Suggestions in Black and White
"One very important difference between color and monochromatic photography is this: in black and white you suggest; in color you state."
- Paul Outerbridge
Suggestions in Black and White
Donald McGuire
As 2022 started, adding some structure and change in direction via an ongoing project struck me as motivating and inspirational. However, the popular but consuming 365-day challenge was more than I could envision. Hence, the step-down to a more accessible 52-week effort seemed more realistic.
Having always treated black-and-white photography as an afterthought, I landed on a project to pivot away from the comfort zone of unabashed color landscapes. I've long been interested in the photography masters whose output was strictly monochrome. It was time to channel that inspiration.
Therefore the goal was one image in black-and-white per week envisioned as such before pressing the shutter - rather than "let's see how this looks" while post-processing.
So, now complete and captured in a downloadable PDF, what did I learn? What might I have done differently? There are two different activities here, and both were learning experiences. The first one is the characteristics of an ongoing project. While the second is the specific nature of that project - black-and-white photography.
Before touching on thoughts related to a 52-week project, note that projects have many approaches - this is just one of them. Among them -
As an ongoing project, gathering new images associated with a central theme or subject.
As a collection of assembled content from the past, emphasizing a particular concept, perhaps with a similar look and feel.
Lastly, the mode for this project - capturing a series of pictures over specific intervals.
Photo Projects - Five Thoughts
Our daily life and moods carry over to our creative energy. I found that the ebb and flow of this energy and the seasons produced blocks of 4 to 5 weeks that I was pleased with, while others were a struggle. Looking back over the entire year, I can spot those peaks and valleys.
Even briefly writing about your photography refines your vision and goals. Ideas formulated in one week become action in the next. The perspective gained from stepping back and writing can also bring attention to improving technique and content.
The more images you take, the more you grow and learn. A project of this nature gets you out - seeing and thinking photographically. Mostly, I found weekly photos on almost daily walks. Even without a camera, I was noticing what was around me. I would bookmark a scene and return. The best way to relieve pressure in a project is to exercise your vision frequently, regardless of pressing the shutter.
Constraints are liberating because they remove the endless spinning of choice. However, select the limitations wisely and compatibly with the nature of the project. I committed to a square crop here that can be pleasing but challenging. Black-and-white photography emphasizes lines, while a square crop can restrain them.
Even in a body of work without an intentional theme, we can later see subtle threads. Those ideas can be fodder for future projects. For example, the front cover (see below) of the PDF collection has 4 square images, each in its quadrant. Looking closely at each picture reveals a curve loosely representing a circle. Taking the metaphor one step further, a circle is the celestial journey of a calendar year.
Black and White - Five Thoughts
While it may not be evident on an initial look, the same style, mood, and subjects we have long photographed in color will appear in our black and white images. A look at your work would likely reveal the same. Of course, that is different for each photographer, but for me, it translates to deep shadows, trees in late daylight, and quiet moments.
In the absence of color, alternative approaches in post-processing and local adjustments emerge. While color images are about white balance and vibrance, black and white are more about luminosity, contrast, and tone curve.
Because multiple colors often result in the same tone, the subject should be well-defined. Hence, minimalism and simplicity lend well to black-and-white processing.
However, the concept of a subject goes beyond pixels and print in a monotone image. In black-and-white, an image can be much more about something than of something. While this is also true of a color image, the elimination of color already creates an abstract moment.
There are aspects of black-and-white photography that I have long been aware of, and once you begin to see them in compositions, you realize they are everywhere - lines, texture, and shape. Like other characteristics of black-and-white photography, stripping color away offers new considerations in design.
Project’s End - 52 Week Collection
Select the download below and explore this journey of black-and-white photography, 52 Weeks - Suggestions in Black and White. The words are thoughts, tips, and trials, serving as suggestions for capturing black-and-white photography. In contrast, the images are suggestions hidden in a moment or mood. What worked and why? What is the challenge, and how best to address it?
