For my final piece I will be creating a series of black and white images shot on medium format using 120 film.
I want to look at a variety of photographers who have used black and white imagery in alternative creative ways. Not to say I will be trying anything too outrageous but I want to explore what can be done with black and white film photography. In particular I will be looking at images which I believe have a rich texture and deep tones which complement the subject matter.
Robert Mapplethorpe is a staple in the amateur photographer’s diet when hungry for beautiful imagery.
The first image here, of James Franco, is so rich in tones. I think what really grabs my attention in any of Mapplethorpe’s work is how black the blacks within the images are. It always adds so much depth to the image. This moves us on to the second image which, again, you can see the richness of the blacks create the rest of the image. without this depth, the subjects in the foreground wouldn’t have so much of a visual impact.
Erwin Blumenfeld is another photographer who used some interesting techniques to create depth in his images.
Again, you can see how the deep blacks offset the subject matter to create beautiful shapes and textures. Something Mapplethorpe did a lot of.
Sally Mann is another excellent Black and White photographer, despite her somewhat controversial subject matter, the images are still very beautiful.
You can again see the richness in tones here that I am speaking of. Particularly in the first image of her daughter. The image directly above is a self portrait which I have only just discovered. Again, it’s the blacks of the vignetting that add so much drama to the image which is what always seems to attract me to black and white photography.
Trying to be a photographer... 