White Film
 |
 MHL White Backing 5mil 51 x 250 Low Temp Backing Film  US $349.95
|
 15x18 White Back Laminating Film Pouches 100 US $82.88
|
 12x15 White Back Laminating Film Pouches 100l US $59.88
|
 100pcs Clear White Plastic Photo Card Laminating Pouch Film 62x43 158x11cm US $9.99
|
 Liquid Paper WideLine Correction Film 024 Width x 28 Length White Tape US $5.30
|
Color And Monochrome: Dos And Don'ts Of Using It For Glamour Images
There is an ultimate question that vexes all glamour photographers, from beginners to gurus. Easy it sounds, simple it looks, but making a certain decision is as difficult as producing a perfect photograph from the very first shot. The issue is called "Color or Monochrome?"
In times of grayscale people couldn't care less for colors - their primary concern was nuances of, composition, light and shadow. beauty images were all black and white, still being distinguishable and artistic.
It all changed when film started capturing more than mere light and shadows, but also color. Nowadays, when digital photography enabled photographers to reproduce millions of shades, the "bright" approach seems even more preferable.
That's why I consider it right to look into the question more thoroughly and reckon the advantages and downsides of both methods. As many things in Beauty Photography, one's preferences are a matter of perspective - there isn't, and there shouldn't be, any "wrong choices".
Firstly, it should be clarified that shooting a good monochrome photo is just as challenging as if you aimed for depicting all the shades that exist. Should you consider either of them a no-brainer, you will suffer a heavy disappointment after some time.
Light is crucial in both color and old school black and white photography. Without the proper lighting the mood will be spoiled and the photograph would be flat. There is no way around it. Regardless of your preferences, both color and black and white cannot do without proper lighting, that's why it is so important to always hold this in mind.
There are differences, of course, though they are subjective and mainly concern the impression that viewers will make of your glamourous creation. These are sometimes too important to ignore:
- Color proves a great tool when you need to place emphasis upon something. A colorful image draws both glances and thoughts to it; composition is easy to arrange based on the colors of its key elements; nuances of color are transformed in the image's atmosphere and mood, allowing you to make it whatever you would like.
- Classic black and white photography accentuates shapes and texture, not the differences of tones. It also makes the game of light and shadow more visible, and therefore more comprehensive. Classic black and white helps the artist to create an ethereal, enigmatic and very atmospheric image, this is the beauty of it. Besides, it helps to conceal unnatural colors and shades, so if your model ended up somewhat yellowish on the photo, you can always turn to gray-scale.
- Various kinds of monochromatic image have different effects on its mood. For example, sepia is fairly popular with photographers. A number of other methods can be used in beauty photography. There are countless tutorials online, so you can learn much if you want to.
- Another thing to do is combining monochrome and colors within one image, though this approach is considered unoriginal, it still can be used in a refreshing manner, can't it? As long as it works, you can turn to even the most banal approaches, if you can produce something original and unique, it doesn't matter. Colorful spots on black and white background can attract viewer's attention and create certain mood; monochromatic spots on otherwise a colorful photo can serve the same purpose of drawing attention and creating atmosphere.
You must have realized by now that there is no right or wrong choice on this particular subject, as long as color and gray-scale co-exist, so long glamour photographers will enjoy their holy wars about what is best to use. In fact, you don't need to choose, if something serves your purpose best of all, corresponds to the mood of your photo and delivers your message efficiently, you should have no doubts about what you do. In order to produce a perfect picture, you should stop over-estimating gear, techniques and styles; they are not instrumental, it is only your vision and your skills that really matter.
How do I make sure I develop my black and white film perfectly?
I have about 10 roles of professional black and white ILFORD, and I'm gonna be developing them myself. I've only done it twice and all my film came out too light, both times. What am I doing wrong? If my film is too light can I still print them fine? with filters and stuff?
I have really precious pictures and i don't want to screw up.
Thanks!
First of all, you shouldn't be developing anything important unless you have your procedure down perfectly. I'd suggest, first of all, before developing these important rolls, you expose several more rolls with unimportant stuff. Film is cheap, but experience is invaluable.
The "lightness" of the negative is commonly called the density. There are four factors which control density.
Probably the most important of these factors is exposure. Basically, for a given lighting situation, the more exposure you give the negative, the more dense it will be.
The other three factors controlling density, in no particular order, are time, temperature, and agitation. Increasing any of these will increase density to a point. Keep in mind however, that they really do nothing for the maximum density, dMax, however they do help bump some grains out of the lowest part of the curve, the dMin. Thus, increasing time/temperature/agitation also increases contrast, which often is undesirable.
In any case, I'd suggest shooting a test roll, as I mentioned. Then, when you go to develop it, take the time and temperature you've been using for the developer as a starting point. Keep the temperature the same(and make sure the developer is fully and uniformly that temperature), but increase your developing time by 10%. For agitation, I suggest continuous inversion for the first thirty seconds, and then one single inversion every 30 seconds thereafter. Also, remember that development time starts when you start pouring the developer in, and stops when you begin pouring the stop bath in.
If a 10% increase in time doesn't work, shoot another test roll and increase the developer time by another 10%. Keep doing this until you get negatives you're happy with, and then you should be ready for your important rolls.
Three other things:
If your development time is under 5 minutes, decrease your temperature to such a point as you're able to extend the time past 5 minutes. Times under 5 minutes tend to give uneven development.
You will hear varying opinions on the necessity of prewetting the film, however I feel that it's greatly beneficial and suggest always doing it. Prewetting the film allows the emulsion to absorb developer more quickly and promotes more even development.
Remember that the developer is the only time and temperature critical step of the process. Don't be afraid of spending too much time in the fixer. Fixing is a process to completion step, and it's extremely important that all of the undeveloped silver halides are removed to prevent problems down the road. Don't be afraid to leave the film in the fixer for 15 or 20 minutes. At the same time, though, avoid temperature changes of more than a few degrees at a time, as you can cause reticulation.
As for printing your thin negatives, there are ways. As a starting point, I'd suggest using a nice long exposure and using a higher contrast filter than you would normally use for printing. This will definitely take some experimenting, although it should certainly be possible to get a decent print. It's always best to start with a good negative, though, which is why I suggest getting your process down before doing any important work.
Halle Berry: Bikini for New 'Dark Tide' Poster! (Just Jared)
Halle Berry rocks a blue bikini next to Olivier Martinez in this new poster
for their upcoming film, Dark Tide. The thriller centers around "a
professional diver tutor, Brady, w[ho] returns to deep waters after nine years
following an almost fatal encounter with a great white shark, bringing a happy
couple Kate and Jeff. However, [...]
White Film
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
Comments are closed.