Black and White Digital Photography

Why b/w? Once there was only b/w and those lucky enough to have learned photography in that era did not have the distraction of colour, we were able to concentrate on the visual building blocks of what makes a great image. Shape, form, lighting, texture, the elements of composition. Also when shooting in colour we are often trying to depict reality however b/w allows for an interpretation of reality.

This course is designed to awaken your eye to the possibilities of shooting in b/w, to avoid the prospect of' "will this look better if I make it b/w in Photoshop?" to commit yourself to making truly interesting and arresting images without colour.

The course will help you to understand how to see in b/w and if your camera permits using it in b/w, although we will see that sometimes shooting b/w in colour and converting in PS offers many more visual options. We will look at the aspects of composition that benefit from monochrome presentation. Projects will be set every session that you will complete in your own time and then upload to a blog site. These projects will be designed to enable you to compose in b/w using the elements mentioned above plus looking at how more general compositional devices can be used to great effect in b/w.

There will be a section of the course that covers post production, working with Photoshop to be able to achieve beautiful images and discussions on different print media that will enhance your images.

4 sessions £85 start date 04.03.13 6.30pm Tutor Keith Barnes