The photo above is one of my favorite story-telling black & white images. This was taken at the zoo, and I loved the wise look on the gorilla. The bonus was the child looking through the glass.
A successful story-telling image gives the viewer an engaging subject with just enough details. Black & white photography cuts out the color, and brings the image to a basic tonal quality. Without the color, the photo relies on the relationship between the elements of the image.
Architecture lends itself to black & white well. In the photo above, the lines, texture, and contrast create a timeless image of a historic house along the Oregon coast. The cloudy sky contributes to the image by fading into the background. The details of the house bring the viewer’s attention to the building.
The linear aspects of architecture, whether historic homes or sky-scrapers, becomes the driving force in the composition. It is more delineated in black & white.
So, what is the story to tell, and should it be color or black & white? Photographer’s choice. . .
Happy Shooting. . .Karen
“Not Your Grandma’s Black & White” ULearn (Edmonds CC), Feb 9 – Mar 2, 2017 (Thursday nights)
Black and white photography uses tonality, contrast, and composition to engage the viewer. It is the origins of photography, and the favorite of famous photographers such as Ansel Adams.
This type of photography takes a different “eye” than its color counter part. The tonality of black and white succumbs to the vibrance of color in color photography. Often, a photographer is good at one or the other, but not both. It requires 2 different ways of “seeing” the shot.
The mood of the black and white image is more than its tones. The clarity of the image or softness add to the composition. The top photograph evokes a feeling of a storm, while the second is crisp and shows clarity. Each stands on its own composition, telling 2 different stories of the Oregon coast.
I’ll leave with 1 more image. . .
Happy Shooting. . .
“The Oregon Coast in Black & White” July 1-2, 2017 at Sitka Center for Arts & Ecology
“Ambient light is the naturally available light. Sources would be the sun, moon, or reflected light. Sunlight is the light source even on cloudy days or in the shade. Cloud cover offers soft, diffused light without harsh shadows or contrast. Ambient light can be dramatic like the previous photo, or soft like the photo to the left. Dramatic lighting often requires a wide range in tonal quality in the image. The previous photo was exposed for the light rays coming through the clouds.” ( for complete book excerpt dpb-exp-comp-pg7 )
From trickles of water to roaring flood-stage torrents, waterfalls are an ever-changing photographic subject. Their structure changes slowly over time, but the water falls differently every second. If one took 10 photographs in a row of the same waterfall, each would look different.
Below is an image taken of a small creek. This small area is isolated by using a telephoto lens, then cropping top/bottom of the image, to create an expansive feeling to the photograph. The motion of the water is in-focus. To accomplish this, the shutter speed needs to be at 1/60 second or faster. It is dependent on the speed the water is flowing. With an image like this, it is best to use a tripod to stabilize the camera and be selective about composition. This was taken on a sunny day, and this portion of the creek was in the shade.
TIP – When using a tripod, remember to turn-off the image stabilization on the lens.
This is a small portion of a stream cascading down and over rocks.
Waterfalls come in all shapes and sizes. What makes each unique is the way the water has sculpted the rocks surrounding it. The image above was a small section of a creek. The image below is much larger, and the first falls above a gorge that ends in a 50 +/- foot waterfall. This was a foggy and over-cast day in Mount Rainier National Park. The water in this image is not crisp, yet the rocks are sharp. To get this effect, the shutter speed needs to be 1/8 second or slightly slower. With these shutter speeds, the camera needs to be stabilized on a tripod or other method of stabilization. The aperture was F22, which created a larger depth of field, in comparison to the image above.
TIP – When a tripod is unavailable, try using a rock, tree or other object in the environment to stabilize the camera and/or one’s self.
This waterfall was just above a small gorge that ended in a larger falls. It is in Mount Rainier National Park.
Time of year plays a part in capturing great waterfall images. The photos above were taken during the summer months. The image below was taken in the fall. The leaves have fallen from the trees, and offer a full view of the Whatcom Falls. The ground is covered with autumn colored leaves, adding color to the forest floor. This was taken on an over-cast day in October.
The “milking” effect of the waterfall is due to a slow shutter speed. In this case, it was 1/5 second, and a bridge rail was used for camera stabilization. This was shot with a wide-angle lens, and the aperture was F10.
This was taken in the fall, and is a wide-angle shot of Lower Whatcom Falls.
This last image is Snoqualmie Falls at flood stage. The roads to the waterfall had been open a couple of hours earlier. It was flowing at 78,000 cubic feet of water per second, and it was incredibly loud. This was taken with slide film, and scanned to digital.
These locations are great to photograph waterfalls. It takes some planning to capture the photographic image one is seeking. The things to consider are weather, time of year, equipment, and accessibility to the location. In addition, it is good to factor in the costs associated with travel, food and/or lodging. For more tips and instruction, consider contacting me for workshop information.
Happy Shooting. . .Karen
This is Snoqualmie Falls with 78,000 cubic feet of water per second. The road to the falls had opened earlier in the day.
