot at Night – B&W photo’s are probably the best and most dramatic at night.  Lights from houses, office windows, street lamps, cars & neons create all sorts of shadows & silhouettes in all sorts of directions.

#4. @night – Just because you can see it with your eyes in the dark doesn’t mean your camera will be able to catch it the same way.  If you want to be able to see the whole general scene ramp up the ISO, if you want to just capture something that is being lit up really brightly, by a street lamp for example, and have it dark all around play around with the shutter speed.

Anyway… still learning!… (the art of love…) lol couldn’t help myself.