PictureCorrect
Developing a Process for Your Photography
Posted: 10/08/2024
Almost gone forever! Only 1 day left: The 5 Day Photography Deal, 95% Off
I remember back when I started getting into Photography, I was just in awe at the photographers whose work I followed.
A little bit envious too (ok a lot).
Not only of the beautiful scenery that these folks were shooting, but mainly of their skills. It felt like they were so far ahead that I’d never get anywhere close.
But I’ve always been a “techie” (I remember when I was 8 years old, copying pages of code from the back of my dad’s computer magazines, typing it into our ZX Spectrum 48k (the one with the rubber keyboard!), creating silly little anagram games – and the classic PONG too if my memory serves)…
So I knew that it had to be possible to break things down into a formula, a process. Putting aside the artistic vision, compositional skill etc for one moment (which is of course a big piece of the puzzle), everything else is a set of steps and procedures, done in a particular order. From selecting the lens, focal length, shutter speeds etc, to everything that happens in Photoshop.
It’s a process.
Because if you’re not following a process, you’re guessing.
I think even the people who say they don’t follow a process actually do. They just don’t realize it. Otherwise, their images would be all over the place with no consistency from one shot to the next. If I didn’t have that analytical/technical mind and the hankering to deconstruct and figure out how stuff works, I might very well have given up trying, putting it on the “too hard” shelf.
Thing is, I didn’t have anyone else’s recipes or processes to work from… Only their end results – their photos – to look at. So, over the years the amount of trial and error I’ve been through to get my images to look one way or another, well, I couldn’t begin to quantify it! And while I’ll never stop learning, I’ve come to a point where I’ve figured out “my way” of doing things. Confident that I can achieve what I want from my post processing, freeing me up to work on the creative side.
Photo by JeShoots
At the risk of sounding cheesy, photography is a journey. One without end. But it takes work. Hopefully it’s the kind of work you enjoy. There’s a quote I like, I don’t think the original source is known although it often gets attributed to numerous people…
“I’m a great believer in luck. The harder I work, the more of it I seem to have.”
When you’re at the start of a journey (not just photography), it’s tempting to look at successful people and think “how lucky they are” to be where they are in one way or another. Not seeing the amount of work that went into getting there. When a band, a business, an athlete gets a “lucky break” and becomes an overnight success, nobody sees the years of work it took to becoming that overnight success.
Anyway… this was all a REALLY long train of thought that started with me thinking about the fact that I got “lucky” with the little boat in the water in the shot I’m sharing at the top today! Thing is, I didn’t even notice he was there at the time because the sun was so bright in my eyes. So in that respect, I got lucky with a cool little compositional element.
On the other hand, I only had that luck because I’d been waking up an hour before sunrise to come and shoot this location (and others along this stretch of coast), time after time.
It’s only a small thing, but it demonstrates the point I’m trying to make. I got lucky because I put myself in the position to get lucky. So the message I want to leave you with today is this:
Get up, get out there, take more shots, practice more, do what you love, get “lucky” and you’ll end up with more great photos to show for it.
by Chris Kenyon, 10 October 2024
WEEKEND AWAY 25 – 27 OF OCTOBER
ALL MEMBERS.
Please let me know if you will be attending the weekend away from the 25 – 27 of October, also indicate when you are intending to arrive / if you will be available for dinner on the Saturday night / if you have whatsApp on your phone and which day and time you intend to visit the zigzag railway.
DO IT NOW
Chris
by Chris Kenyon, 10 October 2024
For the Bird Lovers
Hi Pennant Hills Photographic Club Inc.
Hope you are well, just thought that we would drop you a note with information on our great photographic competitions which your members may be interested in entering. Closing soon!
We would love for you to take part again, and we hope these new opportunities inspire your creativity.
Bird Photographer of the Year in aid of RSPB
Closing Soon – Deadline October 31, 2024
Win Anthropics Collection from Anthropics worth £99, £100 PermaJet voucher from Permajet Paper, Green Praetego Camera Wrap worth £24.99.
The Society of International Nature and Wildlife Photographers is pleased to announce that the Bird Photographer of the Year Competition in aid of RSPB is back for its 7th year running and has raised over £13,271 in that time.
Colin Jones SINWP CEO says, “We are asking for a small donation of £1 per image and 100% of this donation goes straight to the RSPB to help them protect wildlife and the wider countryside you love.”
He continues, “Not only are we looking forward to seeing all your wonderful images, we are also looking forward to helping the RSPB and with your help hopefully we can make a sizeable donation.”
A minimum donation of £1 per image
Enter here https://sinwp.com/bird/
Global Explorer Travel Photography Competition
Closing Soon – Deadline October 31, 2024
Welcome to the Global Explorer Travel Photography Competition!
Win a Vanguard VESTA GO 204CB Carbon Travel Tripod with Ball Head RRP £149.99
This contest is an exciting opportunity for photographers of all skill levels to showcase their talent, creativity, and passion for capturing the essence of travel. Whether you’re an amateur with a smartphone or a seasoned professional with high-end gear, we invite you to share your unique perspective on the world.
Join us in celebrating the art of travel photography. Share your vision and inspire others to explore the world through your lens. We can’t wait to see where your adventures take us!
Enter now – https://sittp.com/Travel24/
Ben Jones
The Society of Photographers
Upcoming Photographic Convention https://thesocieties.net/convention/
Try us out free for 30 days here https://thesocieties.net/try/
by Chris Kenyon, 5 October 2024
Results for competitions in Comp 9 Special Trophy – People
There were 12 entries that were rated the highest by our judge(s).
Members can view all images and comment on them by following this link
View / Comment entries in Comp 9 Special Trophy – People
click here to see a pdf catalog of all competition results
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The Cake is Smashed Nancy Morley – First Set Subject Digital 
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Desmond Boatman Don Dickins – First Set Subject Mono Large Print 
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90 Years Young Chris Barlow – First Set Subject Colour Large Print 
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Berber Jonathan Holliday – First Set Subject Small Print 
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Phil Nancy Morley – Second Set Subject Digital 
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Urban Cowboy Chris Kenyon – Second Set Subject Small Print 
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Howdy cowboy Elaine Holliday – Second Set Subject Colour Large Print 
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Pipe smoker Chris Barlow – Second Set Subject Mono Large Print 
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Betty and mum Richard McMullen – Third Set Subject Small Print 
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Friends Philip Weir – Third Set Subject Colour Large Print 
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Ballet Philip Weir – Third Set Subject Mono Large Print 
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Pensive Ruth Penman – Third Set Subject Digital 
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by Don Dickins, 30 September 2024
Results for competitions in Comp 9 Special Trophy – People
There were 12 entries that were rated the highest by our judge(s).
Members can view all images and comment on them by following this link
View / Comment entries in Comp 9 Special Trophy – People
click here to see a pdf catalog of all competition results
|
The Cake is Smashed Nancy Morley – First Set Subject Digital
|
Desmond Boatman Don Dickins – First Set Subject Mono Large Print
|
|
90 Years Young Chris Barlow – First Set Subject Colour Large Print
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Berber Jonathan Holliday – First Set Subject Small Print
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Phil Nancy Morley – Second Set Subject Digital
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Urban Cowboy Chris Kenyon – Second Set Subject Small Print
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Howdy cowboy Elaine Holliday – Second Set Subject Colour Large Print
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Pipe smoker Chris Barlow – Second Set Subject Mono Large Print
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Betty and mum Richard McMullen – Third Set Subject Small Print
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Friends Philip Weir – Third Set Subject Colour Large Print
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Ballet Philip Weir – Third Set Subject Mono Large Print
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Pensive Ruth Penman – Third Set Subject Digital
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by Don Dickins, 30 September 2024
NSW Gov photo comp
xcited to announce the NSW Reconstruction Authority’s inaugural Living with the River photo competition and would love your support in spreading the word among your members. This competition aims to gather a diverse and rich collection of photographs that capture the essence of living with the Hawkesbury-Nepean River.
We invite photographers of all ages and skill levels to submit images that depict what ‘Living with the River’ means to them. This could include the river as a place for recreation, a source of livelihood, a place of beauty a force of nature, or a site of cultural significance to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. The river’s dual nature as a source of life and a cause devastating floods is also a key theme.
With $5,000 in prizes up for grabs, this competition celebrates the Hawkesbury-Nepean River and highlights the need to be aware of the risks for communities living on the floodplain.
Competition details:
• Categories: Primary School, High School, Open, AI and Semi-Professional
• Special Prize: A half day photography workshop for the winning secondary school, values at $2200
• Entry Deadline: 2 February 2025
How to enter:
For more information and the terms and conditions please visit nsw.gov.au/living-with-the-river
This competition is a wonderful opportunity, and we would greatly appreciate it if you could share this information with your members and encourage them to participate.
Dimity Mullane
Engagement Lead
Flood Risk Strategy and Management
NSW Reconstruction Authority
M 0417 674 120 E dimity.mullane@reconstruction.nsw.gov.au
www.nsw.gov.au/reconstruction-authority
GPO Box 5434
Sydney NSW 2001
Working days Monday to Wednesday.
by Chris Kenyon, 25 September 2024
Photo Rally next Saturday 28th of September
Please let me know your intentions for attending the Photo Rally next Saturday, so far I have had only 3 replies with two negative and one maybe, thank you to those who have replied to my previous post.
by Chris Kenyon, 25 September 2024
Special Comp “People”next Monday night
Just in case the auto email does not work, don’t forget that next Monday night the 30th of September is the special trophy night with “People” as the subject
by Chris Kenyon, 25 September 2024
Black and white Photography from Picture Correct
Black and White Photography: A Two-Skill Process
Posted: 09/18/2024
This article is based on concepts from the Better B&W Photography Guide which is currently on sale.
There are two essential skills you must develop to become great at black and white photography.
The first is learning to see—to identify—a great black and white subject. Some subjects demand to be rendered in color, and others scream for a black and white treatment.
The second skill is taking the necessary and precise steps to convert a color image file into black and white. Yes, some cameras allow you to originate your picture in black and white. However, that’s not recommended. You have given up control over how the colored hues will be rendered into shades of gray.
In this article, we will discuss the following skill points:
- Choosing a proper black and white subject matter
- How to identify tone value in a scene
- Composing in black and white using light, shadow, shape, contrast and texture
- How colors convert to black and white in photography
- How to properly expose for black and white photography
Photo by Shahin Khalaji
Black and white photography relies on tone (light to dark shades of gray), as there are no color contrasts to compose in your picture.
Remember this: When searching or deciding on a subject for black and white photography, look for the following:
- Intense light and dark values within the scene
- Dominant shapes and lines
- Light to dark contrast
- Noticeable and revealing texture
The example photograph above hits every one of those bullet points. Now, let’s examine each concept separately.
Photo by Aline Berry
A photograph such as the one above gains its visual power through tone and shape. The elimination of color forces viewers to explore the outward repeating and radiating patterns of dark and light tones. It also emphasizes the darkness of the pupil.
Imagine if the cornea of this eyeball were blue. It would steal the show, and the rest of the compositional elements would be significantly reduced in their impact. A viewer would home in on that bright blue color versus the whole of the eye.
Photo by Kent DuFault
What do you see when you look at the photograph above? You can’t see anything but the blue eye color. Right? The cat’s face practically disappears.
The close up of the human eye was a perfect subject for black and white photography because there are strong light and dark values within the frame. There are dominant shapes. Plus, there are light and dark contrasting lines.
Critical Thought: If the eye cornea was bright blue (such as in the cat photo), and the picture was rendered in color, would that be a bad photo? No—it would merely change the dynamic of the final image. The picture of the cat’s eye picture isn’t bad. I think it’s rather good. It’s a matter of what message you the photographer want to communicate to your viewers. What if the eye color was a dark brown? Would that change its value as a black and white photograph? Good question. I’ll address that momentarily when we discuss color conversion.
Photo by Carlos Quintero
Try This: When determining if a subject might be best produced in black and white or color, ask yourself, “What is the element I find interesting here—a shape, line, contrast, shadow or texture?” If the answer is yes to any of these, the subject is likely a good candidate for a black and white photo. Now ask, “Is color important to the message?” If the answer is no, then you have an excellent candidate for black and white photography.
Let’s consider the flower photograph above. It would have been beautiful as a color photograph as well. But what interested the photographer was the shape and the repetition of form.
By choosing the black and white presentation, the photographer communicated what they found most interesting about this flower. They’ve isolated the essential component!
Critical Thought: When shooting black and white film, the photographer is forced to make all these considerations while taking the picture. As a digital photographer, we have leeway to make these considerations after the fact.
Pro Tip: If you have trouble seeing in tone versus color, buy yourself a pair of sunglasses with the absolute darkest lenses you can find. As you try to determine the levels of tone in a scene, put the sunglasses on. They will help eliminate color and you will see the scene in shades of tone.
Photo by Shahin Khalaji
The image above is an exquisite use of texture in black and white photography. The texture would be completely overwhelmed in a color photograph. It would still be there—however, the color of the model’s eyes, skin and nails would overtake the texture as leading points of interest.
When you look at this photo, what do you notice first, and then where do your eyes return to linger? It’s the texture of her skin!
I think the texture is the magic element in this portrait. It humanizes this woman.
Now that you’ve learned what elements to look for in a black and white photography subject, and how you can better communicate a specific type of message with black and white photography, let’s talk about the second skill—the conversion process of turning color to black and white.
Graphic by Kent DuFault
When color is converted to black and white, the conversion process considers the tone and not necessarily the hue. This means greens, blues and reds of the same approximated tone can convert to the same approximate shade of gray in black and white.
A bit of nostalgia
Black and white film photographers use colored glass filters on the front of the lens to control how the film would behave toward the various colors of the spectrum.
- Red filters block blue and green, darkening blue skies and lightening red objects such as flowers
- Green filters block red, lightening green objects such as foliage while darkening red flowers
- Blue filters block red, yellow and orange; blue subjects, such as the sky, will lighten, while red objects will turn almost black
- Yellow filters block blue, darkening blue skies for better contrast to clouds, and lightens red, orange, green and yellow subjects. This filter is often used to lighten skin tones in black and white portraits
- Orange filters work similarly to yellow—blues become darker and all warmer tones appear brighter than green
Consider this: It’s essential to understand how colored filters work on black and white film. You will use that same knowledge to convert your digital color files to black and white!
Photo by Shahin Khalaji
Let’s take this full-color image and convert it to black and white while applying the different filters to see how the image is affected.
Black and white conversion
This first example is a black and white photograph—with no filtration or adjustment by me—as determined by the Photoshop algorithm.
Below, we have the same picture with four different filters applied during the conversion. It’s pretty clear how a color filter can change your black and white image.
Filters
Let’s look at another example with a different type of subject matter:
Photo by Jason Blackeye
The above image is our full-spectrum color landscape image. Below, we have a black and white photograph, with no filtration or adjustment by me, as determined by the Photoshop algorithm.
Black and white conversion in Photoshop
Knowing how color filtration will affect your black and white conversion is critical to producing pro-level work in black and white photography.
Filters
This is why I am not a fan of presets or actions for black and white conversions. There is too much at stake to leave the decisions up to a computer.
Now, let’s return to the photograph of the Siamese cat for an exciting comparison experiment.
Black and white
Let’s say I wanted to convert this color picture to black and white, but I still wanted to emphasize the eyes. This first example, above, is a default conversion. As you can see, the software went for a broad range of tones with little emphasis placed anywhere:
Adjusting sliders
This screenshot is what the default conversion looks like in Photoshop using the black and white adjustment layer feature.
Notice the various sliders with different colors. These have the same effect as the colored-glass filters we discussed earlier.
The algorithm of the software has decided what would be the best settings for those six sliders.
What the software doesn’t realize is that I would like to emphasize the eyes of the cat. So, I need to put my creative input into this conversion.
Emphasizing eyes
Having my intent for the photograph established, I moved the filter sliders until the eyes became emphasized through the tone conversion.
Conversion with eyes emphasized
Above is my photographer-approved conversion of the color image file.
Let’s look at the two side-by-side.
Default vs custom
You can see a vast difference. My understanding of color to black and white conversion has improved this photograph and cemented my intent into the minds of my viewers.
Proper exposure in black and white
Original photo by Andreea Chidu
Have you heard of the phrase, “Shoot to the right”?
Shooting to the right tells us that an overexposure error is better than an underexposed one.
Shooting in RAW makes this statement even more accurate.
The phrase also references the camera’s histogram, where—on the right side of the scale—all the highlights and whites are located.
And in black and white photography, it’s essential to bear this advice in mind as the finished photograph has only tone to rely on.
Lost shadow detail is lost. End of story. This should only be the case if the effect that you’re striving for: deep, dense blacks with no detail.
Practice shooting to the right in your exposures.
The example photos of the model clearly illustrate how effectively the highlights can be adjusted in post-processing with a RAW file.
Let’s recap!
Photo by Melancholia Photography
The best subjects for black and white photography have bright whites, deep blacks and a full range of tones in between. An inexpensive black and white viewing filter, such as sunglasses, will teach you to see in “tone” versus color.
Photo by Nathan Dumlao
Great subjects for black and white photography will often display strong shapes and textures.
Photo by LoboStudio Hamburg
Vastly different colors can convert to very “similar” tones. When converting to black and white, try and separate the tonal values of different color channels.
Photo by Christine Sponchia
If the color values present in a scene aren’t particularly interesting, look to black and white as an alternative—only if the scene offers distinct tonal values, textures and/or intense shadows.
Pop Quiz
What filter darkened that sky in the elephant photo?
Now it’s your turn!
Take an afternoon and go for a photo safari. Your assignment is to hunt down subjects that meet the criteria discussed. For each shot, establish your intent for the photo. Write it down, so you don’t forget.
Photograph your chosen subjects while remembering to shoot to the right.
Now convert your color files to black and white using what you learned about color filtration, while emphasizing your original intent.
Have fun!About the Author:
Kent DuFault is an author and photographer with over 35 years of experience. He’s currently the director of content at the online photography school
by Chris Kenyon, 23 September 2024
Photo Rally this Saturday
Would those attending the Photo Rally this Saturday please let me know if you are intending to meet at 9Am wharf 4 Circular Quay and what time you intend to be there, I will wait until 9:45 at the latest. I know rain is forecast but hopefully not heavy, a good opportunity for different shots.
Please RSVP either by mail, chrisk710@bigpond, or sms 0428419670
Chris
by Chris Kenyon, 23 September 2024
