capturemag.com.autools b&w revival
[capture] sep_oct.19white conversions, which usually disappoint,” he says. Caimi & Piccinni
believe that the intrinsic qualities of each make them better suited to
different projects. “Sometimes you need the straightforwardness of the
digital, other times the emotional dough of film,” they state. Mitchell
believes that they have a symbiotic relationship. “The biggest difference
is that with film, the contrast and tone is set at the time of exposure, to
a degree. Colour filters are needed to achieve certain looks at the time
of exposure. There’s no going back to change a thing. With digital, you
have the flexibility and opportunity to process multiple variations of one
RAW file into different black-and-white pictures.” He adds, “It’s quite
incredible what’s achievable. I’d say understanding black-and-white
photography through digital processing would teach you how to execute
black-and-white film shots successfully in camera. I feel that’s how the
two mediums work well together today.”
“A lot of young guys are shooting with film at the moment,” Cook
notes. “Perhaps to get back that magic, to not see the finished image
straightaway. And they’re using old film, which is nice. They’re buying
it on eBay or it has been in someone’s fridge. You put it in your camera
and you don’t know what’s going to happen. The results can be quite
beautiful by accident,” he adds, “which you’re not going to get with
digital. A lot of young people love that ‘Oh, the film is all flared,’ or
‘It’s grainy,’ or ‘It’s gone flat’, surprise.” Cook also loves the magic of not
knowing what’s going to happen, of getting your film back, of seeing
the contact sheet. “I shoot film also because I use a lot of old cameras
and those lenses on old cameras do things that digital cameras can’t
do,” he states. “I’ll use film for clients sometimes and they’ll ask me to
shoot digital on the side. They’re scared of not knowing what they’re
going to get. Usually you get the film back and it’s better than what you
shot on digital. Shooting in digital just makes the client happy.”
Cook does concede that digital has an edge when it comes to
keeping up with what is required these days in commercial work.
“I’ve been on shoots where the art director is putting your image into
a layout as you’re shooting it, then sending it on. You need digital for
that.” Blackmore has also noticed a revival in film, and he believes it is
triggering a renewed interest among photographers in black and white.
“Younger photographers are attracted to the craft and romance of
processing and printing your own work. Then there is simply the fact
that film gives you a beautiful depth of tone and quality you can’t get
with digital,” he says. Ireland’s preference for film is much simpler.
“There aren’t many rational reasons why I shoot film, mainly only
emotional ones. And that’s OK.”The conquerors
Every style of photography has challenges, but for Adrian Cook there
is really only one – getting a commission to do proper black and white,
and by that he means any black and white, but especially film. “In the
old days, Rolling Stone might have commissioned me to shoot in black
and white because that’s what I was known for. Even on those rare
occasions when a commercial shoot does call for black and white, it
will be digital, which is achieved by simply pushing a button, so it’s not
like shooting in black and white as it was.”
Trent Mitchell’s challenge is a corollary of this. “Knowing when to
exclude colour and having the confidence to do so is, personally, the
biggest challenge I’ve recently faced with working in black and white.
I used colour for so long and then headed down the unknown road of
black and white for a couple of years in my personal work. I definitely
questioned it day in and out. I wondered if the perception of posting,exhibiting, and self-promoting black-and-white work was right for me
professionally when my clients see and want high colour images. I was
definitely feeling the risk and I still don’t have any clear answers. I feel
for personal work, colour could be the safer road to take, but I like to
challenge myself, so I’m sticking with no colour for a while and will see
what happens,” he explains.
For Melissa Breyer, what makes black and white so appealing is also what
makes it challenging. “Colour is bright and shiny. It has more immediate
visual impact and can seduce viewers with its vibrancy,” she explains. “To
compete with that, black-and-white photos need to be especially strong in
story, mood, composition, et cetera. But that’s also what’s so great about
black and white. When it works, it really works. It doesn’t depend on colour.
It’s pure and elegant. And it’s in it for the long run.”
Perhaps it’s the fascination with digital editing’s options waning?
Perhaps it’s the lack of thrill of being able to shoot now and “fix it later”?
Perhaps it’s just because great black-and-white photography is
remarkably beautiful? There is a renaissance of interest in black-and-
white photography, and with that a revival of classical photography
methods. Anything that preserves traditional crafts can only be good.TOP LEFT:
Untitled, New
York, NY, 2015
ABOVE: Dry
Swamp,
dreaming... Greg
Ireland stands in
a parched swamp
on the Hay
Plain. “Bubbles
left on the 4x5
emulsion after
processing allude
to the crystallised
memory of
a flourishing
wetland.”CONTACTS
Paul Blackmore http://www.paulblackmore.com
Melissa Breyer http://www.melissabreyer.com
Caimi & Piccinni http://www.caimipiccinni.com
Adrian Cook http://www.adriancookphotography.com
Christopher Ireland ChristopherIreland.net
Trent Mitchell http://www.trentmitchell.com©^
ME
LIS
SA
BR
EY
ER
©^
CHRISTOPHERIRELAND