Color or Black and White?

How do you decide whether to process, print, order, or upload an image in color or black & white?  When showing your clients their proofs, should you show each and every image in both color and black & white, or should you hand select just a few as examples?  Will all images look good converted to black & white?  Are there secrets to making your black & white images more dramatic?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?  If you have, you are not alone.  I'll attempt to answer a few of these questions in today's post.  

To a degree, whether or not an image looks better in color or black & white is a matter of personal opinion.  Just like some people prefer modern furniture over more traditional decor, your taste will largely dictate the answer to this question.  

Black & white images tend to have a nostalgic and almost timeless feel. At first glance a black & white image gives you the impression the image was taken in another era.  So, if you are going for a more timeless affect, black & white may be the choice for you.

Some argue that the absence of color also frees the viewer to focus more on the subject matter and the emotion being portrayed.  Others will argue that an image's color is what brings the subject to life.  What do I say? It depends on the image.  To illustrate this I'll show you an example where color works best and then an example where black & white clearly wins out.

While, this is adorable in black & white, you can't help but feel that something is missing. 

Ah, that's much better!   

A color image needs lots of primary colors to make it pop.  In this image above the red of the little girl's lips, the green of the backdrop and in her sparkling eyes, the yellow of the squirt gun, and the blue of the trigger all play along with each other to breathe life and energy into the image.  

With this much going for it as a color image, it would be a shame to print it any other way (in my opinion). This image is all about a little girl having some care-free fun in the sun on a gorgeous, sun-shiny, summer day.  That feeling was completely lost in the black & white version above.  

In this next image, there's too much going on color-wise.  The busy colors overwhelm the senses and take away from the expression on the children's faces.  In color, the shadows that give this image such great dimension are underplayed and lose their dramatic affect.   

Unlike the image above, where the color emphasized and complimented the little girl's energy and enthusiasm, the color in this image seems to be at war with the calm, serious demeanor of the three siblings.  Taking away that visual conflict allows the image to tell the story - the children's eyes and facial expression now demand your full attention and completely draw you in.  The shadows become more evident and add much needed depth and dimension to the image.

So, now that you understand that not all pictures work well in a black & white format, you will understand why I do NOT show my clients every picture from their session in color AND black & white.  Instead, I only highlight the ones that have "the wow factor" once converted to black & white - giving them just a few examples so they know what other creative options are available to them.  

In addition, when a client asks me if they can see a particular file in black & white I also try to warm them before I show them the conversion that not every image works well in that format.  If it does not, then I explain to them why.

What makes a black & white image a success then?  Several things, but first and foremost there must be a wide range of tonality.  If an image contains both light tones, medium tones, and dark tones, it has a better chance of being a successful black & white image. Without a high range of tones, the image will appear flat.  

Black & white images also look best in high contrast situations.  Look for dramatic lighting with deep shadows and bright highlights.  Just make sure to expose properly so you don't lose details in those shadows and highlights.  Underexposing an image causes a loss of detail in the shadows.  Overexposing an image causes a loss of detail in the highlights.  

Sure, you can "fix" the exposure post-process, but you can't regain information that wasn't there to begin with.  The best black and white images have well-defined detail even in the darkest of shadows and the brightest of highlights.  That's why a proper exposure is so key!

Also, keep in mind that tones are different than colors.  A pastel blue falls in the lighter tonal range.  Navy blue falls into the darker tonal range. Yet, bright colors do NOT mean they are darker in tone.  Take these two pictures as an example.  Pay close attention to the bright neon nail polish.

The nails are what catch your eye in the color version!

They all but disappear in the Black and White.  

This is the perfect example to show your clients.  Bright colors may not provide the punch they're after once the image is converted to black & white.

If you know your client wants a black and white family portrait, but they don't all have the same "color" shirt, simply advise them to pick colors from the same tonal range instead.  Navy and black will look very similar in tonal range once converted to a black & white image.  If you tell them to all where the same color, you can end up with a wide range of tones that can really distract from the faces in a group portrait.  

Here's how it works.  Imagine a picture of a fair skinned child wearing a light hued t-shirt sitting on a faded concrete sidewalk under an overcast sky.  This scenario will most likely NOT make for a great black & white image.  The tonal range is almost non-existent.  Everything is grey and dreary.  All the colors and tones blend together to make an undefined portrait that lacks contrast, interest, and drama.  

In contrast, if you put a dark skinned child on that same lighter toned sidewalk the image is suddenly full of tonal range.  The contrast between the darker tones of the child's skin and the lighter tones of the grey sidewalk introduce shape and form to the image.  Dramatic lighting that casts well-placed shadows or sparkles of light to your image have a similar affect.

This brings me to the last tip.  By paying close attention to the shapes and forms in your image,  and being diligent to include both, you can significantly improve the success of your image.  Learn to imagine the scene before you as if it were black and white already.  Are there enough geometrical elements to make the image work?  Are there enough different tones to make each element in your image distinct from one another?  If you are drawn to the color in a scene, imagine it with the color removed.  Will the scene still work? These are questions to ask yourself (especially in nature photography) when seeking out your next black & white masterpiece.

Now, if you are still struggling with whether or not your image looks better in color or black and white, do what Terry suggests.  Make two 8x10 prints of the same image - one color and one black & white.  Hang both prints on a wall next to each other where you will see it frequently throughout the day.  Whichever one you get tired of looking at first is not the one for you.  Take it off the wall.  The one left hanging is the one you put on your website.  It's the one you show your client.  It's the one that works - for you.  After all, it is still a personal opinion.

I'll leave with two images from a recent session (actually an impromptu session within a session -  if you want to get technical).  

Meet Michael - a very cool guy.  You tell me.  Which one do you like better?  The color image, or the black & white?  Why?

Telling a Story

Photographing children (and older ones as well) while they are busy at play is one of the best ways to capture authentic expressions - which makes for extremely endearing and dynamic images.

Like a short feature film, documentary style photography aims to record a specific stage of your child's development in the hopes of documenting memories that warm the heart for a lifetime.  I like to think of story telling images as my visual scrapbook. 

Younger clients especially enjoy this approach to photography as they don't feel under pressure to perform for the camera. While they are busy at play, they are hardly even aware that you are busy at work. Engrossed in their own thing, they forget about the camera, leaving the photogapher free to let their creative juices flow.

Take the following series of images below of this little girl reading in her nursery. What started out as an experiment in window light turned into one of my favorite story-telling sessions ever. I'll always treasure these images as they capture the curiosity of young ones perfectly.

Making sure to take a variety of shots helps to tell the complete story. In the first image I made sure to get the whole scene in the frame in order to set the stage for the story I wanted to tell.

Next, I cropped in closer to focus in on her hands paging through the pile of books scattered around her. Notice her curled up toes almost helping to hold up the book? This detail may have been lost with a wider crop. 

Zooming in on her tiny hands holding the Morning Prayer Book in the next image records her physical development and age. I will always have this record of her tiny toes and dainty fingers. The low f-stop insures the details stand out in significance.

Since the little girl was engrossed in her task at hand, I was free to zoom in for the extreme close up of her face in the next image. Capturing her long, dark lashes (without her even batting an eye) would have been next to impossible had I asked her to pose. 

I end the story with one last full frame image that sums up the experience in a nutshell. Pure joy! Recorded on digital file for all time is a record of this little girl's curiosity, joy, and exploration. Mission accomplished.  

Shouldn't our goal as photographer's be that all our clients have just as much fun during their sessions?  And how much fun will it be for their parents to see a series of images that capture their child so beautifully and perfectly.

Give it a try yourself. Below are some ideas for your own storytelling series:

• Learning to ride a bike.
  
• Writing with chalk or finger painting on the sidewalk.
  
• Baking cookies with mom in the kitchen.
  
• Playing in the sprinkler and throwing water balloons with cousins in the back yard.
  
• Throwing a tea party for their friends and stuffed animals.
  
• Playing dress up in daddy or mommy's clothes.
  
• Playing legos on the kitchen table.
• Talking on the phone with a best friend.
• Shopping at the mall.
• Skateboarding at an extreme park with friends.

You get the idea. Be creative. Start by setting the scene.  Pay attention to the little details that make your story unique.  And, finally, don't be afraid to crop in tight filling the frame with your subject's face.

Every one has a story tell. Now, go, tell yours.

Photography Tip #5: Leading Lines

Like every good novel, a photograph should take its viewers on a journey.  It should grab their attention, guide them in the right direction, and provide a way out.  There should be energy, movement, emotion, and flow.  Leading lines are the tools photographers use to help narrate their stories.

Diagonal lines and s-curves are two types of leading lines used by photographers to draw attention to their subject and to breathe life into their images.  Take a look at the following examples.

In the image above, you'll notice that the pathway forms an s-curve starting at the bottom of the image curving all the way through to the backside of the image.  It is the tool used to draw you through the image.  Placing the family on the lower third not only gives the image more compositional strength, it also evokes movement.  The viewer is left with the impression that the family is on a walk.  You feel like joining them.  The path not only shows where the family will end up, but it also leads the viewer's eye out of the image - something every good image should do.

The image below utilizes the same compositional strategies of the rule of thirds and the leading lines.  Except this time diagonal lines were used in place of the s-curve.  Another difference?  Placing the subjects facing the camera removes the feeling of movement.  Time stands still.

Close-up images can also benefit from the use of leading lines.  In the image below I tilted the angle of the camera slightly to place the subject on a diagonal line.  Having her tilt her neck emphasizes these lines. Even the collar of her shirt forms a diagonal line that leads the viewer directly to her face.  It then leads the viewer out of the image by visually connecting with the diagonal line formed by her cheek.

Diagonal lines and s-curves can also be used to add visual impact and punch, as in the image below.  Another leading line shows up in this image as well.  The circle. The diagonal railing brings your eye to his folded arms which bring your eyes up and around his upper torso to his face and back down again to the railing which brings your eye out of the image.  The visual circle forces your eye to the subject's face - the goal of all portraits.

As you've just seen, diagonal lines can transform a photograph. Imagine the following image had a diagonal line not been used.  It would be flat and boring. The diagonal line adds energy, depth, interest, and movement to the image.  Your eye travels into the picture at the lower right corner through all pairs of legs and back out the left side of the image.  The result: Movement and Energy.

This last image is special in that it combines three tricks of the trade. Can you identify them all?  

1) The Rule of Thirds was used to position the father and son.  2) The tree provides a diagonal line leading to the subject and then out of the image.  3) The father's arms embracing his son form a visual circle leading to their faces.

Leading lines should not be ignored.  Use them to your advantage and your images WILL get noticed.