34 Outdoor Photography February 20181
There will be times
when the sky is
more interest ing than
the landscape, and the
drama can really be
cranked up in black &
white: white cumulus
clouds can pop against
a near-black sky, while
st orm clouds can
become oppressively
heavy. Don’t be afraid
to tilt the camera up, so
the sky is celebrated in
all its glory.2
Shooting from
higher and lower
viewpoints or unusual
angles can add an
element of surprise
to your images that
grabs and holds the
viewer’s att ention.
This works esp ecially
well in monochrome
as you can emphasise
st rong shapes and
graphic compositional
elements.3
Keep your
compositions
simple. It’s tempting
to try and cram lots
of features and
information into a black
& white landscape,
but a more minimal
approach can work
brilliantly.4
Black & white
images don’t
have to st ay that way –
adding a subtle warm
or cool colour tone can
change the mood of
a shot without sp oiling
its monochromatic
feel. Soft ware such as
Silver Efex Pro 2 has
toning presets and
controls to vary the
st rength of the colour.5
Print your
favourite
images. Black & white
photographs are best
appreciated in print
form, and look great
mounted, framed and
hung on the wall.6
If you’re in need
of insp iration,
st udy the work of
great monochrome
mast ers to see how
they approached
the art of black &
white landscape
photography –
Ansel Adams,
Michael Kenna, John
Blakemore and Josef
Hofl ehner, to name
just a few.STEPS FOR SUCCESS
image. Using a large amount of
feathering on the Lasso reduces
the chance of these adjust ments
being visible. This approach is
similar to dodging and burning
in the darkroom.5
Aft er several local
adjust ments, the shot
is st arting to take shape: the
exposure is more even across
the frame and although the patch
of blown-out sky st ill exist s, it
adds to the drama of the image.6
The image is saved as a
16-bit TIFF and then opened
using the Silver Efex Pro 2 plugin
in Photoshop. The basic black &
white version looks prett y good
already, but I want to do more.7
There are numerous presets
at the left of the Silver Efex
Pro 2 screen. My favourites are
High Struct ure (Smooth) and
High Struct ure (Harsh) as they
boost contrast and detail, which
is ideal for adding impact to black
& white images. This is the eff ect
of High Struct ure (Harsh).8
Aft er clicking OK, the
converted image opens
back in Photoshop and the
layers can be fl att ened. Finally,
the image is enlarged and any
sensor blemishes or unwanted
details can be removed using the
Healing Brush Tool.8
6
7
5
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