The Art of Black and White Photography, 2nd Edition

Book description

Over the last few years, most books on photography have been focused on the new breed of cameras and how to master the digital imaging workflow. In The Art of Black and White Photography, author and photographer Torsten Andreas Hoffmann takes a different approach, focusing on image composition and image capture, with an emphasis on the creative aspects of black and white photography rather than on the digital workflow.

After introducing the ground rules of composition, Hoffmann illustrates their applications with his own stunning black and white images that cover various photographic genres, including architecture, street photography, portraiture, and surreal photography. Also discussed are the elements of a "photographic language"', which distinguishes creative photography from random shooting. Finally, you will learn valuable post-processing techniques, mostly using Photoshop, that emphasize the functions necessary for creating outstanding black and white images.

This second edition has been updated to include Photoshop CS5, as well as brand new images, content, and a revised layout.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. Table of Contents
  5. Introduction
    1. The Image in the Digital Age
    2. Technical Information in this Book
    3. Emphasize Expression
  6. Section 1 Tools and Fundamentals
    1. 1 Choosing a Good Digital Camera
      1. Full Format Sensors
      2. Which Sensor Should You Use?
      3. Advantages and Disadvantages of Compact Cameras
    2. 2 An Essential Rule for Digital Black and White Photography: Always Photograph in RAW Mode
    3. 3 Drama through the Use of Filters
      1. Examples of Color Filter Effects—The Same Subject Photographed with Different Filters
      2. Filters in Digital Photography
      3. The Polarizing Filter
      4. Creating Digital Drama Using Photoshop
      5. Infrared Simulation in Photoshop
        1. Example One
        2. Example Two: Infrared Adds a Mystical Effect
      6. The Gradient Filter
  7. Section 2 Photographic Genres and Concepts
    1. 4 Overcoming Clichéd Photos
      1. Reduction Instead of Postcard Cliché
      2. From Clichéd Photo to Personal Expression
    2. 5 Why Are Moods So Important?
      1. Three Photos, One Place
      2. Mood in a Minor Key
      3. Distanced Coolness
    3. 6 Street Photography
      1. A Foot before Setting It Down
      2. Jumping Child
      3. The People in Front of the Government Building
      4. Mysterious Couple
      5. Calvin Klein
      6. Hitchcock Atmosphere
    4. 7 What Does Landscape Photography Mean in the 21st Century?
      1. Unspoiled Landscape with Tuareg
      2. Persons and Landscape on Lanzarote
      3. Abstractions in the Sahara
      4. Creating a Mystical Impression
      5. Death of Nature
    5. 8 Architectural Photography
      1. Photographing Architecture Digitally
      2. Man and Modern Architecture
      3. Concentrated Effect with Telephoto Lenses
      4. Modern Glass Architecture
      5. Using a Model to Strengthen the Composition
    6. 9 The Graphic Element in Black and White Photography
      1. Light and Shadow as Basis of Compositional Design
      2. Reduction to Verticals and Horizontals
      3. The Lively Finishing Touch
      4. Lounge Chair on the Crosswalk
      5. Iron Footbridge
    7. 10 The Poetry of Melancholy Moods
      1. Italian Rain
      2. The Moment as Metaphor
      3. Youth by the Fence
      4. Madonna in the Parking Lot
      5. Fog in Turkey
      6. Rainy Beach
    8. 11 Abstracts
      1. Traces of Time
      2. Light and Shadow
      3. Formalism with and without Content
      4. Structures as Fantasy Stimulators
    9. 12 Surreal Photography
      1. Yoga
      2. Cemetery Tombs with Volcano
      3. Gate to Another World
      4. Train Station Without Tracks
      5. Absurd Concrete Surface
      6. View in the Distance
      7. New Towers of Babel
    10. 13 Portraits
      1. Indian Tribesman
      2. The Other Side of the Coin
      3. The Beauty of Old Age
      4. Finding the Essential in the Fleeting
      5. Woman’s Fate in India
      6. It’s Easier with People You Know
    11. 14 Man and Surroundings
      1. In the Shadow of the Bronx
      2. Nun in Times Square
      3. Man and Real Estate
      4. Indian Yogi
      5. Two Smoking Breaks
    12. 15 Mystical Photography
      1. Sign
      2. Angel as Symbolic Figure
      3. Transience
      4. Stony Spiral in the Sea
      5. Enigmatic Relic
      6. Cross in the Sky
  8. Section 3 Rules of Composition
    1. 16 What Is Pictorial Composition?
      1. Condensing an Event to a Composition
      2. Landscape Is More Patient
      3. Getting to the Heart of an Image
    2. 17 The Golden Ratio and Elementary Construction
      1. New York Water Tank
      2. Wave Entering the Window
      3. The Axial Symmetry of Modern Architecture
      4. New York Street Scene
    3. 18 Triangular Composition
      1. Dynamic Triangle
      2. Interlocking Triangles
      3. Central Triangle
      4. Onion in Stone
    4. 19 Rhythm—Recurring Elements
      1. Arches, Lines, and Rhombi
      2. Rhythm of Window Lines
      3. Minimalist Structure
      4. The Place of the Conference—Japanese Style
    5. 20 Less Is More—Reduction and Emphasis
      1. Arch with Sea
      2. Reduced Nude
      3. Digital Control
    6. 21 Pictorial Guides
      1. Three Contrast Points
      2. Contrast through Aerial Perspective
      3. Arched Guidance of the Gaze
      4. More Complex Pictorial Scene
    7. 22 Balance in a Photo
      1. Formats and Diagonals
    8. 23 Unusual Perspectives
      1. Headstand
      2. Person from Below
      3. Indian Village
      4. New York Subway
    9. 24 How to Deal with the Center of an Image
      1. Vanishing Perspective in the Tunnel
      2. Child and Buddha
      3. New York Street Scene
      4. Circular Composition
    10. 25 Pictorial Tension between Two Elements
      1. Airplane on the Line
      2. Dunes in the Sahara
      3. A Glance out of the Picture
      4. Spotlight
    11. 26 The Image within an Image
      1. Melancholy with Binoculars
      2. Backlight Projection
      3. Ruin in Kurdistan
      4. Square Concrete Blocks in the Landscape
    12. 27 Interesting Irritations
      1. Power Lines in San Francisco
      2. Irritating Fence
      3. Surreal Cemetery
      4. Mysterious Lighting Spectacle
    13. 28 The Play of Forms—Conscious Repetition of Pictorial Shapes
      1. View from Schauinsland Mountain
      2. Umbrella and Sky
      3. Reflection in the Sky
      4. Water Lilies without Cliché
    14. 29 How to Compose with Blurred Movement
      1. Chapel in a Sea of Grass
      2. Typical Night Photo
      3. Long Exposure with Displacement
      4. Blurred Movement in the Daytime
      5. Playing with Motion Blur
  9. Section 4 The Digital Darkroom
    1. 30 Black and White from Color
      1. Conversion from Color to Black and White
      2. Simulating Analog Filter Effects
      3. Adjusting the Effects of Filter Presets
      4. Reflection of Fire Escapes
      5. Brightening Dark Areas while Increasing Midtone Contrast
      6. Adding Grain
      7. Saving Your Images
    2. 31 Partial Manipulation with the Lasso Tool
      1. Making Selections Using the Lasso
      2. Partial Manipulation with the Magnetic Lasso
      3. Partial Manipulation of Architectural Lines with the Polygonal Lasso
    3. 32 Dodging, Burning, and Retouching
      1. More Precise Dodging and Burning than the Analog Darkroom Ever Allowed
      2. Include Gradient Sky Tones
      3. Retouching
    4. 33 Correcting Lens Errors and Distortion in Architectural Images
      1. Shift Lenses Are Almost Superfluous
      2. Subsequent Sharpening: Yes or No?
    5. 34 Creating Panoramas Using Photomerge
  10. In Closing

Product information

  • Title: The Art of Black and White Photography, 2nd Edition
  • Author(s): Torsten Andreas Hoffmann
  • Release date: January 2012
  • Publisher(s): Rocky Nook
  • ISBN: 9781457117824