Black and White Photography - Its Still Alive

Black and white photography has been a formidable force in the artistic realm for many years. This art form is nothing short of inspiring, ranging from all different subjects and genres. If you have an eye for detail you have a distinct appreciation for black and white photography.

Many people consider this approach to taking pictures to be extremely challenging. It takes a talented eye to focus on the right subjects for black and white photography. Even though the process takes some considerable talent, many people embrace this form of photographic endeavor as the image-taking strategy of choice.

Perhaps the biggest draw to this kind of photograph is its appeal to raw emotion. Black and white photography manages to create the stark contrasts between light and dark that seems to get lost in different shades of color. The subtle grey tones introduce different degrees of depth and interest but the polar opposites of black and white are always in force in these compositions.

The subject never gets lost in the emotions evoked through colors. Black and white photography strips away the feelings commonly associated with certain hues. The focus is on the image, not on the colors in the composition. Stripping away the color is a process that forces the onlooker to take in the image as it is in form, not as it is in color.

For this reason, some believe that black and white photography reaches an emotional depth that is lost when the confusion of color comes into play. We are not so much taken back by the subject’s green eyes and auburn hair. We are taken in by her expressive eyes and the texture of her hair.

This is a whole new way of looking at things. We love color and we commonly describe things in terms of their hues. Consider just about any descriptive narrative that you have heard. Most will describe the colors and forms rather than the texture and emotive forces within the image. That is, unless the subject is black and white photography.

If you really want to create a composition that offers great interest that goes beyond the glow, you may want to embrace black and white photography. There are a plethora of black and white photography supplies available online and there are many beautifully moving pictures as well. If you are not up for a new hobby, perhaps you are up for a new image.


Black and White Photography

35mm Camera

Photography has developed rapidly over the years with equipment and film working in tandem to pioneer new methods of taking pictures. 35mm film, also referred to as 135 film, can be used for still photographs and motion pictures. The 35mm camera was put on the market in 1934 and was a best seller by the late 1960s and still enjoys success today.

Standards were adhered to in the industry and the usual film format is 24x36mm, allowing for 2mm gaps between frames. The standard roll length is 36 exposures but 12 and 24 exposures are also popular for today's 35mm camera. Some disposable cameras, used for taking holiday snaps and for special occasions, tend to use 6, 8, 10 or 15 exposure film.

The first still camera to become popular with the public, using 35mm film was the American Tourist Multiple, which began selling in 1913. The new invention cost a lot of money for the times. It was the 1925 Leica 35mm camera however, that really set the seal of success on this type of product. The German produced camera quickly became a status symbol and was widely praised for its small size, quality lens and high production levels. The Leica continued its popularity and was championed by professional photographers, including fashion photographers, photojournalists and art photographers such as Henri Cartier Bresson.

In 1934, the Kodak Company launched the German built Kodak Retina, the first 35mm camera to use the modern film cartridge, familiar to camera users today. The next important innovation took place in the 1960s when Nikon introduced the Nikon F SLR. This was the beginning of the Single Lens Reflex system, a technology that went on to dominate photography. This type of camera proved more user friendly with functions such as a viewfinder, focusing screen and motor drive to automatically move the film on.

The introduction of digital cameras made a huge impact on the market but Digital SLRs have gained in popularity as the price has decreased and the 35mm camera is once again, secure. These cameras combine the convenience of a digital camera with the flexibility and quality of an SLR. Today, the camera and film market is shared by Kodak, Ilford, Fuji, Nikon, Olympus and Canon. The technology will, no doubt, evolve once more into territory not even thought of as yet but there will always be a place of affection for those early cameras that people grew up with.

35mm Camera

Canon and Camera

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The Camera Source Guy