 |
-The Case of Black and White-
December 2008 |
By Roger Cox All cameras shoot in color these days. Manufactures assume (rightly so) that most people only want to see their pictures in color. For the most part that is true. However, it is NOT a universal truth, because as we know, good photographers do not just "snap pictures". When considering your bodybuilding images, don't forget about the tried and true black and white photograph. I like to use black and white photography to make an image pop! I can really bring out the verb by increasing the contrast between the shadow and the illuminated sections of the picture using black and white, and all athletes need to be aware of this photography option. If you look at the image below, you can see this what I mean. Notice how the detail at the jaw line is present in the color image, but is in a deep shadow on the B/W image. This has the effect of bringing the elements of the face to the viewers eye. It has to since you can see nothing of particular interest in the shadow. This is also happening with the athletes muscle structure. Also notice what effect the oil has had on the skin in the B/W image with high contrast. The oil and the stage lights create spectacular highlights and invoke certain interest areas that are not as pronounced in the color image. Competition stage lighting is purposely set to bring out highlights of muscle. This is very evident in the two sample pictures below. Even the way that athletes pose on stage is structured to highlight the muscles that are to be promoted. All successful bodybuilders spend hours learning how to pose to the stage lights. Black and white photography takes that concept and brings it to the camera, by emphasizing the lit areas of the image and de-emphasizing other areas. Also note that the increased contrast has wiped out any remaining background from the stage. Again, this keeps the focus on the subject. The pictures are the same except for the way in that they were processed. They are both great shots, but they say different things to the viewer. Which one does your eye seem to gravitate to? Black and white images can be very powerful if shot correctly. This is especially true in our sport. This type of image capture technique will bring out the focus of the subject because of the ability of the light to draw our eyes to the actual subject matter that we want to promote. While I don't think that everything should be shot in black and white, there are certain images that can be more than what they started out as, if the case of black and white is made.
|