
The B&W Challenge
B&W; or black-and-white is a form of monochromatic art. In photography terms, it is just the direct opposite of colour photography.
So a friend put me up to the challenge. Post a photograph each day for 5 days – all in black-and-white. Problem is that I don’t seek out to shoot in that element and I was telling her “but I like rainbowsssss”. So what I did instead was to look through my archives and digitally convert my coloured photographs to grayscale. Altering contrast, highlights, sharpness and re-cropping along the way.
What surprised me from the whole experience is that some of my past photographs turned out nicer in monochrome than it ever did in colour. It gave me the chance to ponder what exactly do I want to convey from this picture? No colours to distract you. The great thing about monochrome is that I now focus on textures, shadows and an overall frame. It gives a rather sweet melancholy to the subjects, and a more powerful feel.
Perhaps something for me to mull over and consider experimenting on 35mm film (oh yes, I am a recent owner of a Lomo LC-A+ now). All photos with minimal post-processing:
B&W Challenge Day 1/5 | Those elephant eyes
B&W Challenge Day 2/5 | Early morning dewdrops
B&W Challenge Day 3/5 | As Audrey Hepburn says ‘Paris is always a good idea‘
B&W Challenge Day 4/5 | Ageing grace
B&W Challenge Day 5/5 | A bare winter
Would love to hear comments or sharing views on tips to compose a great photo (: