Creative Black and White

Learn to master the unique challenges of black and white photography, and create high-quality, beautiful images!

In this newly revised and expanded classic guide to black and white photography, renowned photographer Harold Davis breaks through the mystery of digital monochrome. Using more than 200 of his own stunning fully-captioned monochromatic images to illustrate, Davis walks you through the visual ideas that work well with black and white. He shares the technical approaches that you can use to create high-quality monochromatic photos.

With Creative Black & White you'll discover a deeper appreciation for what you can accomplish when taking portraits, landscapes, night photos, close-ups, and more. This book provides both inspiration and technical instruction. You may never photograph the world in quite the same way again! Learn to see and think in black and white:

• - Convert RAW files to black and white

• - Use color information to create black and white photos in Lightroom and Photoshop

• - Create monochromatic images using multi-RAW processing and HDR

• - Learn how to apply solarization, tinting, toning, and other special effects

• - Complete exposure data and the story behind every photo

TABLE OF CONTENTS

THE MONOCHROMATIC VISION

• Past, Present, and Future

• Thinking in Black and White

• Contrast

• Color Implied

• The Tonal Landscape

• Visual Implication

• Seeing in Black and White

• Pre-Visualization Techniques

• Black and White Composition

• Framing

• Patterns and Lines

• Shape and Form

• High Key

• Low Key

• Shades of Gray

• Finding Monochromatic Subjects

• Black and White at Night

• Photographing People

• Portraiture in Black and White

BLACK AND WHITE IN THE DIGITAL ERA

• Digital Black and White Roadmap

• The RAW Advantage

• Black and White in Adobe Camera RAW

• Black and White in Lightroom

• Grayscale Conversion Using Presets

• HSL Conversion

• Exposure Gradients and Adjustments

• Exporting Virtual Copies into Photoshop as Layers

• Multiple Layers and Masking in Photoshop

• Multi-RAW Processing in Photoshop

• Black and White in Photoshop

• Blending with Black

• Using the Channel Mixer

• Black & White Adjustment Layers

• Silver Efex Pro

• Topaz B&W Effects

• OnOne Perfect B&W

• The Digital Analog to the Analog Zone System

• Combining Conversions in Photoshop

CREATIVE BLACK AND WHITE OPPORTUNITIES

• Lighting and Monochromatic Photos

• Creating High-Key Effects

• Creating Low-Key Effects

• HDR in Black and White

• Shooting for HDR

• Using HDR Software

• Toning and Tinting

• Tinting with a Black & White Adjustment Layer

• Split Toning

• The Ansel Adams Effect

• Selective Color

• Hand Coloring

• Using LAB Color

• Inverting the L Channel

• Equalizing LAB Channels

• Swapping Tonalities

• Using Blending Modes

• LAB Inversions

• Soft Focus

• Adding Soft Focus

• Pinhole Effect

• Solarization

• Using Curves to Solarize an Image

• Simulating the Blossfeldt Effect

• Duotone and Tritone Effects

• Adding and Reducing Noise

• Film Effects

• Infrared Camera Conversions

• Infrared Conversion without an IR Camera

• Creating X-Ray Images

MOBILE BLACK AND WHITE

• Black and White using a Cell Phone Camera

• Working with Snapseed

• Toward a Monochromatic Mobile Workflow

• Notes and Resources

• Glossary

• Index

A renowned photographer explains demonstrates the basic rules of black and white photography, as well as when and how to break them. He breaks through the complexity of this photographic medium, explores opportunities for black-and-white imagery, and shows how to capitalize on each and every one of them.
Harold Davis is a bestselling author of many books, the developer of a unique technique for photographing flowers for transparency, a Moab Master, and a Zeiss Ambassador. He is an internationally known photographer and a sought-after workshop leader. Find him online at www.digitalfieldguide.com.
Harold Davis is a force of nature--a man of astonishing eclectic skills and accomplishments.--Rangefinder Magazine
Harold Davis is the digital black and white equal of Ansel Adams's wet photography.--Seattle Book Review
Harold Davis's Creative Photography series is a great way to start a photography library. --PhotoFidelity