17
Shoot in raw
‘Shooting a black & white JPEG is fi ne, but the raw fi le will give you
much more highlight and shadow detail, which will result in a
better end result,’ Terakopian adds. ‘So, I always shoot raw, process
in Lightroom and then fi nish the monochrome treatment in my
two favourite plug-ins; Exposure Software’s Exposure X5 or DxO
Nik Collection’s Silver Efex Pro. Each has their strengths, so I make
my decisions depending on what my vision is for that particular
image.’ See our Silver Efex Pro guide on page 36.Shadow
play
‘To develop your
“shadow skills”,
head out in bright
weather,’ says
Brian Duckett.
‘Look for
uncluttered areas
(e.g. modern
business areas)
and plan ahead.
Pre-visualise the
images and think
about the intensity
and direction of
light, and the best
vantage point.
Work out your
options for
exposure and
shoot a wide
variety of subjects
as you practise
getting the
composition just
right. Try shooting
in manual mode
and exposing for
the highlights. This
will intensify the
shadows...’Strong and dominant
A lot of great black & white street
photography incorporates punchy,
high-contrast images made up of
bright whites and intense blacks.
‘The strong light and dark tones,
combined with a strong diagonal
and the dominant block of
unpainted wall, make this shot a
winner,’ says Brian Duckett.Keep learning from
the masters
‘My fi rst lesson in monochrome
was to get piles and piles of
books on photographers
whose work I loved,’ says
Terakopian. ‘Everything from
photojournalists like Sebastião
Salgado to fashion
photographers like Richard
Avedon. I’ve never been one for
still-life shots of fl owers, but
Mapplethorpe’s work was also
hugely educational. Black &
white is primarily about shape
and light. My advice is to just
keep looking. The harder and
more intensely you look, the
more you see. Then it’s a
question of timing and capturing
the moment and juxtaposition.’Don’t try to
‘hide’ in
black &
white
Whether you are
shooting in colour
or black & white,
it’s all about
fi nding great light;
light that
complements your
subject and
creative intent.
While masters like
Trent Parke can
get away with
using very hard
sunlight and very
strong shadow,
make sure your
skills are good
enough to ride this
particular tiger.
The same goes
with trying to
conceal softness
in black & white,
or lack of shadow
detail due to
clumsy exposure:
an experienced
viewer will soon
see through your
Shooting in raw often cynical ploy.
gives maximum leeway for
working up the shadows© BRIAN LLOYD DUCKETT
© EDMOND TERAKOPIN