14 4 April 2020 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
Technique MONO STREET MASTERCLASS
S
treet photography is
difficult enough as it is,
without having to think
about shooting in black
& white (or converting images
in software), so why bother? The
answer, of course, is that most
classic street and documentary
photography was taken in black
& white – think of masters of the
Get great black &
Effective black & white street shooting isn’t just
about losing colour. Two top street and documentary
shooters share their wisdom with Geoff Harris
craft, like Eugène Atget, Henri
Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier,
Daido Moriyama and many more.
Sure, there is plenty of great colour
street photography too, but there
is something about the absence
of colour that helps to focus the
viewer’s attention on the subject
and essential elements of the
composition.Think negative and positive
In this image by Brian Duckett, the large light
areas (negative space) make the woman’s
head (positive space) really stand out, and
are a crucial component of the composition.
‘You use negative space to impose a sense of
scale, making your subject more or less
significant,’ he explains. ‘Seek out viewpoints
that isolate your subject by contrasting it with
its surroundings.’
Successful mono street shooting is
not just about losing the colour,
however: you need to learn to think
and see in black & white, taking
account of texture, contrast, and, of
course, the crucial interplay of light
and shadow. In this feature we get
tips from Brian Lloyd Duckett, a
street photography workshop leader
and the author of the best-selling
52 Assignments: Street Photography,
published by Ammonite Press.
Edmond Terakopian meanwhile is a
regular AP contributor and former
British Press Awards Photographer
of the Year. See terakopian.com.