Black and White Photography – How and Why We Use It

carla coulson portrait shoot, carla coulson, black and white photography

Copyright Carla Coulson

I love black and white photography, it is part of how I take photos and I couldn’t imagine photography without it. A frequent question I am asked is how and when to use black and white. So I thought today we could have a little chat about black and white in photography.

My fabulous printer in Paris ‘Toros’ of Toroslab, in an interview in Paris Tango said “Black and white is an attitude, a different way of looking at things. I knew many photographers like Cartier-Bresson and Robert Doisneau who preferred to work in black and white. There is an indescribable magic in black and white that is impossible to explain, it is the shadows and the highlights, in the details and in the mystique. Black and white treads that fine line between reality and fantasy.”

My French Life, Carla Coulson, black and white photography

Image Copyright Carla Coulson My French Life

SEE YOUR PHOTOS IN BLACK AND WHITE

Not all photos look great in black and white and one of the arts of photography is ‘seeing’ how the image will look before you take it.

When converting colour it is important to have different tones in the photo so your subject will jump out of the background or surrounds ie.. there needs to be contrast in the image. Often if the subject has the same tone it can look a little flat in black and white.

When converting images from colour to black and white make sure you don’t have any strong colour ‘casts’ otherwise the colour cast will be converted to the same grey tone and applied generically to your photo.

WHY USE BLACK AND WHITE?

In film photography you needed to decide prior to taking a photo whether to use black and white film or colour but we now have the luxury with digital photography to choose to convert a colour image into black and white.

The art director on a book once said to me ” a colour image is only valid when the colour is great colour.”  Hence if the colours jar, or they are not harmonious or are distracting that is when I convert an image to black and white.

I use black and white often when an image is graphic (like in the fashion pic above), when the photo has been taken in a ‘reportage’ or ‘lifestyle’ way and I want to make this image stronger (like the family in Naples), when I want to cut to the core of a portrait and let the person stand out not the colours  like in the first picture in this post.

Carla Coulson Family Naples, black and white photography

Image copyright Carla Coulson Italian Joy

GOOD SUBJECTS FOR BLACK AND WHITE

When you take away colour you are taking away one of the primary ways the viewer can ‘read’ your image. Therefore there needs to be strong dimensions.

  • Tone and Contrast – The photo subject will work best when it has a varied range of blacks, greys and whites. Always look for dark and light areas in your images as this creates tone and contrast.
  • Lines, Shape and Form – Images that have graphic elements, strong lines, geometric shapes or form make wonderful subjects for black and white especially when the image has good contrast between the elements. Always look for lines that run diagonally, horizontally or vertically through the image and try and create interesting compositions with them.
  • Textures and Detail – All details in photos add to the message and depth of a photo. Black and white works well with textural walls such as brick, sandstone or whitewashed stone especially when the subject is of a contrasting tone. Strong skies and clouds also are wonderful subjects (check out Sebastiao Salgado’s work). A person or detail strongly lit can make a wonderful subject in black and white.
  • Portraits – People and the environment you find them in make for strong subjects in black and white particularly when there is good contrast in their clothes, the background and surroundings. Look for interesting hats, clothes or textures in their environment that would make a strong portrait in black and white.
  • Reportage/life photography– Storytelling of an event albeit sporting, religious, musical or cultural can be strengthened using black and white and add to the weight and message of the photo.

WHAT BLACK AND WHITE SAYS ABOUT YOUR STYLE

In my interview with Toros he discusses the character of a photographer depending on his taste in black and white. ‘There are some photographers that come to me and say “Toros,  I want my photos very dark, very black and deep. There are others they tell me “I don’t like grey; I want black and white without details.” This says a lot about their characters. Once Cartier-Bresson told me, “Toros, don’t print my photos with too much contrast, don’t print them too dark because my character is soft and light.”

Have a look at the following photographers style of black and white and let me know in the comments what you learn about the differences in the style of black and white and what it says about their styles and how it enhances their photos. (sorry you will have to google as their sites are under construction).

Ellen Von Unwerth

Paolo Roversi

HOW TO ACHIEVE YOUR BLACK AND WHITE STYLE?

Film photographers would choose a type of film based on it’s effect. Low ISO films produce fine grain and strong contrast and the higher ISO film produce prominent grain and generally a softer contrast.

With digital conversions we have the choice over contrast and how we want to manipulate the image afterwards. I use a program called DXO filmpak and when I bought it I spent almost a day going through every film option on a series of photos to see the effects that I like. I arrived at a couple of favourites Kodak Tri-x 400 and Ilford Pan F Plus.

These are just my personal preferences but I would encourage you always to try all options and find your favourites as this is part of your photographic style.

I hope this helps you make some decisions about your black and white photography.

“To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.”  Henri Cartier-Bresson

signature

 

 

Check out my Portrait Lightroom Presets here.

What I learnt Shooting These Photos At The Moulin Rouge

Carla Coulson moulin Rouge

Looking back through my archives of photos is like time travelling and these shots taking at the Moulin Rouge take me back to the beginning of my arrival in Paris. How very lucky I was to work with the fabulous dancers the Moulin Rouge and Le Lido de Paris, they taught me so much.

I remember when I finally had the go-ahead to shoot the girls on stage and it was up to me to decide what to shoot, how to shoot them and what mood to create I had to think about it a lot long before starting.

Moulin Rouge Paris Carla Coulson

One of the greatest difficulties for us photographers is where to start especially when we have a smorgasboard of options, incredible costumes, beautiful girls and locations.

Carla Coulson Moulin Rouge Paris

Here’s What I learnt shooting these pics:

1. Research some ideas and choose a theme that you would like to start with.

2. I wanted to create a portrait series of the dancers. I had seen lots of pics live on stage image so I wanted to take them out of that environment and create a timeless feeling.

Moulin Rouge Carla Coulson paris

3. I wanted something moody so the light selection was really important. I chose to use just one main light on the girls and surround them in darkness.

4. My pictures previously had been full of energy, movement and life and I decided to challenge myself and photograph ‘silence’! I asked the girls to always have their eyes down and not to look at me as though they were in a dream.

Carla Coulson moulin Rouge Paris

5. I wanted the slightest blur to give the feeling of a dream. Working on a shutter speed of 1/60th second I asked the girls to take the smallest steps forward and backward and this is how we created the blur.

6. Dancers are brilliant to photograph as they are aware of every movement their body makes and they are always striving for elegance and poise. But I didn’t want photos that were stiff so we worked together to use their form to create interesting portrait shapes and then relaxed the poses so they looked natural.

Carla Coulson moulin rouge paris

7. Having wonderful costumes is a dream, the same as adding fashion to a portrait shoot. The shoot takes on an entirely different feel and this is something I always incorporate into my portraits.

8. I gave the girls roles to play, asked them to think of a certain situation or moments to transport them and their mood and voila I took the pic.

You too can apply some of the above examples next time you shoot. Ask yourself what you want to achieve, what mood, feel and research before you start taking pics.

I will be teaching the way I work and how to create emotion in your photos and incorporate fashion into your portraits this summer in Paris at the Picture This Workshop !! I’d love you to join me.. For the full story check here.

I would love to hear if you thought this helpful..

 “I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: ‘If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?’ And whenever the answer has been ‘No’ for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.??? Steve jobs

signature

 

 

PS: If you know a photographer who might like to learn more about combining fashion and portraiture please feel free to share..x

Check out my Portrait Lightroom Presets here.

The Decisive Moment – Taking Better Photos

Image Copyright Carla Coulson Italian Joy

I know so many of you gorgeous folk who tune into my blog on a regular basis would love to take better photos or maybe become a photographer.

Well, you all know I love photography so I will do anything I can to help you take better pics and another step on your path to becoming a photographer.

Today I would like to talk about something close to my heart and it is the phrase coined by Henri Cartier-Bresson, ‘The Decisive Moment’.

Cartier-Bresson has always been one of the big Kahuna’s on my photography list of heros and he truly was a renaissance man. He took amazing photos, painted and some of his words are the most poetic and to the point that I have ever read (certainly on photography).

Photo Copyright Carla Coulson Italian Joy

As Cartier-Bresson said “There is nothing in this world that does not have a decisive moment” and for us photographers making that decision when is the decisive moment, when all the photography planets align and we hit the shutter, is nail-biting stuff.

Cartier-Bresson went on to say “To take photographs means to recognize – simultaneously and within a fraction of a second – both the fact itself and the rigorous organization of visually perceived forms that give it meaning. It is putting one’s head, one’s eye and one’s heart on the same axis”.

Photo Copyright Carla Coulson Italian Joy

I cut my teeth on street photography and working with film was one of the greatest lessons I had in learning my decisive moment.

Often I felt like I was a tiger laying in wait, my heart in my throat, my body coiled, my breath taken from my body, waiting for that perfect hundredth of a second when the little boy jumping off the rocks was in the right position or the lady walking past a funny poster was in the right spot at exactly the right moment and bingo I squeezed the shutter.

Photo Copyright Carla Coulson Italian Joy

“Photography is not like painting,” Cartier-Bresson told the Washington Post in 1957. “There is a creative fraction of a second when you are taking a picture. Your eye must see a composition or an expression that life itself offers you, and you must know with intuition when to click the camera. That is the moment the photographer is creative,” he said. “Oops! The Moment! Once you miss it, it is gone forever.”

Digital photography is fabulous, convenient and instant but to take great photos you need to still pick that decisive moment and know in your gut without looking at your LCD screen that you ‘have it’.

Here’s some tips on how to practice getting the decisive moment:

1. Tape the LCD Screen on the back of your camera (many great shots have been lost because photographers are obsessed with looking at the LCD screens).

2. Take your camera off continuous and shoot on single shot (this way you just get one go at it).

3. Take a half-a-day and go out to take photos with the express idea of catching the decisive moment. If you come home with just one great shot pat yourself on your back.

4. Feel the photo, feel the moment, trust your gut instinct and hit the shutter when you know it is right. Don’t check the screen, leave the tape on and when you have finished at the end of the day see if your gut instinct about which shots you thought you captured was right.

5. Get in the habit of really looking through the view finder and wait, wait, wait.  This is the greatest life lesson I have learnt as a photographer that a lot of getting the right shot is waiting for it to happen. In the case of the lady in the 2nd shot in front of the ‘maid in Italy’ poster,  I hung around that poster for almost 20 minutes waiting until the ‘right’ person came along. I waited till she walked between the girls arms and I just got lucky that she was speaking with her hands.

6. Be part of life. In all the above shots I was out amongst life and sharing the joy of others. I was treading water for 15 minutes before the little boy jumped off the rocks with his arms out in the 1st shot and I was treading water when I squeezed the shutter as he jumped. I knew in that moment I had got the shot long before I saw the film.

Oh and always have fun!

My Favourite Gear

Canon EOS 5D Mark III

Canon EF 24-70mm

Canon EF 35mm

“As far as I am concerned, taking photographs is a means of understanding which cannot be separated from other means of visual expression. It is a way of shouting, of freeing oneself, not of proving or asserting one’s own originality. It is a way of life.”  Henri Cartier-Bresson

signature

 

 

 

If you want to learn how to take/create your body of work and sell it online, join my Free Training by clicking here.

Where Do You Come From?

 

My mother with her grandfather on the verandah of the family house in Tempe

Where do you come from?

Is this a question you ever ask yourself?

I often do. As my Australian visit comes to a close and my family and I spend more and more time looking at old photos and recent ones I often wished I could have a day with some of my grandparents, great-grandparents, great aunts and uncles to hear about their adventures, dreams, difficulties and life’s lessons.

The above photo is where I come from. That is my great-great grandfather on the verandah of his Tempe home with my mother.

My great grandfather had tennis courts and a farm in Tempe which the NSW government resumed overnight that became the railway yards. Mum always told me it broke his heart.

Unfortunately it’s not possible to chat with my relatives but thank-god we have photos of them that I can look at to see if there is an insight into where I come from, what they once wore, ate, how they played, laughed and lived.

I had the luxury of having a photographer Aunty who always photographed my sisters, brother and me and we have a wonderful record of our childhood in black and white and colour on horses, in creeks, picking wildflowers and doing all those things kids do.. Thanks to Aunty Val someone down the track will know how we too lived, laughed and played.

I have morphed into this generation’s Aunty, the keeper of the record and the chronicler of where we are going. From the minute I got my hands on a camera  I have been shooting my family. The above pic was taken this summer of darling Charlotte wrapped in one my scarves (loads more to come)!

Where do you come from? And who are you shooting?

“What you need to know about the past is that no matter what has happened, it has al worked together to bring you to this very moment. And this is the moment you can choose to make everything new. Right Now” Author Unknown

signature

 

 

Check out my Portrait Lightroom Presets here.

Creating a Body of Work – Getting Started in Photography

Chantal Thomass Apartment Paris Tango Copyright Carla Coulson

This was a subject I spoke about in the Get Published workshop this summer and I thought it maybe of interest for those of you who are considering putting together a portfolio or body of work in the coming months.

For all those of you dreaming of launching a photography career there is a vital component that you need to carefully consider before you do.

So let’s say, you have done a photography course or you have assisted photographers and you are confident your skills are ready to start a career. You have chosen which type of photography you would like to pursue whether it be travel, interiors, food photography, fashion or portraiture or one of the many other specialised forms of photography. In theory you should know who you want to work with before before you even create your first portfolio/body of work.  Your future clients might be magazines, private clients or publishers, image banks or you maybe you want to seek an agent.

Without a portfolio or body of work you can’t make this step.

Le Petit Moulin Paris Tango Copyright Carla Coulson

Putting together a body of work.

The great thing about starting out is that you can decide who you want to try and work with, what type of photography you want to take and the type of images that you want to show to represent your style. It is a great chance to do the work you love.

Lets’s look at building a portfolio/body of work for an interior/lifestyle photographer.

Most photographers have their own particular vision and taste. So if you have chosen to be an interiors/lifestyle photographer you might only love hippy chic style, or minimilist or classic French or lived-in artistic!

Lets say you love hippy chic and lived-in artistic and minimalist style leaves you cold.

Who is your future client?

Probably not Belle Magazine but it could be Inside Out (Australian mags). Ask yourself where does your style sit? Know the answer before you starting taking photos for your portfolio.

French Essence Copyright Carla Coulson

Start by asking everyone you know if they know someone with the kind of house you are interested in photographing. Show them images of other homes that you love. You might find a small apartment, a cool beach shack or an artist’s home. Ask the owners permission to photograph their home and explain if you would like to eventually have it published. Often this is a great opportunity for publicity for the owners business or art.

You need to create a story with your images. Tell the story of house and someone’s style. Look at the magazine you would like to work with and analyse the images that make up the story. You will probably find that over an eight page story that the following types of images are included.

1. Shoot all the rooms in the house if possible. Some wide shots and others medium crops.

2. Connecting spaces – So that people interested in that kind of a home can understand how it works.

3. Details – Interesting vignettes that give an insight into the style of the home owner.

4. Focus on corners of the room that are interesting, architectural details like fireplaces and cool doors.

5. Colour Palettes – A lot of homes have a similar colour palette, see if the house you are photographing does. This can assist with layout.

6. Portrait of the home owner/dogs/kids

7. Outside spaces

 

French Essence Copyright Carla Coulson

Photograph the house the way you see it and the things you love about the home owners style. Shooting a house can take an entire day so take your time and don’t leave without having all the images that you love. You should end up with between 30-50 finals images and make sure you have a variety of crops, horizontals and vertical images.

This should give you a story that you can use as a part of your body of work or you can pitch to your eventual client. Maybe you want to shoot houses for architects?

Repeat the above process with other homes, highlighting your style. Each home you photograph can be part of your portfolio. Build up 3/4 houses before you decide to contact your first client. You can also include smaller shoots if you can’t find entire homes. Cool offices, working spaces, artist studios and lovely vignettes of still lifes. Try and have variety in your images so that the client realises you have shot more than one home.

Make sure you are 100 percent happy with the images before starting. If you aren’t happy don’t worry, keep practising till you have the body of work that you are proud of.

“Imagination is the beginning of creation. You imagine what you desire, you will what you imagine and at last you create what you will.” George Bernard Shaw

 

 

Check out my Portrait Lightroom Presets here.