In today's
saturated color
manipulated image world,
black & white feels
and looks fresh. Black
& white is back
partly because of the
power of photography.
Believe it or not .. many
brides want to include
black & white photos
in their wedding albums.
Black & white
photography is a great
learning tool.
Concepts of highlight and
shadow detail, image
contrast, film and
exposure latitude and
tonal range are all best
understood by studying
the black & white
image.
Color silver halide
images are actually made
of several layers of
black & white images
that interact with color
couplers to produce
layers of color dyes
which when viewed
together give the
impression of a full
range of colors.
The traditional
"wet" darkroom
is still a place where
the magic of the black
& white image
appearing in a tray of
developer under the red
glow of a safelight
captivates anyone who is
new to photography.
The home darkroom is a
relaxing, informal place,
sequestered from the
hustle and bustle of the
"real" world.. |
Choosing
black & white
subjects?
Although any subject can
be photographed in black
& white, avoid
working with subjects
that have a natural
affinity for color, such
as autumn scenes,
blue-eyed portrait
subjects or butterflies
and flowers..
Black
& white with the
computer
Any color photo can be
converted to a black
& white image
(grayscale) using your
computer. Some digital
cameras also allow users
to capture images as
black & white. It' is
just as easy to
manipulate black &
white images digitally as
color ones.
Traditional
black & white films
The more common films are
Kodak: T-Max 100, T-Max
400, T-Max 3200, Plus-X
(125), Tri-X (400).
Ilford: Pan F+ (50), FP4+
(125), HP5+ (400).
Delta 100 Pro, Delta 400
Pro, Delta 3200.
Agfapan 25, 100, 400 Fuji
Neopan 400, 1600.
The higher the ISO number
or speed., the
"faster" the
film, i.e. the more it is
sensitive to light.
The 400 speed is OK for
most uses. For low light
use the 1600 or 3200 ISO.
Unusual
black & white films
Kodak's TCN-400 and
Ilford's XP-2 super are
400 speed films that can
be processed in
conventional color
negative (C-41)
chemistry, they are not
as stable as traditional
black & white
emulsions.
Agfa makes Scala 200
black & white slide
film. There are only a
few labs that can process
the film.
Kodak's Infrared film and
Ilford's SFX 200 features
an extended red range
that gives an infrared
"look".
Kodak's high contrast
Techpan 25.
Polaroid makes a number
of black & white film
stocks that can be useful
for making certain types
of images -
transparencies etc.
Infrared
films ... what are my
choices?
Three choices:
Konica B&W 750nm
Infrared - the only 120
size IR film approximate
ISO12
Kodak High Speed Infrared
approximate ISO 200
Ilford SFX
The Ilford SFX is not an
infrared sensitive film;
it simulates infrared
sensitivity.
The Kodak IR film is a
very sensitive and should
not be loaded in the
light.
The Konica's IR film is
far less sensitive -750nm
wavelengths and a lot
easier to handle.
Use both Konica and Kodak
infrared with a deep red
filter (#25).
Your light meter will not
be able to read infrared
light.
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