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JohnGibsonPhotography
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BluminBlack1
Sep, 2014Views
300
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Awards
Staff Winter Selection 2015
Top Choice
Outstanding Creativity
Superb Composition
Peer Award
Superior Skill
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
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Behind The Lens
Location
I took this photo in Texas State Cemetery in front of the mortuary monument and statue of General Albert Sidney Johnston.Time
It was late afternoon around 4pm.Lighting
The sun was shielded by the trees which broke up the light so we purposely went at that time of day.Equipment
I was using a Canon 5D mkii and a 16-35mm lens with a variable ND filter.Inspiration
It was actually a music video shoot for musician Jason Blum, who is the subject, for a song called "I Know Evil." The video is really colorful but I love taking Black and White photos when I see good contrast and shapes and this was screaming to be a black and white photograph.Editing
I did some shadow boosting and lowered the highlights since the sun was peaking off the roof of the monument. I boosted the clarity a bit to give it a more rigid look to make it more statuesque.In my camera bag
I always carry a Canon 6D and a general purpose lens because you never know what you'll see. I've been keeping my 24-105mm on it. I like my 85mm 1.8 and my 35mm 2.0 a lot too. I have a couple bags packed with other equipment but I love to shoot in natural light and travel light when I'm not on an assignment.Feedback
Look for locations that have contrast. Black and white is all about contrast, lines and shapes. A photo that looks great in color may look boring in Black and white and vice versa because certain colors have similar shades in B&W and come across as flat. Squinting helps to pinpoint good contrast areas. Also, I took this shot low to make the subject more imposing and powerful like a statue. Shooting from different perspectives can drastically change the photograph. And natural light can change depending on weather conditions and time of day. Sunny days will give harder contrast but you don't want your subject staring into the sun. Experiment and see what works. You can do more with the tones if you shoot raw but shoot black and white so you can see the photograph the way it's meant to look.
