B+W vs Colour

[Daniel Porto]

Hello all!

Quick Question:

Should a good DOP know how to light for Black and White?? Are photographing for 'black and white' vs 'colour' the same or different?

More specifically in the digital age for black and white (or Monochrome RED) do you still expose to maintain a range, and then finish in post?

 

[Phil Holland]

Hello all!

Quick Question:

Should a good DOP know how to light for Black and White?? Are photographing for 'black and white' vs 'colour' the same or different?

More specifically in the digital age for black and white (or Monochrome RED) do you still expose to maintain a range, and then finish in post?

That's a very amoebic question that might not have one answer. A good DP would know how to shoot B&W if the project demanded it. Knowing if, what, and when to use color filters in front of the lens for instance to explore certain looks is an example of having knowledge regarding B&W shooting techniques.

General exposure practice isn't very different between color and black and white. Though you might go for a different look than you're commonly used to with B&W.

Shooting in color and simply desaturating in post works fine for many. Though I would actually set the B&W desaturated look in camera so we could "see" the tonality levels of various hues and how they related to tonal reproduction.

 

[John Lipsz]

B&W ain't just about chroma

B&W ain't just about chroma

Hey Daniel, there are a lot of differences in shooting B&W rather than colour. The way colour is represented in a b&w image is due to the hue and saturation of the colours. This means for example that when shooting a black and white film (digital) of a man in a suit, the suit color may be quite bizarre when seen on set, but the tonal difference between the shirt, tie, and suit would be perfect on the black and white monitor. Don't think that good black and white is simply colour with the chroma turned down, it is far more complex and subtle. Also filtration is very different in b&w than in colour. A green filter in Black and white changes the contrast in a shot dramatically.

I personally love shooting B&W, but there are not many jobs that call for it. Plus the fact that people really think that B&W is just a picture without colour and do not realize the expenses in set design and costume that are necessary to get that perfect look. I am certainly not expert in the art of B&W, but I know enough to be dangerous. hmy:

Cheers