NO. 3 – EXPLORE YOUR ARTISTIC SIDE
Far from restricting you, working in mono enables you to explore a wide range of creative possibilities
Black and white can appear to be a limiting medium in which to work, but it actually offers the chance to explore all kinds of creative techniques. When you work in black and white, you are already presenting a vision of the world that’s distorted in some way – precisely because colour has been removed. It is an unreal depiction of life, because colour defines so much of how we feel about a scene when we look upon it with the naked eye.
It’s no coincidence therefore that many of the best black and white photographers are those that find ways to take the inherent subversion of reality that black and white offers. Part of this involves forgetting some of what you have learned about photography. For instance, one of the first things that beginner photographers attempt to do as an essential early step is to master focusing techniques along with depth of field and shutter speed principles in order to ensure that their images are sharp. However, many black and white photographers consciously go against this, using slow shutter speeds to capture movement, purposefully taking images that are not ‘correctly focused’ or combining multiple exposures in one final frame, either in-camera or using editing software.
Another possibility is to work with a creative optic, such as a Lensbaby. These enable you to selectively focus and defocus certain areas of the photo, and create images in-camera that draw the viewer’s attention to specific areas of the subject or create an abstract effect. Alternatively, you can try shooting through transparent or semitransparent items to create images that distort the subject to a degree.
Professional photographer Lee Frost frequently works in black and white, and agrees that aiming for complete realism isn’t necessary with mono. “By removing colour from an image you’re also removing reality,” he explains. “That gives you much more artistic and creative freedom. It doesn’t matter if the final image bears no resemblance to the original scene – so if you want to go dark and moody, or light and airy, do it!”
Another option is to use long exposures to create an abstract effect. “ND filters like the Lee Big Stopper and Hitech ProStop IRND 10 are ideal for creating beautiful fine art black and white images, especially in coastal locations,” explains Lee Frost. “Use exposures of two or three minutes so moving water turns silky smooth and drifting clouds record as streaks of tone.”