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... is a freelance photographer working in Middle Georgia

Friday, January 18, 2008

Yet More On Monochrome



More and more of my personal work ends up as black and white. I keep saying I want to shoot more black and white film, but always end up doing most of my stuff digital. So much easier than dragging out the reels and tanks, mixing developer.
Then scanning in the negatives. Just getting old and lazy, I guess.



I had thought about getting a digital that I could shoot black and white files with, by-passing the color. I have decided that would be a loss. I got to thinking about all the times back in the day(here we go again, those non-acid flashbacks!) when I was shooting color in one camera and black and white in the other. So often the great frame was a monochrome, no color available. Decided that it is much better to have the color and not use it.



All the photos that become black and white are first color. I tone them as color, and save both a raw version and one that has been completely optimized. Then I play with making it black and white, sepia, or just dumping part of the color. Six months from now, or maybe 6 years from now I may decide I want to see the color version. I can always go back.

Can't do that with Tri-X.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I shoot both film and color digital when doing still life subjects. For some reason, I am really attached to the grain of the film and the photos just do not look the same when they are digital and converted to b/w.

Being without a darkroom, I send the film off to be developed without prints then scan and print what I want.

For action and event shooting, though, it's digital all the way.

Danny Gilleland said...

There is a definite look to black and white shot with film. I, too, love that grain that comes along with Tri-X or Ilford HP5. Okay, there is some film to be exposed this weekend, dude.

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