Street Photography Question

[phuketrichard]

Hi all;

I am what one would call a semi pro, I do make some $$ from my photography an get some gigs but its not my primary source.

I have since digtal came around and photoshop, shot Color and when i thought it looked better in B&W, converted it over using photoshop.

I figured if i shoot B&W thats all i will ever have but if i shot color i have the option.

Are there any disadvantages to shooting this way?

I know a purist would say shoot B&W an keep it that way but......

Anyone else going over to shoot the Funeral in Phnom Penh on the 1st?

[FracturedRabbit]

Your camera is not shooting in colour, it is collecting data which your camera is processing into a colour photo (or whatever you are telling it to do). For the most flexibility, shoot in RAW and then process the resulting image on your computer to achieve the look you want, which can be colour or B&W or sepia or whatever you fancy.

If you have a camera where you are composing using the rear screen or an electronic viewfinder, you can set the camera to capture both a RAW and a JPEG file. Then set the JPEG to be black and white, and you will see a black and white image on the screen. Some people think that composing in B&W allows you to concentrate on the design of your photos without being distracted by the colours. When you put the images on your computer, you will have a B&W JPEG and also a RAW file which you can use to produce a colour image, or a more refined B&W version.

[phuketrichard]

Thanks;

it is collecting data which your camera is processing into a colour photo (or whatever you are telling it to do)

I am asking if i should only shoot in B& W or not and is there any advantage/disadavantage

I always shoot raw and bacis an coming from film cameras never use the view screen to set up my shots

I can covnert AFTER i shoot to B&W or sepia in camera

Just much of street photography is in B& W not color

[FracturedRabbit]

If you always shoot RAW then your question appears irrelevant. Even if you only process in B&W in future, you can always go back to the RAW and make a colour version if you want to.

My point regarding composition was that if you have an electronic viewfinder rather than an optical viewfinder, you can set it to show black and white so you can frame your shot without the distraction of colour. Personally I don't like this, but I know some who do. If you are shooting with a DSLR then of course you won't have this option.

I suspect the trend for showing street photography in B&W may be influenced by the early days of the genre where photographers were out on the streets with black and white film in their Leicas. The classic street photos are B&W. Having said that, there are many times when the street offers some wonderful colours, particularly in Asia.

I preferred this one in colour:

P1140215 by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

Whereas this one had a few distracting and uninteresting colours and had more impact in B&W:

The empty chair by pattayadays.com, on Flickr

If you really want to commit to B&W, buy the new Leica Monochrom which only shoots monochrome. You will need $8,000, plus a lens!!

[harrry]

You have to stop thinking of film. The sensor in most cameras captures all colours. What happens is if you have set to black and white it throws the colour information away and only saves the grey scale.

It is probably best to shoot in colour...particularly raw..and edit on the computer. The tools are more powerful than those in the cameraand you may get a result which you like better. You lose nothing by shooting in colour.

[Tywais]

Black and White Digital Photography – In Camera or Post Production?

Digital Camera manufacturers are increasingly adding ‘in camera editing’ features and modes to the cameras that they release that allow digital photographers to do all kinds of tasks that they would previously have done from their computer. These include in camera cropping, the addition of frames to shots and being able to shoot in different types of colors/filters including black and white and sepia.

The question that I’ve been asked a few times this week is:

‘should I shoot in black and white mode or convert my colored shots later into black and white on my computer?’

My approach to this has always been to shoot in full color and to edit later if necessary.

The problem with shooting in these modes is that you are making all of your creative decisions about your shot at the time of shooting and that in most instances shooting in these modes means you cannot recover full colored shots.

Set your digital camera to black and white or sepia and the natural colors in the shot are lost. On the other hand if you shoot in color you can always convert to black and white later and keep your full colored version also.

You do not lose any quality in your image in doing this and keep your options open.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/black-and-white-digital-photography-in-camera-or-post-production#ixzz2IJIYu2iJ

[Tywais]

Black and White Photography Tips

1. Shoot in RAW

I know many readers of DPS can’t shoot in RAW (because their camera doesn’t offer it) or don’t shoot in RAW (because they either don’t know how or don’t like to) but for the most control in the post production phase of converting your color images into black and white ones – you’ll want to shoot in RAW if your camera does allow it. Of course shooting in JPEG doesn’t stop you shooting in black and white – but if it’s an option, give RAW a go, you might be surprised by what it offers you in post production. More on RAW vs JPEG here.

2. Shoot in Color

If your camera doesn’t allow you to shoot in RAW (or you choose not to) – shoot in color and do your conversion to black and white later on your computer.

While most digital cameras offer you the option to shoot in Black and White (and can produce some reasonable results) you have more control over your end results if you have the color data to work with in your conversion on your computer. (read more on the choice between shooting in black and white or post production conversion).

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/5-black-and-white-photography-tips#ixzz2IJIi1GpT

[Tywais]

Tips for Black and White Photography

You might be one of those photographers who decide to convert a photo to black and white in post production. Trying if it ‘works’ for a photo you took without thinking about black and white at the time. Nothing wrong with that, but have you ever tried to go out and shoot specifically with a black and white photo in mind? It’s worth doing so and I’d like to give you some tips for when you do.

Most camera’s have a black and white preset that lets you take photos directly in black and white. Don’t use it. This might sound a bit weird, but you can better shoot your black and white images in color. A good black and white image will require post processing and the standard in-camera black and white conversion isn’t have as good as your own black and white conversion.

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-for-black-and-white-photography#ixzz2IJJHGfix

Read more: http://digital-photography-school.com/tips-for-black-and-white-photography#ixzz2IJJMbmMT

[Tywais]

Black and white photography: what every photographer should know

This is an interesting aspect of photography I hadn't considered. After reading the above info may have to give it a try.

[phuketrichard]

great find.

Many times when i shoot an later edit it just looks better in B&W and sepia toned ( many of my Angkor temple shots i use this)

PLUS i found when i converetd some old slides the colors had shifted so much i had no choice but to covert to B&W

[ETatBKK]

rule of thumb - even you are shooting with top of the line DSLR, keep the image in RAW in full colour as an unprocessed image. the camera processor offers limited capabilities compares with that in your computer. then you process the RAW image on your computer as you like, B&W or Sepia or else.

this offers you options of editing your images, and also improve the performance of the camera. more critical, JEPG is a compressed format ( and is limited by the processor capability ) whilst RAW is an true sensor-to-memory recording. one RAW data could be converted into various sets of processed images.