Wedding Challenge • 06/2011 • "B&W candids"

Agnieszka

Time for a new challenge

Theme of this challenge: "Black & White Candids"

A note from Matt:

Subject cannot be posed, and cannot be looking at the camera

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE GALLERY

or go to: www.smugmug.com

login: DgrinExtras
password: knockknock

Then go to: Wedding Challenge • 06/2011 • "B&W Candids"

From there you should be able to upload a pic, but let me know if you have any questions (see top right corner / UPLOAD > TO THIS GALLERY)
When you upload a photo, please name it with YOUR NAME, or your nickname (I need to be able to contact you, if you win, so don't make it too hard, haha). Please do NOT upload full res files as I can't take any responsibilities for it and don't want the photo to end up in the wrong hands. Feel free to put your name on the photo.

Once we announce the winner, the top 3 pics will receive a 1st / 2nd / 3rd place badge

The CUT-OFF date is June 30th. Matt will then have time to choose the 3 winners and will announce them by July 2nd :barb


Let me (or Matt) know if you have any questions, sounds pretty straight forward to me

:lust

Shhhhhht, there are 2 entries allowed per person.
Let's see what you got!!! :lynnma

Matthew Saville

Two samples have been uploaded. Good luck everybody! This one is pretty straightforward; I wanna see a LOT of entries!

=Matt=

Moogle Pepper

Done and Done!

Kinkajou

Oooh! Excited about this one

Shima

Love this challenge! I just uploaded my two entries

marikris

Sigh. I tried to comment on one of the photos I uploaded, but can someone delete it for me please? I tried logging into dgrinextras, but my computer is giving me a javascript error when I hit he delete button. It's the second to last photo right now, a profile of a bride.

chiphotography

Just added my two. Looked through all the entries and there are some really good ones.

TPBinKC

I just added my two. Been a long time since I participated in a challenge. Lots of great shots in the gallery!!!

Matthew Saville

Alright so it's July now, do I judge? :-)

=Matt=

Agnieszka

Matthew Saville wrote: »

Alright so it's July now, do I judge? :-)

=Matt=

YUP

Agnieszka

Matthew Saville

FIRST PLACE:
#20 - Shilliday Photography - The definition of "B&W", for sure. Using black and white tones themselves, plus shape and line, to play with the viewer's eye. For sure, this image would not have nearly as much impact if it were in color, in fact on average this much contrast / processing usually seems god-awful in a color image. But the deep blacks and bright whites captivate. It may not be the strongest image from a "fine art" standpoint, but it definitely stands out from the crowd as something fresh, bold, and of course pleasing to view.


SECOND PLACE:
#24 - Chi Photography - Simple, elegant B&W image. Again, the image is a winner because I simply can't imagine it in color, nor do I care to. It just WORKS in B&W. And secondly, it is just a good image in general- simple subject, clean background, and the viewer's eye goes RIGHT to the main subject and stays there for a considerable amount of time instead of wandering around immediately.


THIRD PLACE TIE:
#3 - Ted Nghiem - We're gonna have two third place winners here, simply because I feel like there are two more aspects of B&W imagery that I truly enjoy. This one being, the use of abstraction and subtle tones / lines in order to create something very much "fine art". I might have liked to see focus on the bride moreso than the window panes, but then again it is an artistic pleasure to view the anti-focused image as well, and certainly a much more bold artistic decision. Oh, and I also think that GRAIN plays a key role in this image being what it is. If it were perfectly clean, smooth and noise-less, it wouldn't work. Or at least it wouldn't move me in such a timeless way. Call me oldschool!

THIRD PLACE TIE:
#12 - Lightcraft Photography - The other B&W concept that I consider to be a 'staple' in my arsenal is of course the medium-close portrait, usually of a man. I'm not a fan of the HDR-like weirdness or generally over-the-top enhancement of wrinkles and blemishes, but I do like the "rough" look that an absence of color can bring out so well. Matt found a perfect balance of contrast, brightness and detail / sharpness / clarity, so as not to over-do the gritty look, but once again to at least make the image work better in B&W than it would in color.



Thank you all for entering! It was quite difficult to decide, which you can see considering my inclusion of four images.

A few side notes in general, as tips to other entrants-

* When making a B&W image, shadows and highlights are CRITICAL. Tone itself is critical, I guess. And I saw a few images that were a little bright either in general, or on skin. I know there's a few Kubota etc. actions and general tricks out there for converting to B&W with added brightness to skin tones, (reds) ...but I honestly don't find it very flattering since it can make the eye do a double-take when viewing the image. Especially on American people, who generally would rather be seen as at least a little bit tan. So, watch your highlights! Just because it isn't blinking, doesn't mean it isn't too bright. This was one of the hardest things I had to learn about processing B&W images. Sometimes a upper-mid-tone is better suited for skin.

* In general, stick to the timeless B&W toning techniques. I know there are a number of ways to create a classic, or funky, sepia tone however again I guess I'm just not a fan of "the latest processing tricks". A faint warm hue usually never hurt a B&W image, but beyond that you really have to think about specifically WHY (or if at all) an image works better with this or that toning added to it. Never do anything without reason!

* Convert for the right reasons. In general, images have three things that can make them artistic or not- color, texture, and line. A B&W image works best when color doesn't make or break an image, but texture and/or line DO. This sounds obvious, but think about it the next time you convert an image to B&W. Is the image getting converted simply in an effort to spice up an otherwise ordinary photo? B&W might not "save" it. Does the image have strong lines, textures, or smooth / interesting tonal transitions? Chances are, the image is BETTER as a B&W, sometimes even to the extent that you don't even care to see it in color ever again. :-)


Alright, take care all!
=Matt=

marikris

Fantastic points, Matt! Thanks for the excellent write up. Congrats, guys!

Moogle Pepper

yay!

Go Nicole!

nicoleshilliday

WooT! Thanks Matt. The photo was taken during an afternoon wedding. I was getting board (as i do during the end of the reception) and started taking some back lit shots. I think i have about 10 that look almost the same but ended up only processing this one. When i read the contest was B&W, I went back in the archives and dug it out.


Taking suggestions on themes

p27rpy

Dang, I wish I'd seen this in time! Congrats to the winners!

zoomer

Lots of good shots in that gallery....my personal favorites were 5 8 11 27 in that order. All were excellent captures of a moment.
Great idea for a challenge.

Congrats to the winners.

Shima

zoomer wrote: »

Lots of good shots in that gallery....my personal favorites were 5 8 11 27 in that order. All were excellent captures of a moment.
Great idea for a challenge.

Congrats to the winners.

Yay glad I made your list zoomer

Congrats to the winners!!

mmmatt

Thanks for taking the time to write all that up Matt. I always appreciate your insight, and your comments are very understandable so I am sure many are learning from them. You hit me in a thread of mine a year or so ago with similar comments about b&w skintones, and I now think about my skintones all the time. It simply wasn't obvious to me until I took the time to play around with things based on your urging. The key is being conscious about it all I think, and just using your eyes. I think a lot of people get comfortable with a routine for conversions, when the reality is that there isn't some magic recipe that will always work. Well, certainly not to your standards of images bettered by, or intensely deserving of black and white.

So anyways thanks again. Lovely images everyone. Congrats Ted and Chi and Nicole! And Nicole... get crackin' girl!

Matt

nicoleshilliday

i see not one suggestion....

Flowers? Emotions? Cakes...yummm? Color?

Agnieszka

Hey guys! I'll be gone for a long weekend ... shooting in Boston ... Nicole, I prepared a new thread & gallery, can you please post the new theme there (thread) in the next day or two. Thanks so much!!

CONGRATS TO ALL THE WINNERS!!!!!

mmmatt

water

nicoleshilliday wrote: »

i see not one suggestion....

Flowers? Emotions? Cakes...yummm? Color?

Moogle Pepper

Light!