The
black and white effect is used by artists and fashion photographers
to create abstracts or classy ‘other worldly’ images.
The camera equipment required in black & white is not very distinct
from other types of photography but the key actually lies in the
processing and printing quality. This is an important area of
emphasis in black & white photographs in order to get the desired
effect.
You will need an assortment of lenses for different situations
– such as a combination of wide-angle lens as well as a standard
lens.
If you want large prints, you may need a camera with a high-resolution
digital image sensor for sharpness of large format prints. The
resolution should be more than 3 mega pixels.
Whether you develop your photographs in the darkroom (traditional
film based camera) or process the pictures digitally (digital
camera usage), when you develop the picture yourself you have
the leeway to heighten or reduce the contrasts in tour picture
based on the type of impression and visual impact you hope to
create. You can also scan from traditionally processed negatives
onto a computer and then process the images digitally.
To fine-tune the images digitally you need some basic knowledge
of Photoshop or other professional level graphics software. Without
manipulating the main picture in any way, you can enhance your
black and white images by fine-tuning the contrasts. Graphics
software assists in optimizing the images. The principles are
the same as those used in a traditional darkroom.
Using computer graphics programs you can apply various techniques
like dodging (you selectively lighten a certain portion of a photo),
cropping, optimizing density and fine tuning the contrasts. Fine
tuning the contrasts is important in creating the right effect
in black and white.
The print quality is another important factor in creating high
impact black & white photographs. If you intend to print digitally
processed images, you need a good printer and long lasting ink
in your printer. You should also use photo quality paper to print
your images.
