Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer's Guide to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing (Digital Process and Print) [Paperback]

Amadou Diallo (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1598633759 | ISBN-13: 978-1598633757 | Publication Date: May 1, 2007 | Edition: 1

The very nature of black and white photography places a premium on creative interpretation of the image. Advances in digital technology have expanded both the precision of imaging techniques and the interpretive possibilities for black and white imagery. Never before has such a wide array of tools been available to photographers who have a passion for black and white. "Mastering Digital Black and White" is written for these photographers. It serves not only as a comprehensive guide for creating black and white images and prints, but also examines the role of artistic craft in the imaging process. Learn how to employ your digital tools as extensions of your photographic vision. Read in-depth interviews with, and view images from, five accomplished photographers as they discuss their process and inspirations. Prepare to indulge your passion for gallery-quality black-and-white images in the digital darkroom. Additional supporting content for this book and a discussion forum for photographers and printmakers with a passion for black and white can be accessed at the book's website.

Product Details

• Paperback: 371 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598633759
• ISBN-13: 978-1598633757
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #680,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #18 in Books > Computers & Technology > Digital Photography & Video > Digital Printing
  • #32 in Books > Arts & Photography > Photography > Black & White

More About the Author

A musician by training, Amadou Diallo began his career as a jazz saxophonist, touring with legendary artists including Lionel Hampton, Illinois Jacquet, and Eddie Palmieri. He made the transition from musician to photographer with a classically modern style that is the hallmark of his photography. He was an early adopter of the digital printing process, producing museum-quality limited edition prints for photographers and visual artists from around the world.

Author of The 50 Greatest Photo Opportunities in New York City and Mastering Digital Black and White, he has written for numerous publications including The Big Picture, Photo Techniques, and Professional Photographer.

He resides in New York City where he is a faculty member of the renowned International Center of Photography (ICP).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

80 of 87 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Misleading Title, May 22, 2007

By 

K. Tanaka (Midwest USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer's Guide to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing (Digital Process and Print) (Paperback)

Warning: This book is NOT for you if your primary interest is truly that of "mastering" digital black and white photography and printing.

Any time a book title includes the words "mastering" or "ultimate" my smell-o-rama sensor automatically activates. Such sweeping and arrogant suggestions are always over-cooked. "Mastering Digital Black and White" is no exception.

The book is nicely printed and features very good color illustrations, making many of Diallo's image processing points easy to follow. The overall design is easy on the eyes but has that independently-produced look due mainly to the lack of margins throughout the book.

I estimate that roughly only 15%-20% of the book's 357 content pages have any direct bearing on the title subject of "black and white", with many of these pages buried like Easter eggs inside broader topics. Like nearly all of the dozens of kindred books on digital printing and digital photography most of this book's content deals with basic tech and photo topics, survey-level smatterings of "current" software and printers, and little side-bars. While Diallo presents these topics interestingly and with good subject matter authority they can be found in many other basic books and have a rather short freshness life.

All this is not to say that the book is without merit. Although he does indeed mow some well-trimmed lawns Diallo offers some rather unique material and interesting perspectives. In chapter 8, titled "The Limited Edition", Diallo presents a good summary of the controversial topic of artificially editioning digital prints. Like other chapters, however, that same chapter manages to meander into other territories (papers, print storage, archival ratings) before it's terminated. Chapter 9, "The Portfolio", also nicely covers a topic that many will find interesting; that of constructing and presenting a contiguous portfolio of work. Diallo also features some interesting little interviews

In summary, this book delivers very little of what its title promises. Instead, it's really more of an intermediate-level general book on Photoshop and ink jet printing circa 2007. Nevertheless I really did enjoyed reading it, more so than most of its peers that I've read. But, like so many of its peers, its value is diluted by trying to cover far too much ground. I was disappointed that the title represented yet another bait-and-switch.

The market for the truly specialized "Digital Black and White Photography and Printing" work remains open. Next!

17 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointed, June 10, 2007

By 

Stephen Best (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer's Guide to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing (Digital Process and Print) (Paperback)

If you've managed to get some decent looking B&W prints from your current model inkjet using the relevant inbuilt driver settings and looking to move your output quality up a notch, this book sadly won't help you. Though there's some mention of Quadtone RIP and StudioPrint for linearization (plus alternative third-party inksets) the detail isn't there to show you why and how to get the most from them. In fact, the whole area of selection of media settings for optimal Dmax and tonal separation is absent. What's left is a rudimentary workflow that most anybody using Photoshop for their own output would already know. For someone just starting out, this could be an ideal book to paint the big picture though.

A few bloopers: On perceptual rendering: "When an image contains even a single color outside of the printer's gamut, all the color values in the image are shifted - by the same amount - until the out-of-gamut color is placed inside the printer's range of output" (page 85). On printer profiling: "The idea is to send a range of color values to the printer and compare the appearance of these colors when output on paper with known Lab input values" (page 95). On adjustment layers: "... when it comes time to flatten the image, Photoshop will combine the adjustments into a single edit before applying them to the image's pixels" (page 193).

In fairness to the author, I can't think of any book that meets the stated promise of the title any better. Other than being more up to date, it doesn't really cover much territory different to Harald Johnson's "Mastering Digital Printing" which remains a worthwhile introduction to the field.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Digital B&W shooting and printing reference, July 4, 2007

By 

B. R. Slaap (Eindhoven, NL) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Mastering Digital Black and White: A Photographer's Guide to High Quality Black-and-White Imaging and Printing (Digital Process and Print) (Paperback)

This book was recommended on internet fora on printers and inkjet printing and they were absolutely right. This is a well written book for photographers who wish to go deep in the world of B&W shooting and inkjet printing.
It is necessary to have a little background in photography and Photoshop, but with this background the book is very informative and thorough. Amadou Diallo has a gift for teaching and he can explain difficult concepts in a simple way.
The information in the book more than covered my needs and has helped me in shooting and printing better B&W images.