capturemag.com.au
[capture] sep_oct.19during the 20th century in black and white. Helmut Newton defined the
fashion world of the ‘60s and ‘70s in black and white. Annie Leibovitz’
most famous image, of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, was shot in colour,
but very many of her famous images, including Nelson Mandela;
French-American artist and sculptor, Louise Bourgeois; a naked Amy
Schumer; and a very young Leo DiCaprio are black and white. Robert
Mapplethorpe challenged the world of the ‘70s and ‘80s with his
controversial portraits and self-portraits – all in black and white.
A new cohort of photographers is discovering the aesthetics and
emotive power of black-and-white photography and a renaissance is
blossoming throughout the world.The re-discoverers
Adrian Cook has carved out a unique market for his work with
tintypes, so black and white is his main option. It’s now 90% of his
personal work and with some clever marketing, including his mobile
pop-up studio, which hosts wet plate portrait sessions in venues across
Sydney, business for that is thriving. He does, however, say that heThe first black and white image was taken by French inventor, Joseph
Nicéphore Niépce, in 1825. The image was destroyed as he attempted to
make copies of it, but when he tried again, he managed to produce a
black-and-white image of a window. It was an inauspicious beginning for a
form of media that has fascinated people ever since. Even after
Kodachrome was launched in 1935, black-and-white photography did not
become obsolete. As colour photography improved, black and white was
used less, but it has persisted for its ability to convey sophistication,
timelessness, mood, and emotion, as well as its aesthetic appeal.
Some of the world’s most famous photographers have chosen black and
white. Ansel Adams, an environmentalist ahead of his time, documented
the Wild West of old America in black and white. Diane Arbus
documented people outside the norm in black and white. Henri Cartier-
Bresson, who was considered to be the father of modern photojournalism
and was one of the first photographers to use the new 35mm format for
candid photography, shot in black and white. Robert Capa captured his
famous real-life moments of people in crisis across five wars in black and
white. Richard Avedon defined the style, beauty, and culture of the US
LEFT: Bathers
during a
heatwave, Bondi,
2017, from the
book, Heat.