Working in Black & White

It's a black-and-white world with Basics Photography: Working in Black & White. This penultimate title in the successful Basics Photography series covers all aspects of black-and-white photography in both film and digital formats. Ever wonder how colors become grayscale tones? Read this book, and understand. Understand, too, how photographers can learn to "see" in black and white, how to explore the great themes of black-and-white photography, and how to develop a mastery of black-and-white technique. Clear diagrams, inspiring examples, and dozens of useful hints and tips make this book a practical guide to a great art form.

Basics Photography 06: Working in Black & White, by David Präkel, provides a comprehensive guide to the basic theory and practice of black and white photography, from the relationship between colour and greyscale tones to the art of seeing in black and white.Black and white, the book argues, has been the soul and conscience of photography since its conception. Black and white is not a lesser colour image - it is, in many ways, more powerful. It gets to the core of what is important in an image, leaving behind the distractions of colour.This is an inspiring text which enables students to make the most of the opportunities offered by black and white photography.

How to get the most out of this book. Introduction. Basic theory: Blach and white and greyscale; History; Photograms; Colour to black and white; Filtration; Contrast. The art of black and white: Learning to 'see' in black and white; Previsualisation and composition; The great themes; Older cameras/lenses for a unique look. Lighting: Quality; Direction; Subject contrast; Lighting contrast; Subject brightness range; Metering; High-key and low-key imagery; Infrared. Capturing black and white: Film and developer; The 'look' of film; Staining developers; Exposure index; Chromogenic film; Film grain; Digital noise; The Zone System; Tone compression and expansion; Instant black-and-white film. Realising the image: Printing to match the contrast of the film; Fixed-grade and variable-contrast papers; Scanning film; Local exposure control; Paper choice; Contact printing; Digital negatives; Liquid emulsion; Colour to black and white; Greyscale conversions; Products for a 'film' look; Black-only printing; The future. Reintroducing colour: Toning; Digital toning; Duotones, tritones and quadtones; Oils, pastels and pencils on prints; Digital hand rendering. Conclusion. Contacts. Glossary. Acknowledgements.

David Präkel runs his own photographic training workshops in Northumberland, UK. He has enjoyed a successful and diverse career in journalism, photography and education and has taught at all levels in universities, colleges, schools in both the UK and the US as well as the prestigious Kodak Imaging Training Centre in Harrow, London.

Basics Photography: Working in Black and White provides a comprehensive guide to the basic theory and practice of black and white photography, from the relationship between colour and greyscale tones to the art of “seeing” in black and white.