Is a Complex Black and White Photo Even Possible
Not really a click bait headline, I promise.
I have been wandering into the forest lately with a camera set to take black and white photos. It has altered the way I consider what to photograph, and how I photograph it. Short version: even in the midst of complex detail, there are patterns: shapes, textures, contrasts, etc.
Having had that epiphany, I’ve been experimenting with a wide lens and random walks in the woods. The shot above was taken with a wide angle lens (Sony 14mm f/1.8), and I have deliberately tilted the camera down to exaggerate perspective. The trees make converging lines. The fern at bottom center contributes a kind-of vortex. The water flows through from left to right, then crashes over a cliff in a waterfall you can’t see from this viewpoint.
There are so many enjoyable details here: the exposed roots of a tree in the center. The frozen burble of the water. That fern. Textures on treebank.
When I had thought of black and white in the past, it was always a simplified kind of shot: big dark areas, maybe, with something peeping out of the shadows. Or a clean vista, with some interesting subject in it. But the Northwest is forests, and I want to see what I can do with black and white under the trees.
Of course, there is never only one way to look at a scene. Here is a conventional wide-angle shot with carefully balanced direction, to avoid those converging lines that dominate the image above. Radially different feel:
This is shot only a few feet away from the previous photo, but the look and feel is radically different. The edge of the falls is clearly visible. The trees look like themselves. :)
Here is the falls from the front and above (the only view of the falls I have found, in fact; the area is treacherously steep):
More converging lines; I had to point the camera down to include some of the foliage at the bottom. But later, I thought, do I need to include that? Here’s a shot of the falls with normal perspective:s
There’s no one right way to photograph anything. Styles of photography have changed repeatedly since it was invented. I love the intricate detail of the northwest woods in black and white. It’s stark, a bit alien, and draws your attention to some things that you might not have imagined otherwise.
These do work better in a larger format; I used my laptop. Of all I liked the first one the best. Good movement, drama and perspective. Nice textures too. I would suggest the falls be larger to fill more of the picture frame. Overall, these are successful and provide good interest.