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Photo Tip - It's All in Black and White
Author: Bob Pardue
Many of the young ladies in the modeling world love color images
but there are times, especially if you are a model who works
with artistic photographers, it's nice to have the contrast and
distinctiveness black and white delivers.
Digital cameras have really come around in the past couple of
years so black and white photos are more "true to life" than
ever! Your digital camera can now capture the choicest details
and a large range of colors. There is no denying that a model
wearing colorful outfits in a contrasting background makes for
an absolutely delicious picture.
But, have you ever considered that black and white photos can be
far more interesting than color images?
It's true! I have worked with hundreds of models and always
manage to shoot some good ole' b&w digital "film" within the
session.
I believe that augmenting black and white photos throughout the
pages of my model photo gallery produces the diversified effect
I want.
I am also a strong believer that including at least a couple of
black and white photos within a portfolio will add some spice to
the section of pictures and make the overall portfolio stronger.
Benefits of Using Black and White Photos
First, you will get sharper contrast with b&w images and they
will bring out the details and features in the model's face.
Black and white is stark. For lack of a better word the
starkness of grayscale photos means the photographer and model
must work a little harder because this final picture will depend
more upon their skills. In other words this image will not be
"just another pretty picture". It will be a serious work.
You can lose the true meaning of a photograph with too much
color. Some of the modeling pictures I have encountered online
are so "busy" with strong colors and very interesting background
scenes and this method tends to lead the eye from the main
center of attention which should be the young woman in the image.
When shooting with a model for a portfolio the photographer
should be totally focused on making the model look her best and
not include anything that is not relevant to the final image.
For instance, if the shot is made on a busy city street the
background should be out of focus. This will work in most cases
but a colorful street scene can still distract. Not so with
black and white. Throw that background out and shoot it in black
and white and you've got a "naked" picture (figuratively
speaking, of course).
Black and White for Plain Backgrounds
Your model may have the purest blue eyes you've ever seen and
the temptation is to show them with a color photograph. Black
and white still works great in this situation because of the
contrasting lines. She can still give an appearance of a
piercing glare with black and white and be very convincing. You
don't need color to show off the eyes.
The Artistic Side of Black and White
Figure models are women who work in a more "artistic"
atmosphere. Art images beg to be made in black and white, in
part to some of the effects mentioned above.
The goal here is to create not just a picture but an image to
draw the eye from shadows to light portraying a more symbolic
theme. This is accomplished by posing the human body in a
position and then "painting" it with light.
Black and white creates darker shadows without losing all detail
and the final image gives an illusion of the type paintings
found on the wall of an art gallery.
The simple allurement of a model in artistic black and white is
almost breathtaking and is considered art by many well-known
critics. Most professional artistic photographers will not
become famous by producing b&w pictures of this type but they
will come away with some work they will be proud to display at
the local art show.
Toning and Colorization of Black & White
Another idea for black and white photos is to leave some color
in the images. With a little help from a photo program like
Photoshop a photographer can create extraordinary works through
adding a little color in different parts of a black and white
photograph. With this method a photo can really become one of a
kind!
For example, the eyes of the model can be brought back to their
original color. But remember, less is more when adding color.
Pastels work best as the eye will be drawn to the color no
matter how discreet.
So if you want to focus on the eyes of your model, you could
still have the definitive, clean look of black and white
pictures while still enhancing the light blue color of her eyes.
The color will be placed where you want the attention focused so
don't be afraid to experiment. If you use the layers in
Photoshop you can easily take away any mistakes you make.
Changing Color Images to Black and White
It is remarkably simple to change digital color photos to black
and white in your digital darkroom. Not so simple is getting it
right. The exact systems used for transposing color images to
b&w will not be mentioned here as this can be a complete
tutorial in itself.
But, with some searching online and a little practice you can be
producing some very nice black and white photos and I believe
you will fall in love with this age-old art as I did. Now, go
get your digital camera and have some fun!
About the author:
Bob Pardue is a professional model and fashion photographer. You
can view his photos by going to http://www.bobpardue.com
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