Monochrome - A Phoblographer's Perspective 📷

I noticed a lot of black and white images being uploaded today, I think it's "monochrome monday" or something. Anyway, here's a few of my thoughts and some examples of monochrome images that I've taken. Hope you enjoy : )

Castell Coch, Tongwynlais, South Wales. Shot with a Nikon D5200 - 18-55mm @ f/11, 22mm, 1/100 sec, ISO 200

We can be forgiven for thinking that monochrome images refer solely to those shot or edited in black and white. You may notice however that the image shown above has a faintly blue hue, this is intentional. I wanted this image to have a somewhat imposing presence, and I hoped to achieve this effect in several ways. Firstly the image is shot low to the ground, this emphasises the looming presence of the castle, the barren trees add to this further. The bluish hue helps to add a cool overtone, which works in conjunction with the overcast sky to convey an overall frigid feeling.

If you view this image in full resolution you may also notice that the flag atop the leftmost spire shows a significant ghosting effect. This is due to the fact that this is an HDR composite, three differently exposed images stacked together. This is also why the sky appears to have an almost painterly effect, because the movement of the clouds are accentuated by the passage of time between the first and final photo.

The Reichstag Building, Berlin. Nikon D750 - Sigma 24mm @ f/9, 24mm, 1/320 sec, ISO 250

This is a picture I took of the Reichstag Building rendered in sepia. It's important to note that monochromatic photography includes all images depicted in a selective hue. I chose sepia for this image because of the history associated with the building and because the lighting suited it. It was around the time of the golden hour when I took this shot, and the stone had somewhat of an orange glow to it at the time.

Piazza San Marco, Venice. Nikon D750, Sigma 24mm @ f/9, 24mm, 1/320 sec, ISO 250

This shot appeared in an earlier post of mine Venetian Monochrome, and was taken from atop the Campanile in St Mark's Square in Venice. You'll notice that a common theme with each of these photos is the use of distinct lines throughout the image. Monochrome photography often works best when harsh contrasts or cutting lines are used to draw the viewers eye through the shot. This is easiest with architectural photography, as streets and buildings commonly have a very structured form. Keep in mind that the eye is drawn to symmetry, and use this knowledge to properly weight and expose your shots.

I've included three more examples of my work below. They each demonstrate the use of lines moving through an image. You may however have wondered what I was referring to when I mentioned properly "weighting your shots". When portraying your photos in monochrome, you're taking a huge chunk of the information contained within the shot and concealing it from your viewer. By this I mean our brains are accustomed to processing things in colour. When you remove the colour, we more readily appreciate shapes and form. For this reason, including a contrasting space, such as a sky, allows your subject to stand out as an element presented against a backdrop. If we think of monochrome photography as consisting of two layers, the subject and the empty space, then weighing these two properly in both your exposure and your composition, can result in a more effective end product

Canary Wharf, London. Nikon D750, Sigma 24mm @ f/9, 24mm, 1/250 sec, ISO 165

Notice that blue tone again, emphasising the cold corporate heart that beats within... ; )

Notting Hill, London. Nikon D750, Sigma 24mm @ f/8, 24mm, 1/160 sec, ISO 400

Notice the line of paving stones leading the eye through the centre of the image.

Abandoned Communist Architecture, Berlin. Nikon D750, Sigma 24mm @ f/9, 24mm, 1/250 sec, ISO 640

The ordered lines of the architecture contrast against the trees; the sky adds a dramatic backdrop. Notice that towering effect in use, looking up at your subject implies it is imposing or has great influence. A slight underexposure also gives this a very low key feel.

Well thank you for taking the time to read my article. If you've found it useful then please upvote & follow me for similar content in the future. Also please consider resteeming this blog if you believe it deserves to be shared with the wider community. Cheers everybody : )

All images present in this article are © Alexander White