Black & White Photography - September 2015 UK

68

B+W

Slate or stone gives a great textured surface to lay out your

subjects, as this example shows. Absorbing more of your

studio light rather than reflecting it back into the picture, darker

backgrounds can help to create a low-key, moody result which

shows off the delicate tonal range of your main subject.

Thinner, diaphanous fabrics such as silk – think of Fox-Talbot’s

contact printed scraps of lace – can also make interesting images

too. Used in the same way as a negative or material for a photogram,

thinner fabrics and papers will create an inverse or negative image,

such as this example printed on to a sheet of salt print paper.

Photographers have been using light modifiers, or gobos, since

artificial lighting was introduced. For a similar eye-catching result,

try cutting slits and holes into a sheet of black card and hold

this as close to your subject without getting in the frame. As this

example shows, you can withhold light from small areas of your

image to create a natural and atmospheric result – the opposite

of how we think studio lighting could be. Search online for DIY

gobos and see how easy it is to make them.

DARK BACKGROUNDS FABRIC PHOTOGRAMS

MINIATURE LIGHT MODIFIERS SECTION 3:

USING A VINTAGE PRINT STYLE

You could also consider using a vintage print process

to enhance the feel of historic materials.

‘Photographers have been using light modifiers,

or gobos, since artificial lighting was introduced.’

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