Customer Reviews

Creative Black and White: Digital Photography Tips and Techniques

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I love this book!

Since the advent of digital, B/W has become a "choice" rather than a limitation. As a result a lot of creative thought has to go into making great B/W photographs.

As a beginner in this area of photography (especially in digital post-processing), I found this book was perfect in two aspects.

First, Harold Davis has a great way of explaining the intricacies of this art-form. It is easy to understand and follow things like
a) why would a particular picture be best converted to b/w
b) why would a particular composition work best in b/w
c) what are the various types of b/w compositions and which one would work best for a given object/person to be photographed etc
d) how to do HDR in B/W via multi-raw processing

It is a sign of a great master of an art that (s)he can convey his/her knowledge in a simple and easy to understand way. Harold accomplishes this in the book.

The second great aspect of the book are the photoshop steps. For a photoshop newbie like me, this book is a godsend as far as digital b/w is concerned.

Overall, I highly recommend the book for anyone who wants to start their journey in, or enhance their understanding of Digital B/W.

If you know beauty of the great black and white photographers of the twentieth century, Mr. Davis has for the first time made their vision available to the digital photographers of the twenty-first. As Weston said, "The camera should be used for ... rendering the very substance and quintessence of the thing itself, whether it be polished steel or palpitating flesh." As color photography is representational, black and white is "as it is." Mr. Davis knows the difference and explains how their vision might be yours.

Digital photography has always suffered in the realm of black and white. The most sophisticated digital sensors do not have the dynamic range of the photographic print. That is, the sensors are unable to detect at the same time the whitest of whites, the blackest of blacks, and the grays between. The classical photographers could tease out those variations with experimental photographic papers, homemade concoctions of chemicals, and innovative lab techniques. Only recently has digital post-processing equaled those same results.

In this seminal work, Mr. Davis explains, in a step-by-step, fully illustrated, style how the photographer with basic knowledge of post-processing programs is capable of obtaining those results. From ACR or Lightroom or Photoshop or specialized programs the perfection of the black and white image is explained. From simple procedures to the most sophisticated.

As the cherry on top, Mr. Davis finishes with specialized techniques such as high-key, low-key, toning, duotoning, solarization, and much more.

Black and white photography, as in those famous words, "try it, you'll like it."

If you've seen some of Harold's long-exposure night images, you know the high level of expertise and creativity this West Coast photographer and educator brings to his work. This book is an extension of all that and a must-have for anyone with a serious interest in black and white digital photography. Beautifully illustrated, well-organized, and clearly presented, it allows the reader to follow a logical progression--from concept to creation to postproduction. I loved (and would even like to see more of) those examples where the reader is allowed to get inside the author's head (and heart) as a scene or challenge presents itself. He talks about creating abstractions out of elements or combinations of commonplace items by seeing behind preconceptions and focusing on things like shape and texture. Technical aspects of shoots are carefully noted, along with step-by-step instructions on how to pull the most out of these images through Photoshop and other specialized software. While he pays his respects here and there to black and white masters such as Adams and Weston, the book is more for converts who have already been mesmerized by the range of tones and singular beauty of classic black and white. One thing I might have wanted to see is at least some discussion about digital printing. High-quality, affordable inkjet printers have made the printing process a key element of the creative process for any serious digital photographer. Paper choices alone can dramatically impact the look and overall feel of an image. But Harold no doubt has all of that on a back burner for another book, which I anxiously look forward to reading.

I've worked with computers for 25 years. I had no interest in digital photography. I've been through it all before - upgrades of both software and hardware, trying to keep current on new features you probably will never need, etc. I figured it would be the same with Photoshop and digicams...and it has been. Plus, I have a traditional darkroom and 40 years experience with film ...and all my film cameras are paid for! However, I started reading Mr. Davis' blog. He talked about the unique possibilities with digital B&W that are much different from traditional photography. I've corresponded with him several times. He's well aware that a lot of us cannot justify upgrading hardware and software every 18 months. Thus, in many ways, his book is a reference manual. It deals with new ways to apply core functions of Photoshop, and many techniques are cross referenced in the book. I have CS2, which is about the oldest version I would use, since Mr. Davis strongly advocates shooting in RAW and uses ACR extensively. I have been pleasantly surprised at how valuable this book has become to me in a short period of time. For example, the chart on page 68 was quite helpful to me. With anything digital, you can "process it" for days, trying for perfection. The chart indicates levels of digital B&W. Sometimes, you may want "gallery quality;" with other shots the "quick and dirty" approach is just fine. It's all in this book. It's the single best book on my type of digital photography I've found. It's a wonderful book, just to browse. The printing and layout are of the highest quality, and Mr. Davis' photos are stunning. The techniques Mr. Davis suggests are illustrated with complete step-by-step instructions. As long as film is manufactured, that is what I will shoot. However, scanning negatives and trying out some "Photoshop Magic" is starting to make photography fun again. If you are just beginning with Photoshop, this book will be somewhat intimidating. Still, it was all new to me, and I find it's now an essential reference after about six months. In summary - this has been a great book for an old film guy. If you are interested in producing wonderful digital B&W prints, this book is the one for you.

If you are a serious black and white digital photographer, then you must own this book. The author reveals little tips and tricks that he has developed which will make your images come alive with dynamic range and contrast. You will not find these tips in a book on Photoshop or in Photoshop courses. They are specific to the abstract art of black and white.

I took an image of a tree in a snowy field that was nice but unexciting. Normal photoshop adjustments made it better but not great. I paid a professional Photoshop master to try and improve it but he hit the same limitations that I did. Then I bought this book and learned about creating layers with different adjustments for level, contrast and filtering. The magic started when I began to add those layers together with different levels of opacity. The final print was a "wow".

Get this book. The price is very fair when compared to other professionally oriented photography books. It will even help you before you take a photo because you now have ways to deal with extreme ranges of brightness.

Revised: July 5, 2010 (typo).

Mr. Davis continues his Creative series with "Creative Black & White", and what I found most satisfying about the book is not so much the black and white tips and treatments... but the thinking aspect of the craft.

I'm no art major, not a graphic artist, and not a particularly gifted photographer (though you're welcome to disagree ;-). The very first chapter got my attention: "Thinking in Black and White". I have learned from some experience that some images just work better in black and white - mostly - I thought, because monochromatic representation does a better job preserving the contrast and sharpness in an image. But Mr. Davis elaborates well beyond my simple observation and made me think more deeply about WHY black and white sometimes works much better at communicating an idea, thought or mood. With his guidance I think I've begun to understand more uniquely what sets apart this different choice in a predominately color world. From my Brownie days to my MamiyaFlex I shot mostly B&W because it was accessible and cheap. The advent of color digital changed that. But now I understand why black and white can be much more successful for some images - and even when to seek out such images. Black and White is not just about "nostalgia!"

Some of the visual paradoxes presented in Mr. Davis' images are seductive and compelling. I'd never have thought that a photo of a commode could look so sensuous, or an artichoke so mysterious. But by the time I arrived around page 40 I was getting it! Black and White, it turns out, is another kind of music, not just another style of music.

The book does not end with the visualization and "seeing", with shapes, shadows, patterns and forms - though it could have. It continues into High and Low Key shots (mostly light and mostly dark high contrast shots) and also includes what I had previously considered the most common manifestation of black and white: portraiture. Mr Davis includes tips on softening the harshness of a face (soft focus), how to selectively colorize or tint for effect as well as cogent tips about lighting and framing, and more. Before you get the impression that the book is just about "seeing" and portraiture, consider that the book also includes chapters on High Dynamic Range, landscapes, blending and merging, noise reduction the advantages of shooting in RAW and other photographic endeavors.

Indeed, if this book does not make it clear what is lost by shooting in JPEG mode, you must not have read the short chapter or looked at the examples which begin on page 74!

I have not thoroughly used Mr. Davis' Photoshop and Lightroom recipes (Photoshop CS3 revolted on me when I upgraded computers), but I have had success using GIMP to follow along with his instruction and worked an image or two to a far better quality.

I'd rank this work second only to Mr. Davis' The Photoshop Darkroom: Creative Digital Post-Processing which is seriously excellent. But, I haven't read all of his photography books yet!

Oh, and like his other books, this book includes a nice Table of Contents and and Index - bravo!

Harold Davis' new book on taking digital color photos and transforming them into creative black and white pictures is an inspiring read with a lot of examples and many ways to achieve your vision.

A focus of the book is to help you learn how to pre-visualize what the world of color that surrounds us in blank & white. To se the contrasts of light and shadow that are left when the color is removed from an image and I think the book does a good job of describing how to do that.

I really like the different ways that are covered in the book to transform your color images into blank & white, Photoshop, Lightroom, Silver Efex Pro, and Photomatix are all covered. Creating images with high-hey, low-key, split toning, HDR, hand coloring, and noise are all explored with examples and tips.

I found the HDR example especially interesting, using HDR methods to create a photo with a extraordinary range of shadows is really appealing to me and I plan on giving it a try soon.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with an interest in making amazing black & white photos.

I want to thank the author for the chance to review this book before its release.

I couldn't wait to open up my copy of Harold Davis' book, "Creative Black and White". At first glance I thought this book was going to enable me to convert color photos into Black and White, but also know when I'm taking the photo the settings I choose will make it a `great' Black & White. This is not a medium I had any appreciation for before I read this book.

In the Introduction; "My goal in Creative Black & White is to be your companion. . . Together we'll experience what it means to think in black and white. I'll show you many of the visual ideas that can work well with black and white, and share my expertise and the technical approaches that can be used to create high quality digital black and white photos." Boy did he deliver! Throughout the book he gave example after example of Black & White photos and showed us the settings in the camera he took of those photos to achieve the desired result.

I'm a dentist by trade and consider myself an `Advanced Hobbyist Amateur'. I'm the president of the local photography club; even write a daily blog for the club. I submit photos on a monthly basis and take photos for different organizations around town, but never thought about Black & White as a medium that was `artistic' in my hands. "Creative Black and White" teaches the basics behind any good photograph, i.e. Contrast, Shape & Form. . . Shades of Gray. Check out the `Contents' page and see how complete Harold covers the subject of Black & White and how simply he teaches you how you can do it.

He teaches how to convert color photos to Black & White using multiple techniques; Camera Raw, Photoshop, Lightroom and different Photoshop Plugins. He gives us many ways to achieve the desired result; he's not married to one particular method. I'm anxious to try my hand at Black & White Photography. "Creative Black and White" has given me the confidence to expand my knowledge base on what subjects make great Black & White opportunities, how to properly `step by step' convert from color to Black & White and also shows `before and after' examples.

This book is the complete `how to' book for those of us that had NO idea that Black & White photos had so much promise. I highly recommend this book and can't wait to use it at our teaching sessions at the photography club. This will be a great opportunity for us as a club to try our hand at a subject only one or two have ever used.

As a photographer who use to shot nothing but Black and White film I found this book to be great.

Adopting to digital cameras was a new beginning in many ways (after almost 25 years of film)and I was never quite satisfied with my B&W results. This book changed all that. The instructions are spot on.

Also the book is simply beautiful, the photos are almost like a coffee table art book in quality. Honestly you won't do better then this if you are serious about your black and white shots.

Thanks

Before the invention of color film, black and white film is the only medium to capture the moment. However, after color film and digital camera are invented, black and white photography seems to be lost.

However, black and white photography is not dying, it is still there and growing steadily. In this digital era, all digital cameras are designed to capture and process color images instead of black and white images. Therefore, in this era, it is crucial to understand the concept and techniques how to capture and convert color photo to black and white image effectively.

This book is the answer of the problem. In the beginning of the book, Davis discusses about the history about black and white photography, what kind of scene that is ideal for B&W photography, and how to process B&W images.

Many B&W digital photography techniques are discussed in the book, including high key, low key, HDR, toning, tinting, duotone, etc.

The book also provide step by step tutorial on converting and processing B&W images in Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop.

It's a very comprehensive B&W photography book and I recommend beginner and B&W enthusiasts to add this book to your collection.