Creating Black and White Photos

Below are some photo examples to accompany a class
I took from HP a few months ago. Enjoy, and have fun
taking B&W photos!


Sepia:
Is a widely-used monochromatic photo style. Popular for many
years, sepia gives photos a reddish-brown, aged look,
and evokes feelings of nostalgia.

Add style:
Black and white photos are considered elegant. Simply put, they
have style. The uncluttered, classic feel is distinctively upscale.
When you want a look of refined simplicity, B&W is an excellent choice.

Change the emotional look of a photo:
Making a photo B&W can sometimes deemphasize
an element changing the way you perceive emotions
between subjects.

Save an otherwise dull photo:
When a photo is shot on a dreary, overcast day,
the colors can appear muted and dull. Such a
photo can be dramatically improved by converting
it to B&W.
This particular photo was a sunny day shot, but it looked
a little boring in color. Changing it to B&W brought out the
shadows and made it more interesting!

Focus on the artistic process:
Black and white photography allows you
to choose extreme contrasts or soft, subtle contrasts.
This puts the creative choice in your hands,
just like any other satisfying artistic medium.
This hallway, still under construction, looks
completely different in B&W. The cross
lighting is now emphasized.

Avoid unpleasant clothing color:
When there are several colors
competing for your attention, in addition
to the subject you, as photographer, were
focusing on, a switch to B&W can help.
There was a lot going on in this
photo of a tired little patriot,
and I wanted to focus on his expression
and the flag he was holding.

Save a photo with blown-out sectors:
When the sun or fill flash causes hot spots or 'blows-out'
a section in your photo, you can sometimes save the photo
by converting it to B&W.

In this photo, the sunshine parts were over-exposed and drew
attention away from my sisters and their horses. With a crop
and a conversion to B&W, you notice the real subjects of the
picture! My sister Evvie is walking a horse representing the
famous 'Black Jack', a cassion horse used in funeral processions.

COREL's 5 Tips for Winter Photography

Greetings from the 'frigid north'!
Since my state gets snow in the winter,
and the cold doesn't quite disappear
until...ahhh....May (grin)
winter photography tips seemed like
a good idea for this update!


#1 Be early...or late
Early morning photos against the snow supply
the best light to show textures, vivid colors,
frost, etc. No flash needed! On the flip-side of that,
moonlight combined with snow makes an exquiste
setting. Nature's reflectors in action!

#2 Fill flash during the day
Don't be afraid to use your flash during the day,
especailly if people are in your photos. It will take
care of shadows and underexposed images.

#3 Protect your camera
A change in temperature can cause problems for your
camera. Bring a plastic baggie or freezer bag with you
and place your camera inside for the transition from
outside to inside. Let condensation take place on the outside
of the bag, not on your camera or lens! Also, never breathe
or blow on your camera lens to clear to condensation. (That
just causes more moisture to collect on the lens.)

My Own Note: For cold but not freezing temperatures
you can tuck your camera into your coat to keep it warm
with body heat. It's pretty handy to simply unzip, shoot,
and zip back up!

#4 Charge those batteries!
Cold temperatures drain batteries in a hurry. Either
bring a back-up set(and keep 'em in a pocket to steal
some body warmth), or head out with a fully charged set.

#5 Add a stop or two
If you're using a digital SLR, you have the ability to add
a stop or two to make that white backgraound truly white
once you are ready to print it. If you're using a point-and-
shoot camera, you can fix all those snow photos in a software
program such as Paint Shop Pro or Adobe Photoshop etc.

For more tips and information about Corel visit:
The Paint Shop Pro Studio

Wintery Links

Kodak's E-Magazine has more fabulous tips for winter photography!
http://www.kodak.com/US/en/corp/magazine/tips/2001_01/

Check out this link and see Mr. Tonhouse's amazing ice
shot, and read his winter photography tips.
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see
his winter wonderland photo!

Gary D. Tonhouse -Nature and Wildlife photography
http://www.reflectiveimages.com/WinterPhotoTip.htm

Believe it or not, Budget Travel has photography tips!
http://current.newsweek.com/budgettravel/2007/11/winter_photography_tips.html

And this link was at the bottom of the page:
http://www.takegreatpictures.com/Articles/Details/params/object/11864/default.aspx

Visit this site to see an adorable snow angel...oh, and some more tips :)
http://www.lostinbluedom.com/2008/01/27/dreaming-winter-photography/

NYIP has tips too:
http://www.nyip.com/ezine/outdoors/snow.html

10 Tips to keep you cool:
http://www.shutterbug.net/refreshercourse/outdoor_tips/145/

Lighting Tips: Save your $$ for expensive eqiupment!

The tips and tricks of photography are very extensive. This post is dedicated to saving money on your camera flash accessories!

• The White Card Trick

With your TTL flash extended to bounce mode (pointed to the ceiling), take a 3x5-inch index card and attach it to the flash with a rubber band. Have the card extend 3 or more inches up the flash head. When you fire the flash, some of the light bounces off the ceiling, while more light kicks off the white card to throw some light into your subject's eye sockets.

• The Spoon Trick

Similar to the card trick, this method involves attaching a plastic spoon in the same way you attached the white card to your flash. The curvature of the spoon throws the light in a pleasing effect onto your subject.

• Aircraft Aluminum

For the mechanically minded, another idea is to take a piece of aircraft aluminum (scrap please, don't try taking it off a plane that is being used), white or copper colored, and cut it in a roughly squarish or 3x5 shape. Use hook and loop tape (Velcro) on the square and the back of your flash head. Store the card by attaching it upside-down when not in use and then just pull it off, flip it, and reattach for use. Although white is pretty standard, using a copper-colored piece can warm the color of your light a little. (Let me know if you ever find a place to buy this!)

• Bottle Diffuser

Get one of those white frosted plastic bottles of rubbing alcohol (one whose waist is about the same diameter as your flash head). Remove the alcohol (this is important), and then cut along the bottom of the bottle about two inches down the waist. Then snug the waist (the end with the bottom) over the flash head. You can now shoot with the flash head angled almost vertically with a much softer light. (This method is similar to using a product known as the Sto-Fen Omni-Bounce, just a little less expensive)

• Film Cannister

This idea is great for your small, fixed (fixed as in won't pivot or tilt, not fixed as in repaired, though if your flash is broken, this method won't work either). These flashes are usually a pop-up variety. Take an old, clear, or frosted, 35mm flim cannister and tape it over the flash head. Variations of this trick involve placing a sheet of tissue paper inside the cannister to diffuse (soften) the light a bit, or using colored tissue paper to change the color of the light the flash produces. This isn't a big deal if you use a comuter-editing software on your pictures, but it is an idea to try if you aren't too comfortable with using the computer, or just want to experiment while taking the shot. (At any rate, you finally have a use for those empty cannisters from your film or film days, and if you don't have any, I'm sure you know someone that does!)

There are many inexpensive ways of improving the quality of your artificial light. Even the simple White Card Trick combined with bounce flash gives you much better results than bombing away with direct flash. Keep this method in mind even when your available light is enough for a good exposure; the light kicked forward from the white card is a great way to fill in shadows from ball caps and other similarily billed haberdashery items.

Plus, think of all the conversations or jokes you can tell about your flash accessories when photographing people! These things can double as accessories and objects to put your subjects at ease, and give a natural smile!

"Flash Tricks" taken from "Digital Photography All-In-One Desk Reference for Dummies" pages 235 & 236. (Italics mine)

Do your have any money-saving photo ideas? Share them with us in the comment box!