I get asked this question very often: why only black and white? Aren't you tempted to capture those beautiful fall colors?
Why I only shoot in Black and White (even in the fall!)
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color
Using Color in Black & White Photography
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Black and White photography might lack colors, but that doesn’t mean we can’t use the colors of a scene to improve our images. In this video, I show you some examples of how tweaking with the colors made some of my photographs better.
Photographing colorful landscapes in Black & White
Today’s video is from Canyonlands National Park, in Utah. A landscape that is mostly about the colors: the red rocks, the green vegetation, the sunrises and sunsets… how do we photograph all of that in black and white?
As I explore the park, I share some tips and ideas to create good monochrome images in places where color is king.
Update: second part of this mini series is now available. I share a few more tips and ideas, this time from Arches National Park.
How I avoid the temptation to shoot in color
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As you might know, I make my images in black and white - and all the grays in between.
Sometimes when I'm out shooting, the colors are too beautiful to ignore. Many people wonder why I don't capture the scene that way.
The thing is, I do. A lot of my work is in color. I'm talking about the 200+ videos on my YouTube channel: over 2 years worth of trips, hikes and other adventures, all captured in color.
While making those movies, I try to compose every frame as if it was a photo I would take in color.
That's how I avoid the temptation: I don't, I shoot in color too.
American Road Trip Journal #31: Antelope Canyon
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Last day trip of the American Road Trip Journal! I visit some popular spots in Arizona: Horseshoe Bend and Antelope Canyon.
Last day trip of the American Road Trip Journal! There's just one episode left in this adventure.
This time, I visit the Antelope Canyon, in Page, Arizona (and Horseshoe Bend).
Photographing a storm
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I really didn't want to wake up, it was still early and I needed the sleep if I wanted to catch the sunrise as I had planned. But the storm insisted, getting louder and the lightning more often and brighter. It was relatively close and the whole bedroom would light up.
Bye, sunrise. I got up and set up the camera. The storm moved away quickly, but before it did, I was able to get a couple of good shots.
Read More“Rather than shooting in colour because a subject calls for it, people tend to do so because that’s how their camera is set up. And all too often people compose their shot using the language of colour and then hope that it will translate into black and white later. Neither of these approaches work.”
Black and White first
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Many people use monochrome to "fix" a bad photo. Others seem to have doubts about which version they prefer, so they post both: color and black and white.
While you can get good results every once in a while, this approach is wrong.
The tools you have available in black and white photography are very different from the ones you can use when shooting in color. The image should be in your mind first, then -and only then- we can choose whatever tools we need to create it.
There's room in my heart for some color
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Not too much, but when you go to a location like the one I went to this morning, you have to take a few snapshots in color.
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Sunrise, Las Ubiñas - La Mesa Natural Park, Asturias, June 2018
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I do not usually shoot in color, even less a vertical composition. But one must adapt to whats in front of them. And this morning, with that light, mountains and the tree on the bottom, I had no other option than rotating my camera and shooting it in color.
Shooting digital in Michigan City, Indiana
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Get my new eBook "Examples of the PNW" for free: https://aows.co/publications/examples-of-the-pnw --- Last outing in the US, also just an excuse to get out and try my two new lenses in the field. This time I leave my Bronica behind and use the a6500 along with the 16-70 and 70-200 f/4 lenses (find the links below).
I made some of my favorite images of this past winter in Michigan City, Indiana. The black and white fits perfectly the wintery landscape, but I also saw the potential for some color once the weather improved a bit.
That's why it was the first place that came to my mind to try my two new lenses for the Sony a6500.
I decided to pull the trigger on these two to finally upgrade my digital kit (I'd been shooting with the very inexpensive kit lenses forever), rushed by our imminent move overseas. Everything is much more expensive here, as I explain in the video.
It was a nice morning at Lake Michigan, as I was able to make the three images I was hoping for. Not exactly what I had in mind (especially the one of the hut on the beach), but still time well spent outdoors.