Have you heard about the many tools designed to give you great black and white images?  There are special b&w conversion programs, plugins to make your images look like an Ansel Adams, monochrome ink sets, custom print profiles, hi-tech monitor calibrators and more.

Are all of these necessary to produce a great print?  I don’t know, I don’t use them.  My philosophy is “keep it simple” and for me, these tools are just expensive distractions that might make a 2% difference in the look of my image, but it takes the focus off of the 98%, the things that really matter.

Here are the secret tools and techniques that I use to create a great b&w image:

1.     Start with the right shot.  Certain images tend to lend themselves to b&w more than others and I look for subjects with great blacks and contrast opportunities.

2.     Shoot in RAW and B&W mode.  This will allow you to see the image on the camera display in b&w (making visualization and exposure easier) but the RAW image will still be in color, allowing you to convert it how you like.

3.     Convert to b&w in Photoshop using either the Channel Mixer or B&W Conversion tool.  Play with the color sliders to see how each will change the image and produce better contrasts, they can make a dramatic difference.

4.     Don’t overuse the  Photoshop global controls.   I don’t use auto adjustments, I don’t use levels and curves and I really avoid global controls because they apply the changes to the entire image.

5.     Work slowly.  I initially tweek the brightness and contrast a very small amount and then work with the dodge and burn tool to affect brightness and contrast in each area, as it needs it.  I generally set my dodge and burn to 3% and build the effect slowly.

6.     Use a decent printer.  I love the Epson series with their wonderful K3 inks, and their included b&w print mode gives fantastic results.

7.     Use a good paper.  This is an area that really does deserve some of your time and attention, but be careful not to get caught up in the search for the “perfect paper.”  I have friends who have been searching for years and the truth is that there are many wonderful papers out there that will server you well.  I personally use Hahnemuhle Photo Rag 308 and Epson Exhibition Fiber.

~

Let me oversimplify and summarize it this way; I produce my prints with a copy of Photoshop and an Epson printer, and that’s about it.  You don’t need complicated or expensive extras to create stunning black and white prints.

Now I’m not saying those extras cannot improve your prints, I’m just suggesting that the time to experiment with the extras is after you’ve produced the best print you can with the basic tools and can go no further.  Until then, that 2% extra improvement will just be an expensive distraction.

This is just my opinion of course, and there are many who could disagree with this advice.  But I’ll put my money where my mouth is and offer you a free sample print so you can see how printing with the basics can look.  I have a number of small samples left over from a previous promotion and I’ll send those out until they are all used up.

Just email me your name and address, and when you receive the print please let me know what you think.

Cole@ColeThompsonPhotography.com

Cole

P.S.  While it’s not a requirement for the free print, if you’d like to sign up for my newsletter I’d love to send it to you.  Just go to my website at www.ColeThompsonPhotography.com and click on the newsletter link to view past newsletters or to sign up.

When I created my first Harbinger image, I broke the “centering” rule.

When I created the next and the next and the next, I centered them also.  It just felt right.

But about a week ago I created the new image above, and decided not to center the cloud.  I’m not sure why.

The definition of “harbinger” is:

\?här-b?n-j?r\  noun

That is exactly what I see when I create each Harbinger image, a foreshadowing of future events.

View the Harbinger Series

James wrote and asked:

“Can you tell me how to get better at dodge and burn. I try and try, but I overdo the blacks and whites and get an image that’s too contrasty. Any tips you can give me would be great.”

This is a very common question and issue,  and one that can easily be addressed.

First a little background, for those who don’t follow my workflow, it’s a very simple one.  I primarily adjust brightness and contrast and then dodge and burn the image in a fairly detailed and intricate manner.  To successfully dodge and burn you must own a pen and tablet, a small 4X6 Bamboo tablet can be purchased for about $100 and a larger one is very nice if you can afford it.  I like Wacom tablets.

When you dodge and burn there are four basic controls you want to be aware of; Diameter, Exposure, Hardness and Range.

The “diameter” of the brush is simply how large the brush is and choosing a brush size is generally obvious; big brushes for big areas and little brushes for little areas.  The larger the brush is, the easier it is to blend in your work and make it look natural.  So for big areas such as skies, use a very large brush.  Obviously for bringing out the highlights on tree branches you want a brush about the size of what you’re dodging.

The “exposure” or strength of the brush is perhaps the most critical setting and the easiest to abuse.  I generally use an exposure of 4% and work the dodge/burn very slowly, building up the areas with many passes of the pen.  I often see people going at it with 50% and this where things get overdone and artificial looking.  Think of dodging/burning as painting the image, you must work slowly and carefully.

The hardness is how hard of a edge you want on the brush.  I generally work with a 0% brush for areas such as skies.  When you are working in very small areas with very sharp detail, you might choose a small and hard brush, so that you can confine the dodge/burn to a very tight area.

The “range” of the dodge/burn refers to the range of values you’re affecting, either the highlights, midtones or shadows.  This is the hardest technique to describe (it’s much easier seeing it being done).  If you set your dodge to highlights, then your brush is brightening the highlights and ignoring the midtones and shadows.  While this three setting separation works pretty good, you have to be careful because the highlight dodge will tend to bleed over to the lighter midtone areas as well.  So you might choose to use a smaller brush and confine your dodging to just the highlights that you want to brighten.  Likewise with the burn tool, if you set it to shadows you can generally darken just the shadows, but again be careful not to affect those darker midtones.

In general, I’ll dodge my midtones to bring out detail in shadow areas and my highlights to increase contrast and make my images pop.  I’ll generally burn my midtones and shadows to darken down my images.  I rarely will dodge shadows or burn highlights.

An example: The image above was created recently at Stonehenge; I wanted to darken the blue sky, increase the contrast in the clouds, darken the foreground and stones and bring out the highlights in the stones.

I started with the sky, if I had tried to darken the sky with a big brush, I’d have also darkened parts of the stones I didn’t want to.  If I had tried darkening the sky with a smaller brush, I’d have done a blotchy job of it and I’d have created halos where the stone and sky met.  So instead, I masked out the sky so that I could process it separately without affecting the stones, and then I reversed the mask so that I could process the stones without affecting the sky.  I’ll address my masking techniques in another article.

First I took a midsized midtone brush and burnt the blue sky and some of the darker parts of the clouds.  Then I used a medium sized midtone brush to dodge the highlights in the clouds and then did the same with a midsized highlight brush.  Going back and fort between dodging and burning, and working slowly, I created a dark sky and contrasty clouds.

All along this process I keep careful eye on my histogram.  Your eye doesn’t always accurately tell you if your blacks are dark enough or when your whites get blown out, so the histogram is my constant companion.

Then I reversed the mask so that I could work the foreground and not affect the sky.  I burned the grass almost to black with a large brush set to shadows.  Then I burn the stones down, first with the midtones and then the shadows and finally I brought up the highlights on the stones with a stronger dodge.

The result is my preferred dark image, with strong contrasts. lots of  100% blacks and 100% whites.

So summarizing; get a tablet, set your exposure to 4% and work slowly, alternating between the dodge and burn.  When necessary, mask and work each part separately.  Paint and caress your image like a painter would a canvas!

I know this is a quick overview, but a lot of what you need to learn will come from doing, not reading.  So get out and do!

Cole

At 14 years of age, I knew that I was destined to be a fine art photographer.

Even at this early age I found myself drawn to a particular style of image, one that would literally cause a physical reaction in me. They were dark images created by Adams, Weston, Bullock and others. At age 14 I knew that I was destined to create such images.

An important early influence in my life and my art was the poem “Invictus” by William Ernest Henley.

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

for my unconquerable soul.

~

In the fell clutch of Circumstance,

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of Chance,

my head is bloody, but unbowed.

~

Beyond this place of wrath and tears,

looms but the Horror of the shade,

and yet the menace of the years,

finds, and shall find me, unafraid.

~

It matters not how strait the gate,

how charged with punishments the scroll,

I am the master of my fate:

I am the captain of my soul.

~

For me, this poem evokes dark images which form the inspiration for my photographs. Darkness in my images represents the trials of our human existence while the light represents the strength that comes from the realization that we are the captains of our souls.

Ahhhhrrrrrrgggggg!  I’m in an artistic slump!  What do YOU do when this happens?

I get asked this question quite often, in fact weekly.  While I don’t have “the” solution, I have “my solution” and perhaps the concept will work for you too?

The first thing I do, even though it’s hard, is to not panic.  Panic and dwelling upon the problem just makes it worse.  So relax and accept these two facts; slumps are normal and they will pass.

But I do find that there are certain things that can help the slump pass faster:

First, find something that inspires you artistically; for me it’s reading the Edward Weston Day Books and listening to the Beatles.  Reading about Weston’s creative journey really excites me, almost immediately, and makes me want to get out and start shooting again.  This man has always been my photographic idol and a true bohemian artist.

Listening to the Beatles inspires me in different way.  Some musical groups have success with a certain sound and then they stick with that sound forever and ever, either because they are not creative enough to evolve or because they are afraid to change the sound that made them famous.  Not so with the Beatles, they thrived when exploring new sounds and changing their style.  That inspires me to do the same.

The next thing I do, and it’s a hard one, is to keep shooting with no expectation of doing good work.  Just go out like you used to when you first discovered photography, shoot to have fun.  Accept that you’ll bring home absolutely nothing of value and just enjoy the journey.

Now this last point I raise at the risk of fanning the flames of protest that I kindled a few weeks ago.  During this time of wandering in a barren desert of creativity, I find that I can get a bit down on myself and question whether or not I’m any good, if I’ve ever done anything good, and if I ever will do anything good in the future.  At these low points I find that looking at other photographer’s work is very depressing!  I see how many great photographers there are out there and I just want to give up.  So for me (please note this qualifier) I do not look at other photographers’ work when I’m down

Really, everyone goes through these periods and I promise they will pass.  Just relax and enjoy the journey.

Cole

A friend recently wrote me and said that I had come a long way, and asked “What in retrospect could you share with me about your journey?”

My answer was:

1.  I stopped thinking like a photographer and started thinking like an artist.

2.  I quit looking at other photographer’s work; it lead to imitation and limited my imagination.

3.  I stopped listening to other’s advice on my work; it was sincere advice but it came from the perspective of their vision, not mine.

4.  I strove and am striving, to find my own style.

I am certain there will be those who disagree with these points,  but remember I do not offer them as advice, but only share what worked for me.

Cole

“Rocks and Mist” is another one of my long exposure shots.  The image was captured late one night on the rocky shore of La Jolla Cove in San Diego.  I was standing on the eroded lava rock about 10 feet from a precipice that fell off to the ocean.  The waves would come up and go over my feet as I stood there for the 30 second exposure.

The effect of the waves going in an out over the 30 seconds gives the misty, foggy effect.  The only illumination were the distant lights and stars.  I was using a 16mm lens and so there is a distorted almost fish-eye effect, which is not really noticeable since the viewer does not know what the scene really looks like.

This was shot in 2005 and I recently returned to the same spot and was very surprised at how small this rocky area really is.  The wide angle lens added much to the look and feel of the image.

Water and long exposures are a great combination.  A very long exposure can smooth out water for a very simple and clean look.  Sometimes a shorter exposure can give form and shape to the water and then there is the misty look as in the above image.  Using a digital camera allows you to experiment and get right before you leave.  I love digital!

Cole

Never center the subject!  Everyone knows that rule.

I don’t like rules and I don’t like being told what to do.  So I was taken aback when someone told me that my image of the Angel Gabriel (Click Here) didn’t work because Gabriel was centered.  I had to disagree, that’s exactly why the image works!

I created the image above last week in San Diego, at LaJolla cove, its title is “Opposition in all Things.”  Yes, I know it’s centered, and yes I know that breaks the rules!  It’s not a masterpiece, but part of it’s charm (in my opinion) is that it’s centered.  I like it like that.

I do readily admit that I’ve had this fascination with centering subjects for more than a year now, and I quite expect that I’ll have a new fixation next year.  That’s okay, but what’s not okay is not trying something because of some dumb rule.

There are lots of “rules” in photography and I’m not sure who declared them rules, but I like to think of them as “vague suggestions.”  Sure they might make sense some of the time, maybe even most of the time, but certainly not all of the time!

If you’re ever going to find your own style (and for me that’s what it’s all about) then you must not follow the rules.  A fun exercise is to deliberately go out and break some rules.  A few suggestions are:

*  Wear plaids and stripes together

*  Run with scizzors in your hands

*  Go out into the WalMart parking lot and cry Wolf!

*  Center your images

*  Look in the mirror and say “I will ignore the rule of thirds”

If you’re looking for “Kodak Moment” then follow the rules.  But if you’re looking to create killer images, ones that grab and hold your attention, then break the rules and see what you get.  You might be surprised.

Cole

I just drove down to Las Cruces, NM for an exhibit of my work at the Preston Contemporary Art Center.  I was there for a week and had a fantastic time; the Preston Center is new and UNBELIEVABLY nice, the town is small, friendly and warm (it was 68 degrees one day) and it’s extremely affordable.

I had some good luck with my art while there and think I might have added a couple new images to my Harbinger series.  Above is an image I created of a Pecan orchard at dusk.

If you’d like to get away for a few days this winter, consider Las Cruces.  I think it’s about to be “discovered.”

Cole

Why is there so much cancer around us?  Is there really an increase in cancer rates or is it just talked about more?  Is it safe to microwave plastic ware?  Does organic food really help to prevent cancer?

I have so many friends, family members and associates with cancer that I ask myself these and many other questions.  Yes, we’ve improved the treatments for cancer, but it so often seems to come back.  Our treatments don’t seem to be addressing the root causes of the disease.

When I was a teen in 1971 we declared war on cancer, I think 20 years was the goal.  It’s been almost 40 years now and the cure still seems to elude us.

I had the chance to photograph a friend who has cancer, had a masectomy and is undergoing treatment.  These photographs are about the human side of the disease.

This portfolio is entitled “Linnie, a Portrait of Cancer.”

View the Portfolio