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B&W "...through the keyhole (from Alice in Wonderland)" Using selective focus in B&W.

janet Smith

pro member
B&W "...through the keyhole (from Alice in Wonderland)" Using selective focus in B&W.

IMG_0038BcleanSSJS.jpg


"Lonely"


Recently I have had to work my way through loads of my photographs, and in the process of doing so began to wonder about which would work in black and white, I worked in black and white a lot years ago, but recently I find myself thinking in black and white again.....

Here's # 3rd of those I presented recently in an initital thread here], just a few of the ones I have tried, which lead me into wondering in general terms about black and white again....

What are your thoughts about these, honestly please, don't hold back on your thoughts, good or bad, what makes them work/not work?
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Jim Galli

Member
They are all lovely of course but I am drawn to the third. Does that surprise anyone? Choosing black and white is a concious choice to leave the physical world behind and enter a more personally interpretive zone. Selective focus is a strong tool in that world. It allows our minds great freedom to make what we want out of the picture, not be locked into an illustration. It takes very little literal image to trigger that reaction. With this image I am 7 years old again going up a high sierra trail with my grandmother to see a beautiful spring. If we're quiet we may see deer before they see us and are startled.
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
So Jim,

What would be the title of a them for which that would be the starting image? We have placed the first two, could you come up with a heading that covers these ideas .

Asher
 

Jim Galli

Member
Hi Jim

I'm glad you like this shot in b&W, at first I wasn't sure, but it's grown on me and I love your suggested title, I hope you don't mind if I use it.

Here is a link to another shot very similar to this one but in colour, if you're interested....

http://www.openphotographyforums.co...p?t=8338&highlight=shallow+depth+field&page=5

Nope. Not for me at least. The color doesn't help it and the bokeh is troubling. Now the bokeh could have gotten disturbed digitally somehow? Don't know, but the BW shot looks much smoother.

Here's one of mine just to keep the thread going a bit.

MackS.jpg

Mack

Obviously on it's way to Mike Mulligan and Mary Anne.

Thanks for a nice discussion. Hope there are others.
 

janet Smith

pro member
Nope. Not for me at least. The color doesn't help it and the bokeh is troubling. Now the bokeh could have gotten disturbed digitally somehow? Don't know, but the BW shot looks much smoother


Hi Jim

Thank you for taking a look, yes I prefer the b&w now too, and I like your little truck. I can see myself working more and more in b&W again, perhaps it's an acquired taste. When I started at college one of the first things we learned was to develop our own film and print in b&W, I wasn't into b&W at all at that point, but we had to do it as part of the course, gradually over the three years I came to love working with b&W film, ended up with my own Rolleimat Universal enlarger at home and used to spend many days shut in the dark to emerge like a triumphant mole!

Anyway I will be looking at Scotland with colour and b&W eyes this time, we'll see what I come back with, I'm looking forward to some good waterfall shots in B&W
 

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Janet

I did write last night but for some reason it didn't post grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

so I am back

I also love this shot

I don't see Alice
however I see
Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in their forest
your shot is very elegant-very female and soft
and that's how I see your work
you put your female self/voice into your photos
what would happen if you went a bit-just a bit darker in the ps work
I would lovelove to see it that way-

lovely art!


Charlotte-
 

janet Smith

pro member
Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in their forest
your shot is very elegant-very female and soft
and that's how I see your work
you put your female self/voice into your photos
what would happen if you went a bit-just a bit darker in the ps work
I would lovelove to see it that way-

Hi Charlotte

Thank you for commenting "Peter Pan and the Lost Boys in their Forest" I like it! Interesting that my work is often viewed as feminine, I might try it a bit darker just to see how it looks, thanks for your input Charlotte, much appreciated....
 

Cem_Usakligil

Well-known member
Hi Jan,

I have seen this picture a few weeks earlier when you have shared the colour version with us and I was very much impressed. So my initial reaction to the B&W was a recoil from it at first sight. However, when I came back later, I saw that the beauty of this pictures shines through no matter in which hues one views it. Thanks a lot for sharing :).

Cheers,
 

janet Smith

pro member
Hi Cem

Hmmm, it took a while to grow on me too, I loved the deep Autumn colours in the original version, when I did this BW version, at first I was very unsure, but it's grown on me now, funny but I often find that with BW that I have to live with them for a while, funny... Anyway I'm glad you like it too.
 
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