Tag:black and white
Street photography is a genre that uniquely freezes moments of raw, unscripted human interaction and urban landscapes. It has a rich history and an enduring appeal. The allure lies in its ability to capture the essence of everyday life in public spaces. Photographers are drawn to street photography for various reasons, including the desire to document reality, express creativity, engage in social observation, and explore the dynamic relationship between people and their environments. In this post, we’ll delve into these motivations, highlighting street photography’s significance and multifaceted nature.
Documentation of Reality
One of the primary reasons people engage in street photography is the desire to document reality. Street photographers often see themselves as visual historians, capturing the essence of a particular time and place. Through their lenses, they document societal changes, cultural shifts, and the nuances of everyday life, thereby creating a valuable historical record that provides future generations a glimpse into the past.
Street photography’s ability to capture unposed, candid moments makes it a powerful tool for documenting reality. Unlike staged or studio photography, street photography reflects genuine human experiences and interactions. This authenticity resonates with both photographers and viewers, creating a sense of connection to the captured moments.
Creative Expression
Street photography also serves as a medium for creative expression. Photographers are drawn to the genre because it allows them to explore their artistic vision in a dynamic and unpredictable environment. The streets offer opportunities, from bustling markets and serene parks to architectural marvels and fleeting moments of human interaction. This diversity gives photographers a rich canvas for experimenting with composition, lighting, and perspective.
The spontaneous nature of street photography challenges photographers to think on their feet and adapt to ever-changing conditions. This spontaneity fosters creativity, pushing photographers to find unique angles and capture moments others might overlook. Street photography encourages photographers to see beauty in the mundane and tell compelling stories through images.
Social Observation
Street photography is inherently linked to social observation. Photographers are often motivated by a desire to understand and document the human condition. By capturing candid moments in public spaces, they gain insights into the behaviours, emotions, and interactions of people from diverse backgrounds. This observational aspect of street photography can be both enlightening and thought-provoking.
Through their work, street photographers can illuminate social issues, highlight cultural diversity, and challenge societal norms. Their images can serve as a powerful commentary on the world around them, spark conversations, and raise awareness about important topics. Street photography’s ability to capture the essence of humanity makes it a valuable tool for social observation and storytelling.
Exploration of Human-Environment Interaction
Another reason people are drawn to street photography is the opportunity to explore the dynamic relationship between people and their environments. Urban spaces constantly evolve, shaped by individual interactions and the built environment. Street photographers are fascinated by this interplay and seek to capture how people navigate, interact with, and transform their surroundings.
Street photography allows photographers to highlight the contrasts and connections between people and their environments. They can capture the juxtaposition of old and new, the interaction between nature and urbanisation and how individuals adapt to and shape their surroundings. This exploration of human-environment interaction adds depth and context to their images, making them more compelling and meaningful.
Personal Fulfillment and Connection
For many street photographers, the practice is not just a hobby but a source of personal fulfilment and connection. Wandering through the streets, observing life, and capturing moments can be a deeply meditative and rewarding experience. Street photography encourages photographers to be present in the moment, observe their surroundings keenly, and appreciate everyday life’s beauty.
Street photography provides personal fulfilment and fosters a sense of connection. Photographers share their work with a broader audience and create a community of like-minded individuals. Whether through social media platforms, photography exhibitions, or street photography groups, these connections enhance the experience and motivate people to pursue street photography.
Black and White or Colour?
Choosing between black-and-white or colour for street photography depends on several factors, such as personal preference, the mood you want to convey, and the specific characteristics of the scene.
Black and White:
- Timelessness: Black and white photography has a classic, timeless quality that can make your images feel more enduring.
- Focus on Composition: Without colour, the emphasis shifts to shapes, lines, textures, and contrast, enhancing the composition.
- Mood and Emotion: Black and white can evoke a strong emotional response. It can highlight a scene’s mood, making it more dramatic or poignant.
- Simplicity: It can simplify a busy scene, stripping away distractions and drawing attention to the subject.
Colour:
- Realism: Color captures the world as we see it, providing a more realistic representation of the scene.
- Mood and Atmosphere: Colors can convey different moods and atmospheres, from the warmth of a sunset to the vibrancy of a bustling market.
- Details and Layers: Color can add depth and layers to an image. It can highlight details that might be lost in black and white.
- Storytelling: Color can be a crucial element in storytelling, where certain hues may carry cultural, social, or personal significance.
Factors to Consider:
- Scene Characteristics: Some scenes naturally lend themselves to one style over the other. High-contrast scenes with strong light and shadows might work better in black and white, while scenes with rich, vibrant colours might be best captured in colour.
- Personal Style: Your artistic vision and style play a significant role. Some photographers prefer the aesthetic of black and white, while others are drawn to the dynamism of colour.
- Subject Matter: The subject can also influence the choice. For example, street portraits might benefit from the emotional impact of black and white. Meanwhile, urban landscapes might come alive with the colours of the city.
Ultimately, the choice between black and white or colour for street photography is a creative decision that can significantly affect the impact of your images. Experiment with both to see which resonates more with your vision and the story you want to tell.
Challenge and Skill Development
Street photography presents unique challenges that attract photographers seeking to hone their skills. The genre requires a combination of technical proficiency, quick thinking, and an ability to anticipate and react to fleeting moments. Photographers must master their equipment, understand light and composition, and develop a keen sense of timing.
The unpredictable nature of street photography pushes photographers out of their comfort zones and encourages continuous learning and improvement. Each outing presents new challenges and opportunities for growth, whether it’s capturing a decisive moment, dealing with changing light conditions or navigating crowded streets. This constant challenge keeps photographers engaged and motivated to refine their craft.
People engage in street photography for many reasons, from documenting reality and expressing creativity to engaging in social observation and exploring human-environment interactions. The genre’s unique appeal lies in its ability to capture authentic, unscripted moments reflecting everyday life’s essence. Street photography offers a rich and diverse canvas for photographers to explore their artistic vision, connect with others, and gain insights into the human condition.
The motivations behind street photography are as varied as the images it produces. For some, it is a way to document the world around them and create a historical record. For others, it is a form of creative expression and a means of exploring the relationship between people and their environments. Regardless of the motivation, street photography remains a powerful and enduring genre that continues to captivate and inspire photographers and viewers alike.
Infrared photography is a captivating form of capturing images that can reveal a hidden world that is invisible to the human eye. Infrared was initially developed for scientific and military purposes. However, this unique photographic technique has evolved into a creative medium that photographers and artists worldwide are embracing.
By using light beyond the visible spectrum, photographers can create surreal and dreamlike images, which offer a new perspective on the world. This post will explore the fascinating world of infrared photography, including its history, techniques, equipment, and the breathtaking results it can produce.
History of Infrared Photography
Infrared photography has its origins in the early 20th century when scientists discovered the existence of infrared light beyond the visible spectrum. An English physicist named Robert W. Wood (1868-1955) conducted experiments with infrared-sensitive photographic plates in 1910, which furthered research in this area. In the same year, he captured the first infrared and ultraviolet photographs, which were of subjects around his summer home in East Hampton, N.Y., as well as the Moon. During World War II, infrared film proved to be useful for aerial surveillance, enabling the military to detect camouflage and hidden enemy targets.
Photographers started using infrared film in the 1930s. Infrared film allowed them to capture stunning landscapes and portraits with an ethereal feel. With digital photography, infrared imaging is now more accessible, allowing photographers to explore this unique artistic expression. Two decades later, recording artists like Jimi Hendrix and the Grateful Dead further popularised the technique. They released album covers with infrared images that were popular due to their multicolored look.
Understanding Infrared Light
Infrared photography captures light beyond the visible spectrum, usually in the near-infrared (NIR) or shortwave infrared (SWIR) ranges. Unlike traditional photographic films, which are not sensitive to infrared light, specialised equipment or modifications are required to achieve the desired results. Dedicated infrared cameras or modified DSLRs equipped with infrared-passing filters can capture infrared imagery in digital photography.
Converting a Camera for Infrared Photography
There are two popular methods to capture infrared images. One way is to modify a digital camera by removing the infrared-blocking filter and replacing it with a filter that blocks visible light. This modification makes the camera sensitive to infrared light. Another way is to attach an infrared filter to the lens of a standard digital camera. This filter allows only infrared light to pass through, enabling the camera to capture infrared images.
Finding the Right Subjects
Landscapes
Infrared photography can turn ordinary landscapes into scenes from a fantasy world, with vegetation appearing in striking shades of white and pink and skies taking on a deep, dramatic hue.
Plants and trees reflect infrared light, which makes them appear bright and luminous. This contrasts sharply with darker elements such as water, rocks or skies. Infrared photography can also enhance the appearance of clouds, making them appear more dramatic and fluffy against a deep black sky. Since water absorbs infrared light, it seems darker in photographs. This allows for exciting contrasts between water and the surrounding scenery.
Architecture
Old buildings, such as those made of stone and brick, have unique textures and appearances when captured in infrared. Similarly, modern buildings with sleek designs and large glass panels create a fascinating futuristic look in infrared photography. You can also experiment with contrasts by capturing older and newer structures or juxtaposing natural elements, such as trees and skies, with architectural subjects.
Portraits
Unique Skin Textures: When captured using infrared light, imperfections on the skin become highlighted, and the skin appears smoother, resulting in surreal and ethereal portraits.
Dramatic Eyes: Infrared photography often captures the irises of the eyes as much lighter or almost white, resulting in intense and captivating portraits.
Black and White: Infrared portraits translate exceptionally well in black and white, which enhances their timeless and dramatic quality.”
Other Compelling Subjects
Cemeteries offer a unique opportunity to capture evocative and haunting imagery with the weathered textures of tombstones and the starkness of the IR aesthetic. Similarly, automotive photography can be transformed by using Infrared techniques, resulting in a fascinating, vintage appearance. Additionally, ruins and abandoned buildings become even more captivating and moody when photographed with an IR look. IR enhances the eeriness of decay and desolation.
Ideal Shooting Conditions
Traditional photography steers clear of harsh shadows or sunny days. Infrared photography runs toward it. Not only does more light give the photographer more infrared for imaging, but it also makes shutter speeds more manageable and raises the intensity of the refracted IR light within the scene. This can deliver stunning effects. Sunlight and clear skies are optimal for infrared photography, as infrared light is abundant under these conditions.
- Midday sun can create intense contrasts and dynamic images, while overcast skies produce softer, more subdued results.
Post-Processing Techniques
- Post-processing is essential to infrared photography, as raw infrared images may appear reddish or magenta.
- Adjusting white balance, swapping colour channels, and fine-tuning contrast can reveal infrared photographs’ surreal, otherworldly appearance.
Equipment for Infrared Photography
Infrared Filters
- Infrared filters are essential for photographers who opt not to convert their cameras. The filters block visible light and allow only infrared light to pass through.
Converted Infrared Cameras
- For photographers dedicated to infrared imaging, converting a digital camera to be sensitive to infrared light is a popular choice.
- Converted cameras are permanently modified to capture infrared light without external filters, providing convenience and flexibility in shooting.
Infrared photography is a fascinating technique that reveals a hidden and surreal perspective of the world around us. By using specialised equipment and techniques, photographers can create beautiful and extraordinary images that capture the unique qualities of infrared light. Whether taking photos of breathtaking landscapes, striking portraits, or architectural wonders, infrared photography inspires and captivates photographers and viewers.
Black and white editing captures and reproduces images using only black, white, and grey shades. This can be achieved using both film and digital photography and is often used for artistic or documentary purposes. Black and white photos have a timeless appeal; they capture the essence of an image without the distraction of colour. Black and white photography also highlights textures, shapes, and patterns, which can create striking and dramatic compositions.
They can also create a mood or emotion, such as nostalgia or solemnity. Black and White are perfect for architecture, street photography, and portraits. In a black-and-white image, the composition and subject become the focus. But how to edit colour to black and white photos, and what mistakes to avoid?
You can create black-and-white photographs, with a black-and-white setting on your camera. However, today, we are going to convert colour images into black and white using photo editing software.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Lack of Contrast: in a nutshell, black and white images rely on light, shadows and contrast; without sufficient contrast, the image will be flat and dull.
- Excessive contrast: too much contrast results in loss of detail.
- Not exposing for the shadows: an excellent black-and-white photo will have crisp whites, rich blacks, and a good range of mid-grey.
- Not Shooting RAW: shooting in RAW will give you more control over the final edit, allowing you to change the white balance if needed in post.
- Ignoring the histogram: pay attention to the histogram when shooting and editing. This will ensure your highlights aren’t blown out and detail lost.
Different Methods
There are so many ways to do black-and-white editing – we will cover three ways here. All will work with Photoshop or Lightroom. There are also many free and premium actions and presets available for Photoshop and Lightroom. These will convert colour to black and White. Additionally, Luminar Neo will also convert a colour image to black and white. For this post, we are concentrating on simple but effective ways to do it in Lightroom and Photoshop.
Editing your colour image
TIP: When you open your images in Camera Raw or the LR develop module – click on the little box in the top right corner of the histogram (see below). In LR, the little arrow will be blue when active; in PS, it will be red. This will show your blown-out highlights in red. Bring the highlights slider down until the red disappears. Next, before you convert to black and White – edit your image. Make all necessary crops and adjustments, so you are starting with a clean edit. (if you click the box in the opposite corner it shows your crushed shadows).
Method One
Open your image in camera raw and click B&W on the right-hand panel. This will convert the image to monochrome. Open the B&W Mixer in the panel and move the sliders to your liking. Next, click Open to bring it into Photoshop. From here, you can edit using your normal workflow.
Method Two: Black and White Adjustment in Photoshop
One of the most straightforward ways (without the additional cost of buying actions) is to apply a black-and-white adjustment layer. At the bottom of your layers panel, like the round black and white cookie type symbol, and from the menu that pops up, choose black and white. Your image will instantly become black and white, with a colour slider window opening.
Play with the sliders until it’s to your liking – or click the auto option above the red, and PS will adjust for you.
Once you are happy with it – as a final step, you can flatten the image and then, in Camera Raw, make a final adjustment to contrast and clarity.
Method three – Photoshop
The second super easy method is opening the image in Camera Raw and bringing the vibrance and saturation down to 0%. You won’t be able to adjust the HSL slider with this method, but you can adjust the contrast, clarity and blacks in Camera Raw.
Method Four – Lightroom
The third method – for lightroom users is to open the image in the develop module and click on Black & White. From here is a simple matter to play with the clarity and contrast sliders to achieve the desired result. Lowering the temperate will make an image colder (blue) or warmer (orange); this will also adjust the tones in your photo.
Some famous photographers known for their black-and-white work include Ansel Adams, Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Dorothea Lange. Black and white photography remains a popular and respected art form today, and its beauty and impact are likely to endure for many years to come.
Max Dupain (1911-1992) was an Australian modernist photographer. Dupain is known for his iconic images of the Australian landscape, beach culture, and industrial architecture. His work is considered a significant influence on Australian photography, and he is regarded as one of Australia’s most influential photographers of the 20th century. Dupain’s photographs are characterised by their strong composition, use of light, and emphasis on form and shape. However, he is best known for his photographs of Sydney’s Bondi Beach and the Sydney Harbour Bridge, considered some of the most iconic images of Australian culture.
He was born Maxwell Spencer Dupain on 22 April 1911 in Ashfield, Sydney and was the only child of Sydney-born parents, George Zephirin Dupain and Thomasine Jane (Ena). His father pioneered the physical fitness movement in Australia and founded the Dupain Institute of Physical Education Sydney in 1900.
Early Years
Dupain attended Ashfield Preparatory and Sydney Grammar schools. However, he did not thrive academically and left school without completing the Leaving Certificate (known as Year 11 now). His uncle Clarence Farnsworth, an amateur photographer, gave him his first camera at 13. In 1928 he joined the Photographic Society of New South Wales and presented his early works in the predominant soft-focus Pictorialist style in the society’s exhibitions. Pictorialism is an approach to photography that emphasises the beauty of subject matter, tonality, and composition rather than the documentation of reality.
His entries in the society’s 1932 Interstate Exhibition of Pictorial Photography garnered praise from the eminent photographer and critic Harold Cazneaux.
Photography Career
In 1930, Dupain began a three-year apprenticeship with photographer Cecil Bostock. He also took evening art classes at Julian Ashton’s Sydney Art School and East Sydney Technical College. As a result, by 1933, his images emphasised geometric form, outlined and accentuated by sharp hard light rather than the soft romanticised effects favoured by pictorialists. Then, in 1934, with financial support from his family, he opened a small studio with a shared darkroom at 24 Bond Street in Sydney. The timing was exceptionally fortunate as Australia was emerging from the Depression, and the demand for advertising, society, and celebrity photography was growing.
It wasn’t long before Dupain outgrew the small studio and moved to larger premises in the same building. In 1937 he employed Geoffrey Powell, followed by Damien Parer in 1938. Then, in 1934, photographer Olive Edith Cotton joined his studio as a general assistant. They married in 1939 in a Methodist service at her home, but the marriage did not last, and they separated in August 1941 before divorcing in February 1944.
public domain Wikimedia commons
Modernist Photography
The support of publisher Sydney Ure Smith was instrumental in launching Dupain’s career. Smith featured Dupains work in Art in Australia in 1935 and invited him to review J. T. Scoby’s book on surrealist photographer Man Ray for The Home magazine. By the late 1930s, Dupain was established as a leading modernist photographer. One whose work responded to and reflected the realities of contemporary life. Dupain experimented with different techniques, from photomontage to solarisation, developing a style characterised by the dramatic use of light.
public domain Wikimedia Commons
Throughout his career, Dupain’s preferred medium was black and white photography. He photographed widely diverse subjects, from still lifes and landscapes to cityscapes. Dupain was also one of the first Australian photographers to focus on studies of the nude, both male and female and passionately advocated modernist photography.
public domain by Wikimedia commons
Fame and Influence
From the late 1930s, he played an essential role as a commentator in photography magazines and later as a photography critic for the Sydney Morning Herald. He was also a founding member of the Contemporary Camera Groupe (CCG) in 1938. The CCG was formed to counter the prevailing conservatism of Australian photography. His self-declared heroes shaped his Romantic outlook in literature, music, and the arts: Beethoven, Shakespeare, D. H. Lawrence, and Llewellyn Powys. The book Creative Effort by Norman Lindsay was particularly influential.
Art Gallery of South Australia
Dupain also greatly admired the work of photographers Man Ray, George Hoyningen-Huene (whom he met in Sydney in 1937), and Margaret Bourke-White.
War Service
In 1941 his studio partnered with the respected photo-engraving firm Hartland & Hyde Pty Ltd and relocated to Clarence Street, Sydney. From 1942 to 1945, Dupain was seconded in a civilian capacity as a camoufleur (a person skilled in camouflage techniques) with the Royal Australian Air Force. He visited Darwin, New Guinea, and Goodenough Island, off the northeast coast of Papua New Guinea. His work entailed taking photographs revealing the effectiveness of different kinds of camouflage.
Public Domain, National Portrait Gallery, Canberra
His wife, Olive Cotton, ran the studio in his absence. In late 1945, Dupain joined the Commonwealth Department of Information and travelled across Australia, taking photographs for the government’s publicity campaign aimed at attracting migrants to post-war Australia.
He took the image “meat queue” during his tenure with the department. Post-wartime, due to shortages, queues were everywhere. For buses, vegetables, fruit and meat. Dupain came across a queue of women at a butcher shop on Pitt Street waiting to exchange coupons for meat.
Post War Years
On 25 November 1946, now divorced from Olive Cotton, Dupain married Diana Palmer Illingworth, a clerk, at the District Registrar’s Office, Chatswood. From 1953 until his death, the couple lived at The Scarp, Castlecrag. Their home was designed by the modernist Australian architect Arthur Baldwinson. Surrounding the house was a native garden cultivated by Dupain.
Public Domain, National Library of Australia
His interest in photography changed in the postwar years, and Dupain took a documentary approach. Although he scorned the “artificiality” of studio work, he continued working in advertising. However, he focused on architectural and industrial photography, establishing close working relationships with eminent architects. Dupain was a reluctant traveller. However, he made one trip to Europe in his lifetime. In 1978, he photographed the Australian Embassy in Paris, designed by leading Australian Architect Harry Seidler.
NGA Exhibition
During the 1970s, Dupain, a retrospective exhibition of his work, was held at the Australian Centre for Photography, Sydney. The collection introduced his now best-known photograph, Sunbaker, to the public. This image became an icon, defining the typical beach culture, the Australian way of life, and the great outdoors. The exhibition brought Dupain greater recognition. He was represented in all significant public collections in Australia, including Dreams Sensuous and Surreal’s exhibition at the National Gallery of Australia. His work was considered not only art but to have historical value as it also captured wartime Australia in the 1930s.
Public domain, Wikimedia commons
Later Years
Dupain moved to a new studio in Artamon in 1971, working there for the next twenty years. His second wife described him as a ‘complex character’, as he was not a social person. Instead, Dupain was intense, single-minded, and disciplined. Dupain believed that the viewer must be emotionally and intellectually involved in the images and devoted his life to achieving excellence.
Courtesy National Library of Australia
Dupain became an honorary fellow of the Royal Australian Institute of Architects in 1980 and was appointed OBE for outstanding services to photography in 1981 and AC in 1992. Maxwell Spencer Dupain died, age 81, of heart disease on 27 July 1992 at his home Castlecrag. He was survived by his wife Diana, daughter Danina and son Rex and was cremated in a private service.
Following his death, his archive was divided into two: the art and personal negatives remained with his family, and the commercial negatives were consolidated into the Max Dupain Exhibition Negative Archive. These now reside at the State Library of New South Wales.
Ansel Adams is considered one of the pioneers of photography and the most important landscape photographer of the 20th century. His love of nature inspired his photography. Adams was also a passionate environmentalist who advocated for more National Parks.
His images made him famous as an American West photographer, particularly those of Yosemite National Park, and he used his work and fame to promote the conservation of wilderness areas. In addition, his iconic black-and-white images helped to establish photography among the fine arts.
The Early Years
Born in San Francisco on Feb 20, 1902, he was the son of a businessman and grandson of a wealthy timber baron. At age four, he fell face first into a garden wall during an aftershock of the 1906 earthquake. This resulted in a badly broken nose, and the injury marked him for life. Then, at age five, his family lost their fortune in the financial panic of 1907.
As a naturally shy child with a distinctive broken nose, he struggled to fit in at school. While never diagnosed, it is widely believed he had Dyslexia and possibly ADHD. Unsuccessful at the several schools he was sent to, he left school aged twelve. From then on, he was tutored by his father and aunt.
A photographer emerges
Adams was 12 yrs old when he taught himself to play the piano and read music. He then began taking lessons and intended to become a concert pianist. Being tutored at home gave him the freedom to enjoy long solitary walks in the still wild areas of the Golden Gate. He would hike the dunes or walk along Lobos Creek and Bakers Beach daily. His first visit to Yosemite was in 1916 at age fourteen. Carrying the Kodak Box Brownie, a gift from his parents, he hiked, climbed and explored Yosemite. In 1919 Adams joined the Sierra Club and spent the next four summers in Yosemite Valley as “keeper” of the club’s lodge.
Yosemite Calls
Adams first published photographs appeared in the Sierra Club Bulletin in 1922. In 1928 Adams married Virginia Best, an aspiring singer and the daughter of landscape painter Harry Best. They had met in 1921 when she was 17 years old and he was 19 through their shared love of music.
The wedding followed a six-week courtship and a three-day engagement. The couple were avid hikers, and Best was also a member of the Sierra Club. They wed at the base of a 617-foot waterfall called Bridalveil and, naturally, honeymooned at Yosemite. Their first child, Michael, arrived in 1933, followed by Anne in 1935. Unfortunately, Adams missed the birth of both children, being away on photographic assignments at the time.
Ansel Adams,’ Public Board’, via Wikimedia Commons
Visualisation
In 1927 Adams published his most famous image – ‘Monolith, The Face of the Half Dome“. To get the shot he wanted, he climbed a rock cliff known as the ‘Diving Board’, a steep outcrop 3,500 metres above the Yosemite Valley.
When taking his image of the Half Dome – Adams said he had a vision of what he wanted the image to look like. This led to his visualisation technique. First, he composed the picture in his mind and then factored in tonal values. He felt this would lead to near-perfect negatives.
Adams took his first image using a yellow filter, but it wasn’t quite what he wanted. Then, using his last glass plate, he took another image using a red filter. This filter brightened the snow, created a dark sky and caused the rock face to glow in the midday sun.
Honing his craft
In 1929 he was hired as a photographer for the marketing department of Yosemite Park and Curry Company (the only lodging and dining provider for Yosemite National Park). The company wanted Adams to publish bold, captivating photographs to lure more tourists to Yosemite. To this end, the marketing department coached Adams about the most effective approach to making photographs.
In a letter, the head of the Yosemite Park and Curry Company instructed Adams that, when taking a winter photograph, he should only shoot trees and houses “heavily ladened with freshly fallen snow.” Likewise, Adams was told to take photographs of only the best-dressed ice skaters using the valley’s ice rink.
The Conversation
Straight Photography
Adams also met and became influenced by Albert. M. Benders, a San Francisco patron of the arts. Benders’ financial support and encouragement transformed Adams. Looking at Adams’s High Sierra photography, he declared they had to do a portfolio of them. Bender made all the arrangements for an edition of 100 portfolios, each 18 images, to be sold for $50 each. He also ordered ten copies for himself and handed Adams a check for $500 (approximately $8,500 today). Bender then got on the phone, lining up more supporters until half of the edition was pre-sold.
That same year Adams also met photographer Paul Strand. Strands’ images also had a significant impact on Adams. Adams turned away from the “pictorial” style of painterly, soft focus images he had previously used and began to concentrate on “straight photography” (also known as ‘pure’ photography). Before long, Adams was straight photography’s most articulate and emphatic champion.
The title ‘straight’ photography is, however, somewhat contradictory. Adams still used manipulation in his techniques and would spend hours in the darkroom dodging and burning his prints.
Bests Studio
By 1934 Adams was elected to the Sierra Club’s board of directors. In 1936 Virginia’s father, Harry Best, suddenly passed. She inherited Best’s Studio in Yosemite and, for 36 years, ran what is now The Ansel Adams Gallery. In 1937, Adams left the Yosemite Park and Curry Company to concentrate on his fine art photography, and the couple moved to Yosemite to take over the management of Bests Studio. Living in Yosemite, Adams now had access to the wilderness on his doorstep during all seasons and times of the day. He was now firmly established as a Sierra Nevada photographer and a Yosemite defender.
That same year, his Yosemite darkroom caught fire resulting in the loss of 5000 negatives. In 1941 he formulated the ‘zone system’ with Fred Archer, a technique dividing the negative into 11 zones and ranking tones from pure white to pure black plus eleven greys. Adams used this technique in developing negatives.
Commercial Work
While Adams was well known for his landscapes, it wasn’t until the later years that they provided him with a steady income. He often accepted work as a commercial photographer to keep the bills paid and allow for his creative pursuits. For example, in 1969, his Winter Morning in Yosemite Valley was licensed to the Hill Brothers Coffee Company, appearing on their 3lb tins. The tins still fetch up to $1000 when they come up for auction.
Japanese Internment
In 1943 Adams collaborated with Dorothea Lange on Japanese Internment images. He photographed the internment camp at Manzanar, one of the many camps the government put up for the detained Japanese-Americans. His pictures depicted the detainees’ discriminatory treatment at the U.S Government’s hands. In 1965, he donated his internment collection of more than 200 photographs to the Library of Congress.
“The purpose of my work was to show how these people, suffering under a great injustice, and loss of property, businesses and professions, had overcome the sense of defeat and dispair [sic] by building for themselves a vital community in an arid (but magnificent) environment … All in all, I think this Manzanar Collection is an important historical document, and I trust it can be put to good use.”
Ansel Adams
. California Manzanar, 1943. Photograph. Library of Congress.
. California Manzanar, 1943. Library of Congress
Career highlights & Awards
- Lectured and taught courses at the Museum of Modern Art
- Assisted in the establishment of the department of photography at the California School of Fine Arts
- Received three Guggenheim Fellowships
- Became a consultant for Polaroid
- Named on President Johnson’s environmental taskforce
- Founded ‘The Centre for Creative Photography at the University of Arizona
- “Yosemite and the Range of Light”, a book published which went on to sell over two hundred thousand copies
- Awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Jimmy Carter
- Presented with Decoration of “Commander of the Order of the Arts and Letters”, the highest cultural award given by the French government to a foreigner
Ansel Adams, the technical genius of the camera and avid conservationist, passed away in Community Hospital California at age 82 due to a recurring heart problem. As a result of his tireless work, in 1984, the Ansel Adams Wilderness area of more than 100,000 acres was named after him. In addition, in 1985, Mount Ansel Adams, an 11,760-foot peak in Yosemite, was named after him on the anniversary of his death.
Virginia Best Adams outlived Ansel by 19 years, passing away in January 2000, aged 96.
What is Urban Landscape Photography?
Urban landscape photography captures images of cities and towns where the focus is on the man-made aspect of the urban environment. While landscape photography captures the essence of nature from forests, woodlands, waterfalls and deserts, urban landscapes capture our man-made impact on the landscape, from parks and gardens to residential, public and industrial buildings. It’s a fast-growing photographic genre capturing towns and cities’ dynamic and ever-changing environments.
History of Urban Landscapes
French inventor Nicéphore Niépce took what is widely regarded as the first urban landscape photograph in 1826 or 1827. His image showed parts of buildings and the surrounding countryside of his La Gras estate as seen from a high window. It is the oldest surviving camera photograph in existence. Just over a decade later, in 1839, Louis Jacques Mande Daguerre took an image of an empty Paris street. The absence of people in the scene is caused by the daguerreotype’s 10 to 15 minute exposure time. Anyone moving through the scene is eliminated, and only those standing remain.
Distinct genre
Urban landscape (also called cityscape photography) is often confused with Street photography. However, the genres are quite distinct. Street photography captures candid moments of people interacting in and around the city. Urban portraits are also a different genre, one where the photographer captures posed or staged images of people against a city backdrop. Urban landscapes photograph the man-made structures. Rather than the people moving through it, the environment is the scene’s focus.
1. Black and White or colour?
Colour is everywhere in the city, from the cars, traffic lights and street signs to shades of brick and glass or the attire of pedestrians. If the colour aids your story, then go with it – if, however, it distracts and draws the eye to an errant pedestrian in a red jacket when you want the viewer to focus on the structure behind, try going black and white. The absence of colour prioritises shapes and patterns.
2. Perspectives and Point of view
Look for different perspectives from down at footpath level to up a couple of floors in an observation deck or multi-level carpark. A different point of view will tell a completely different story. Also, consider portrait mode to isolate or emphasise viewpoints
3. Lighting
The time of day and the weather has enormous impacts on your image. Sometimes, the golden hour works on a building or scene. At other times it’s at its best on a sunny (or cloudy) day. Consider what you are photographing and factor in the light to suit your vision. I chose a dismal, wet day to photograph the Avenue of Honour in the image above. Considering all the heartache and lives lost during WWI, I didn’t want a bright, cheerful, sunny day. The gloomy wet roads and scenes aligned more with what I wanted to portray.
4. Leading Lines
While leading lines are used in all genres, they come into their own for urban landscapes – roads and fences; all draw the viewer’s eye up or into the image. The spurts of water in the fountain lead the viewer to the building behind in the photo above. The ring of stones also leads the eye around and to the back
5. Depth of Field
Both urban and nature landscapes benefit from an F stop 11 and above. F16 will give capture more of the scene in sharper focus. On a sunny day, it’s the F16 rule. However, a dull or cloudy day at F16 would require an ISO of between 400 to 800.
6. Images with Impact
What you leave out of an image is as important as what’s in it. While elements of the image may be appealing to you as you stand in front of them – they don’t always work in the finished image. Too many points of interest make a confusing image, and the viewer is unsure of just what the image is about. What made you stop and want to take the shot? That’s the predominant feature – compose your image so that this feature is prominent. This is your focal point – it’s the part of your image that you want the viewer to see first. In the photos above, while I like the lightning bolts, they distracted from the bikes which was the reason I stopped to take the shot. So I recomposed and took another shot.
7. Framing your scene
Framing the image will draw attention to one part of your scene while blocking out distractions. Archways are great for this, as are open doors and windows. You will need to bracket your shots and blend to avoid the window being blown out by shooting into the light with windows.
Symmetry
When two halves of your image – horizontally or vertically – mirror the other half, you have a beautifully symmetrical image. It gives a clean, evenly proportioned and balanced look to the image. To take a symmetrical photo, you must be standing in the centre. When composing your shot, align everything up and exclude what isn’t symmetrical.
Urban landscapes preserve the ever-changing faces of our cities. Cities are constantly evolving, with new buildings going up and others coming down. So if you revisit the scene a few years on, it will always be a different scene from what you took years before.
Back in 2019, before the world went to hell in a handbasket, we held two 1920’s shoots around the theme of a speakeasy with flappers and gangsters. We had so much fun, and I decided to hold another one, this time, on location with a 1926 vintage tram as our set. Unfortunately, due to Covid, and with our state being in total lockdown for 13 weeks, we ended up having to delay the shoot twice. The delay blew out to eight months, but we eventually had a brief lockdown free window to do the shoot. And just in time, too, as a week later, we are back in a short lockdown.
Flappers of the 1920s were young women known for their energetic freedom, embracing a lifestyle viewed by many at the time as outrageous, immoral or downright dangerous. Now considered the first generation of independent American women, flappers pushed barriers in economic, political, and sexual freedom for women.
1920S history
Our Cast
Our four flappers were Jess Garrett, Emily Reinhard, Lisa Willmore, Anjel Taylor, and one gangster – Boris Struk. We also lucked out with Bob, the Conductor who took charge of our vintage tram. He proved to be an absolute hoot in front of the camera. To say there was a lot of laughter and shenanigans is an understatement. It was a fabulous, fun shoot – and after months of lockdown, it was just what we all needed.
Ballarat Tramway Museum
We booked a tram for the day through the Ballarat Tramway Museum. Our tram was a lovingly restored W2 class tram that first went into service in 1926 before being withdrawn from service in 1982. It was then purchased by the Melbourne Tramcar Preservation Society, where it was restored to prime condition. The tram is currently on loan from them to Ballarat Tramway Museum.
We shot around and on the vintage tram for a couple of hours before they took us for a ride through the streets of Ballarat, in “our” tram to another outdoor location. Sam and Bob from the museum were fabulous and went out of their way to make our day a success.
The 1920s also brought about Prohibition, the result of the 18th Amendment ending legal alcohol sales. Combined with an explosion of popularity for jazz music and jazz clubs, the stage was set for speakeasies, which offered illegally produced and distributed alcohol.
1920 History
Many thanks to our fabulous models and the Ballarat Tramway Museum for a fabulous day.
Entry to the museum is free. The Ballarat Vintage Tramway is located in the Botanical Gardens on the western shore of Lake Wendouree.
Splash of colour is a favourite technique of mine. Its also easy to do using the free downloadable action, which is also known as Selective colour. You convert an image to B&W and then bring back the colour instead of changing the colour to another one. It’s a creative way of picking out a colour to make it or the object, the focal point of your image.
Choosing the right image
Images with a strong prominent colour work best, and while you can do lots of different colours, my preference is towards images with just one colour or one element of multi colours.
How do you do Splash of Colour?
There are loads of tutorials on Youtube and the web, all going about it differently. In the post, it can be done in Photoshop or Lightroom, though some camera’s such as Sony, allow you to do it in-camera. However, I prefer PS and use an action because it simplifies the entire process. Accordingly, I have included the free action to download at the end of the post.
One way to do it manually (in PS) is to add a black and white adjust layer – then use a black brush wipe back to expose the colour. However, if you make a mistake, change to a white brush to brush back the B&W. You can also use an action or create your own to make it easier and quicker each time.
Free Splash of Colour Action
The free action below uses black and white adjustment layers. It just saves you that step, and you can go straight to brushing back colour.
Download the free Photoshop action to create your own selective colour images.
Long Exposure Photography or slow shutter photography uses long shutter speeds to capture stationary, static objects while blurring out the moving elements.
What is Long Exposure Photography?
It is most commonly used for night photography, stars, and moving water. It is also used for fireworks and light painting. A bonus in high-traffic areas is if the exposure is long enough, pedestrians will completely disappear.
Long exposure photography is easiest in low light situations such as at night. But with ND filters, it can also be done successfully, even in bright sunshine. ND Filters (Neutral Density) are precisely that. They are neutral and should add no colour at all to your image. Instead, they reduce the light entering the lens. ND filters come in different strengths from .06ND and up, with the .06 giving you a two-stop reduction and the ND 3 (also referred to as an ND1000) a ten-stop reduction.
Essential
A tripod is essential for all long-exposure photography. This is because you are using speeds beyond what can be handheld with stability. Turn the image stabilisation off on the lens while it’s on a tripod and use either a remote switch to trigger the shutter or the timer function. It’s also a good idea to set a 2-second delay on the shutter. The slightest movement of depressing the shutter can blur the image. The same goes for bridges etc. Someone starts walking across if you are on a bridge trying to get a shot. Wait till they are gone.
Light Painting
Light painting is best accomplished in bulb mode. Set your ISO to 100 to limit the noise, and make sure noise reduction is turned off on the camera. If you are interested in Light Painting, I highly recommend the events run by Melbourne Light Painting.
Moving Water
One of my favourite long-exposure subjects is water. Waterfalls, streams, rivers, ocean tides, and waves are where the ND Filters come into their own to give you the milky fairy floss water or mist. For early mornings or late afternoons, an ND2 or ND4 is sufficient. However, for bright sunshine, you’ll need to get out of the ND3. You can also stack the filters, but be aware if your filter gives off a slight colour cast, stacking them will magnify the result. I started with the round screw-in filters. However, I moved to the square ones as I wanted to add graduated filters to my pack. Variable filters are something you want to avoid at all costs. They leak light and give you terrible results.
Settings
To do an extended water exposure, set your camera to Aperture Priority, ISO 100, and the F stop you prefer and take the shot. Note the shutter speed, and using an ND calculator app, calculate the shutter speed for the long exposure. Next, move to manual mode, and use the same F stop, Focal length, and ISO. For example, if using an ND ten stop, it will be so dark you need to focus on your subject before the filter is added. Once the filter is on, then switch the lens to MF. Once you have done your settings, add the filter and take the shot.
Note: if the water is moving fast, such as in the falls above, a shorter shutter will give you blurred water. If it’s slower-moving or just a trickle, a longer shutter is required, as the speed of the water affects the blur.
Night Lights
If you haven’t tried long exposure before, get out and give it a go… its a lot of fun!
Melbourne Open House is an annual event held at the end of July. Its goal is “connecting people with good design and architecture in the city”. Over 100 buildings of significance that are generally closed to the general public are open during the two days it runs. Either through tours or self-guided.
It’s always massively popular, with tickets for some locations (all of it is free) going within minutes of bookings opening. I missed out on the tours with ticketed entry. But I was taking part in the ones where you joined a long, snaking queue or took a self-guided tour.
Victoria Police Mounted Branch
Constructed in 1912 and one of the most extensive stables built and remaining in Melbourne, it houses 17 horses. They will move to new, purpose-built, modern stables at Attwood in the next few months. The Victorian College of Arts recently purchased the building.
After a refurbishment that keeps the heritage aspect intact, it will open as an art gallery space. The queue here took an hour to get to the door, and we were in and out in about 20 mins. The police horses are used in crowd control and search and rescue. The horse is nudging the ball (how they teach them to push people back) is massive. He’s the tallest one they have and stands at 17 hands high.
State Library of Victoria
Opening in 1856, with the famous dome completed in 1913, the State Library takes up an entire city block. It is Australia’s oldest public library and one of the first free libraries in the world. They claim to be Australia’s most patronised library, with 1.7 million visitors through the doors each year and another 3 million online. The state library is about to undergo an $83 million renovation, with $53 million being spent on Queens Hall alone. The renovation of Queens Hall will restore it to a reading room, reopen the skylights, and feature a new rooftop garden terrace.
It’s a truly magnificent building, with the Latrobe Reading Room under the great dome at its heart. Its massive rooms and high vaulted ceilings are exhibitions of paintings and sculptures, and books. The forecourt features statues, gently sloping lawns, and two large chess boards. Queens Hall is located in the oldest part of the building and, except for special events, has been closed since 2000. It’s a vast hall 145 feet long and was the original reading room until the domed hall opened in 1913.
Substation J
We arrived at the substation shortly after it opened on Sunday, and the queue was small. Substation J is an operating substation with live electrical equipment. So, we had to dress up with hairnets, lab coats, and hard hats (not that I understand how a lab coat would save me from electrocution. The substation was considered ‘state-of-the-art’ when it opened in 1953. However, Substation J has been a hidden time capsule since it closed in 1980. It remains a functioning power station. However, it is now fully automated, and the old control room is shut off and off-limits to all except a few. As the old control room was offline, there was no danger of us plunging the city into darkness ;). So we were encouraged to play with the buttons and handles while there.
Tasma Terrace
Considered one of the finest examples of a 19th-century, three-storey terrace house, Tasma Terrace began life as a guest house in 18. In the 1970s, there were plans to demolish the building and build high-rise towers. However, the National Trust of Victoria purchased it after a successful public campaign.
