What about an image says "Make me B&W!"?

[achristensen]

I did my first wedding a week ago and have been busy processing the photos and

the bride would like to have 50% B&W. In the past, my choice to make an image

B&W has been somewhat arbitrary. I would love to hear some other's ideas on what

makes an image a great candidate for B&W. Thanks so much for your advice.

[mcmanamey]

1. bad light. When stained glass windows make the bride's dress look like a

christmas tree, it's time for b&w

 

2. bad light. When you have to shoot in the dark @ high ISO, digital noise is less

obnoxious in b&w.

 

3. bad makeup. When the bride, who never wears makeup, suddenly looks like a

clown, the odd color combinations are less embarrassing in b&w.

 

4. That perfect expression, and of course it's completely underexposed. And I

mean so underexposed that you can't come up w/ decent results in color after

tweaking it (and you shoot in raw).

[bob_osullivan]

1) When the background distracts from the subject or just doesn't compliment it.

 

2) When the image's apeal is more about shapes than colors.

 

3) When the scene is mono chromatic anyway.

[markonestudios]

What Bob said. Also, sometimes you just intuitively KNOW when an image will be better in B&W...

[savagesax]

I "See," the shot in B&W before I pull the shutter button. To get a beautiful true B&W, for me, correct lighting is the first difficult damand, then other reasons come into play to take that shot.

 

Our studios don't really like to practice taking bad color images and turn them into B&W. Frankly I feel it takes a lot of talent and artistry to see and create mind blowing B&W images. A photographer can do wonders in Photoshop but in my opinion it is best to see black and white before you take the shot, not after the wedding and spend many long hours in photoshop. It just does not the same romantic feel of elegance and purchritudinous.

 

Of course this is our style right or wrong it works well and our photoshop work in usually done in an hour or 2, not days.

 

Amy, for now to meet the 50% bride demands try duplicating some of your favorite color images and perhaps crop, tilt, add vignettes, doubles, and simply play around with them. I guess you have regroup and work on the 50 percent goal. Hope this gave you some ideas and your next wedding you will be finding yourself seeing a bit more BW.

[russ_konrad]

I disagree with the concept that the photos that have "bad" lighting or "bad" makeup are the shots that you turn into black and white.

 

While it may be the only way to salvage some shots by using that technique - I agree with Bob. I usually "see" the black and white shot even before I take it.

 

There are some classic shots that always tend to look good in black and white - the groom alone and the groom with all the guys in a more casual pose are just a couple that come to mind. Other shots - the couple in the car/limo - the couple coming down the aisle - the first dance.

 

When we do make the conversions we always give the customer the original color shots as well as the black and white shot.

[fotografz]

B&W tends to be a physiological medium. It strips away many distractions and presents the content in a way that makes it the center piece of the viewer

experience.

 

As such, it can often (not always) be more emotionally evocative and powerful.

 

It is also a pure, unadorned presentation of light values that has a shimmering beauty of it's own.

 

I select an image for that criteria first. There are some things that need to be documented in color (flowers, decorations, Bridesmaid's dresses, a colorful Alter,

etc. ... but most certainly not all that happens at a wedding.

[annealmasy]

I think "bad lighting" is DEFINITELY a great reason to convert a shot to b&w! Ever photographed a bride getting ready in a room full of greenish fluorescent lights? Sometimes there's just no eliminating that tint from all corners of the frame, and converting the image to b&w works wonders. :) I don't feel the need to undo ALL bad lighting with conversion, but sometimes it can turn a rather pedestrian image into something much more beautiful.

 

I would venture that I almost NEVER "see" a shot in b&w. I'm looking at moments, and shooting whatever inspires me. It's during the post-production process that I realize the strength of certain shots in b&w versus color. I don't believe you have to "see" a shot in b&w to justify your conversion later.

[russ_konrad]

<b>"...Ever photographed a bride getting ready in a room full of greenish fluorescent lights?..."</b>

<p>

All the time. Get the white balance right when you shoot and/or shoot it in RAW and correct the white balance in post.

<p>

I have never been forced to convert a color shot to black and white because I couldn't get the color right - for whatever reason.

<p>

Just my personal experience - YMMV.

[kiva]

bw ... clarifies and amplifies emotion: no matter what the emotion.

 

some weddings I'll run an action on the entire set of photos then give the winners which appeal my sense of emotion to the bride and groom.

[timberwulf]

Some great answers in here. I have to agree with Marc and Bob B specifically. I usually also "see" the image in black and white before I take it. Past that, sometimes while going through the images after the event I might see an image that could be enhanced by black and white. I ask myself specifically:

 

1. Is the color critical to the composition (flowers, etc. were mentioned).

2. Will the loss of color reduce the focus on the image's subject? For example, a detail shot where there is a white gold ring with a gold inset in it - the loss of the gold inset detracts from the ring's natural beauty).

3. Are there interesting enough shapes and patterns with dramatic lighting on them to provide interest to the image?

 

As to the room full of fluorescents, adjust your white balance and gel your flash. :) Admittedly though, there are times where you have 3 or even 4 competing light sources, all of which are a different temperature. That can cause an ugly situation if there is a lot of background and your flash didn't quite make it.

[toddcwilson]

You got a lot of great info here, but I would add (if it hasn't already been said) that a good black and white evolves from high contrast scenes and overexposed backgrounds. I do this intentionally to get silhouette shots such as below. Also, shoot RAW, it is amazing how much more you have to work with in post after the conversion.<div></div>

[toddcwilson]

No. 2<div></div>

[russ_konrad]

Beautiful images Todd!

[picturesque]

Unlike the high contrast Todd talks about, one of the elements (for me) about an image is the potential for that thrill from seeing creamy gradations of tone. Marc touched upon that above, but that is a big one for me.

[toddcwilson]

Oh, and don't get me wrong, natural graduations make great B&W's also. My point was to be on the lookout for back-lit scenes and, rather than avoiding, leverage for a dramatic B&W opportunity by thinking quick and metering appropriately.

[karina_a]

I agree on a good

tonal range. This

can mean a lot of

things - sometimes a

narrow tonal range

works in B&W if - as

Nadine says 'there

are creamy

gradations of tone'

(eg: a recent one

for me was the

detail shot of the

bride getting her

dress laced up which

was a narrow tonal

range but creamy,

soft and lovely

light). Most often

for me though (still

a newbie) if it is

not that style of

B&W, the one that

really works is a

wide tonal range -

which is often

widely available at

a wedding given you

usually have someone

important in white

and someone

important in black,

and hopefully there

are nice midtones

also.

 

I find if it is all

midtones (without at

least a little

highlight esp) B&W

can look a bit flat

(is this just me?) -

but if there are

highlights &/or

shadows as well to

go with those

midtones - then I am

seeing B&W. Also

high contrast

without midtones as

Todd's gorgeous pics

show also make me

see B&W. And nice

stormy skies. And

as I think Marc said

- beautiful light

that demands to be

bought out as a

focus. And

'classic' looking

shots. And those

sort of frozen

important (defining)

moment in time shots

- B&W seems to get

to the 'soul' of the

shot in these sorts

of instances.

Somehow I just can't

see HCB's photos

being in colour - it

would be interesting

to see, but somehow

I think the moments,

emotions, tones and

shapes work so much

better in B&W.

 

And I agree about

the interesting

shapes, or important

emotion. And yes as

a newbie I will

admit to 'saving' a

few photos using B&W

- to remove focus

away from clutter

usually (as well as

grain if I have had

to dial up the iso

in a dark church),

but I am hoping to

eventually not have

to do that as much

(although at a

recent wedding where

the bridesmaids had

yoghurt and

cigarette cartons

everywhere in the

getting ready room,

and I could only

'clean up' so much

without insulting

them - B&W was very

handy); but

hopefully as I get

more experience I

can move away from

saving with B&W and

start to use it more

because it is

screaming out to be

used.

 

Jeff Ascough's blog

(sorry I don't know

how to do a link)

has a recent entry

about 'visualising

B&W'.

[karina_a]

An odd one that recently I found B&W useful for was for a couple where one had a red hue to the skin, and the other a greenish hue - made colour balance in post (I shoot RAW) very difficult. I could of course selectively alter hue on faces in a few shots, but B&W worked well for some as well.

[achristensen]

You guys are great! I knew I would get a lot of great ideas and as I have been going through them have been noticing myself making similar judgments. What do you think of this one? I used an infrared filter with lots of grain. Taken during a song in the ceremony.<div></div>

[savagesax]

Amy, your conversion works for me! I like the sparkle on her ring. It brings ones eye to the brightness of the ring.

[toddcwilson]

I agree with Bob. The softness in this image works for me as well, adding a mysterious element to the moment. Just a little creative PP here to guide the eyes to the hands, but that is just my opinion. The important part is that you had the foresight to capture an image with a specific post processing method in mind. You know what you're doing, good job!<div></div>

[toddcwilson]

Oops, didn't mean to make it so brown (meant to add just a little)! But as you can tell I'm a sucker for high contrast when I can get away with it. A little more of a dramatic effect in my opinion. What program are you using for pp? I use Lightroom primarily and go into Photoshop only when I absolutely have to. It can be a very fast process using that combination. I know other photographers that use Aperture and claim the same efficiencies that I described. With a requirement imposed upon you as this customer has, you may want to sit down with her and give her the option of what she might want in black and white. Sometimes I like reasons like this to interact with the client, just to make sure we are on the same page, and ensuring she walks away happy. Just a thought.

[annealmasy]

"I have never been forced to convert a color shot to black and white because I couldn't get the color right - for whatever reason."

 

That's not at all what I was saying! :) I rarely use flash in getting ready situations, so I'm dealing only with color adjusting, which can be done with the RAW file in post if I don't do it in-camera. But ugly light often creates ugly shadows, ugly tones where other ambient light sources are conflicting, etc. etc.

 

I think it's good to know when an image loses it's richness by remaining in color. A shot may be perfectly color-adjusted and still have an icky "feel" to it because of the light source(s). This is when b&w conversion may just do the trick. :)

 

I hope that makes more sense! :)

[think27]

I'd love to see someone - specifically the photographers above that "see" in black and white help Amy out by posting one or two of the color captures that you "saw" as black and white... Show the color and then show the black and white? I think that would be a huge help to Amy.

 

I'd do it but - I shoot film ;-) So - when I want black and white - the black and white film is in my camera and

I look for the right situations for the shot. In color I'd look for backlit green leaves for instance where if I'm shooting in black and white - I'll go for sky, angles, texture, contrast etc...

[toddcwilson]

Sure Mary, here are the examples of pre-post shots for the images I posted earlier. Like I said, these were shot with the intention of being black and white images. The second image though I didn't blow out the background as much as I typically do. Hope it helps!<div></div>