Breathe This!   İ Chuck DeLaney, NYI Dean Several readers of B2B&W wrote to lodge a complaint regarding the comparison between the black-and-white and color darkroom. They actually argue that working in a color darkroom is a more pleasant, less toxic experience. More power to these brave souls. We hope they have great ventilation. It is true, as they point out, that color prints are usually processed inside a drum, rather than floating around in a tray, hence the surface area of liquid that can put off fumes in a tray-based darkroom is much greater than in a drum-processor environment. We'll hazard a guess that these people have never made a Cibachrome (yes, we know this disappearing product has been technically called Ilfochrome for the past decade or so) but to us it will always be Cibachrome. Drum or no drum, that's a nasty process. We're not here to talk about color, but it is pleasing to know that there are enough wet darkroom devotees out there to actually be able to provoke such a debate. Suffice it to say, we find standing around for two to five minutes in a lit room watching a little drum roll around about as interesting as watching paint dry. Part of the black-and-white darkroom is spending time in the peaceful low-stress environment swathed in pale red light, watching the photograph emerge on the print. And we like it that way. With that piece of business out of the way, let's turn to the key subject of this installment: What Subject Matter Makes Good Black-and-White Photographs? İMathew Brady Well, for a long time, any subject was fine for black-and-white photography because that was (for all practical purposes) the only type of photography there was. It is still fair to say that any subject can be photographed in black-and-white, and we're not out to dictate any rules. But, common sense suggests that you try to avoid working in black-and-white with subjects that have a natural affinity for color, such as autumn scenics, blue-eyed portrait subjects or butterflies and flowers. These are all examples of subjects where beautiful color has the potential to add a great deal to the power of a photograph. İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean   İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean   That's an aspect of NYI's Guideline Two for Great Photographs: How do you focus attention on your subject? If your subject is very colorful, then naturally calling attention to that color is a way to focus the viewer's attention. In fact, as a starting point in selecting subject matter for black-and-white photography, we suggest you consider subjects where just the opposite is true – look for subject matter where color runs the risk of becoming a distraction to the subject and the photograph. İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean For example, blood-and-guts accident and war photos don't necessarily benefit from vivid color. We know, (recalling Bertold Brecht's lyric from Three Penny Opera that "Aber Blut ist immer noch Rot." (Ah, but blood is always still red) without seeing it. So too, gritty poverty, human suffering and anguish, as well as pictures with brooding emotion often benefit from the understatement of black-and-white. Sometimes large areas of color don't add to a photo, but rather create a powerful color field that can pull the viewer's attention away from the intended subject. The bright blue shirt may divert attention from the sad eyes of the child in an orphanage. Remember, whether our goal is to capture reality or create an illusion, all photographs are at best a representation of reality. We live in a three-dimensional world, where sound, smell, touch and the passage of time contribute to our experience. All photographs are flat, two-dimensional renderings on paper, in print or on a computer screen. Space, time and other aspects of our real-life experience have been eliminated. In a black-and-white photograph, our sense of color has also been eliminated. İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean   İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean   That doesn't make a black-and-white representation less meaningful. A large body of work known as street photography, including photographs by masters such as Henri Cartier-Bresson and Sabastiao Salgado, derives its power from the photographer's ability to use black-and-white, along with the form and placement of the subject, to control the viewer's experience. We see the intended subject without the risk of getting lost in a bright blue sky or some colorful object in the background. Another point about perception: Color imagery can show us the difference between the dark green leaves on the apple tree and the red skin of the apple. In black-and-white, these dark tones may be reproduced as very similar tones of gray. The black-to-gray-to-white continuum has the potential to conceal many things. Sometimes this works for the photographer and adds power to the image, other times it can create problems. In a later installment of this series, we'll show you how to use color filters with black-and-white film to solve the apple/apple leaf problem described above. İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean   İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean OK, so we have blood, guts, grit and street photography. Want some other subject areas? How about sex? Forget about the men's magazine pictorials and the busty women that seem to adorn the cover of virtually every magazine about anything these days. The desire for illusion and fantasy that is part of those subjects is ideal for color. But pick up any current fashion magazine– whether it's aimed at men or women– and look at large number of fashion advertisements that run in black-and-white. Years ago, black-and-white magazine ads were cheaper for the advertiser than color ones, but nowadays that's not really an issue. Advertisers choose black-and-white ads for impact. Take for example, all the underwear and perfume ads run by Calvin Klein over the years. Whether it's a topless Kate Moss appearing in a men's briefs ad, or a host of other models, including the questionable under-18 vampy kid ads that were withdrawn after much protest a few years ago, many Calvin Klein campaigns are in black-and-white for a reason. There's an intensity and emphasis on form that works well in advertising that's inherent in black-and-white. İChuck DeLaney, NYI Dean This isn't something that Calvin Klein and his advertising staff discovered. Look at the nudes of Edward Weston for powerful use of black-and-white imagery based on human forms. Beyond sex, what about just plain portraiture? When the subject is a person, portrait photographers often seek to keep the background and surrounding area subdued to place emphasis on the person who is the portrait subject. Often photographers working in color will use dark backgrounds to make the person dominate the image. Working in black-and-white, the power of the person is often accentuated more readily. Look at the large body of black-and-white portraits created by contemporary photographers such as Richard Avedon or Robert Mapplethorpe to seek what kind of power can be building into black-and-white subjects. We could go on and on with regard to great contemporary photographers working in black-and-white--Robert Frank, Larry Fink, Lilo Raymond, Lisette Model and Danny Lyons spring to mind. We could also discuss various types of subject matter-buildings, bad weather, dramatic interiors and fantasy subjects-but we're not out to create exhaustive lists. What we do want to do is give you a sense that the possibilities are limitless. There's no subject that's taboo for black-and-white! For example, those colorful flowers we discussed earlier can be reduced to a study in form and arrangement in black-and-white. You'll have to work harder to make lighting and composition carry the image, but it's not impossible. In fact, it's a challenge if you want to take it on. Heads up: This month in our contest section we give first notice of our upcoming WWW contest for black-and-white images. The time to get started is now! As we've stated repeatedly, we're looking for your feedback and suggestions. Don't hesitate to give us a shout at B2B&W any time, day or night, we'll keep the safelight burning!

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