Black and white spring?

ChrisR

ChrisR

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OK, I'm doing this OCOLOF thing and my film is Tri-X, and all of a sudden it's looking a bit like spring. There's pink blossom on the trees and red shoots and yellow buds on the willows, and we've had the crocuses and now the daffodils, and every darn thing wants to be in colour!

How can I best shoot spring in black and white? Ideas, please, filmies!
 
How about matching the filter to the dominant colour in the shot (green for foliage, yellow for daffs) to make the focal items really pop?
 
And think about differential focus! Pretend you're at the dentist's, and open wide .... or are you constricted by a small-aperture zoom?
 
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ChrisR said:
OK, I'm doing this OCOLOF thing and my film is Tri-X, and all of a sudden it's looking a bit like spring. There's pink blossom on the trees and red shoots and yellow buds on the willows, and we've had the crocuses and now the daffodils, and every darn thing wants to be in colour!

How can I best shoot spring in black and white? Ideas, please, filmies!
Click to expand...

Spring isn't only about colour though. With flowers blooming and leaves sprouting forth on trees, it means that there are new shapes to explore and new shadows cast. Perhaps think about shape, form, light, dark, etc.?

Some filters may help though if you're trying to emphasise subjects of certain colours though.
 
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Cuchulainn said:
How about matching the filter to the dominant colour in the shot (green for foliage, yellow for daffs) to make the focal items really pop?
Click to expand...

That's a good idea! I've got a 40.5-49mm step-up ring now, so I can use my 49mm filters. Not very sure about the effects of green and other filters, so perhaps this is a good chance to learn a bit more.

droj said:
And think about differential focus! Pretend you're at the dentist's, and open wide .... or are you constricted by a small-aperture zoom?
Click to expand...

It's just the one lens, the Minolta M-Rokkor 40mm f/2, so widish in both senses, but sadly it doesn't focus very close.

skysh4rk said:
Spring isn't only about colour though. With flowers blooming and leaves sprouting forth on trees, it means that there are new shapes to explore and new shadows cast. Perhaps think about shape, form, light, dark, etc.?
Click to expand...

All good points. My thoughts so far have been on smaller things like unrolling ferns, but the longish close focus (and the rangefinder) make them hard.

PMN said:
Spring early morning mists or condensation immediately come to my mind when thinking in black and white. :)
Click to expand...

Good thought. Now, about getting up early...:thinking:

Right, thanks guys, you've given me some good ideas.
 
All good stuff, but in practice, spring in black and white... sucks. :(

All that lovely, luscious colour, going to waste. :runaway:
 
Nah - colour is well overrated.

As has been mentioned, go for tones, shapes, forms.

Push it to extremes.

(Actually, I think I might have just inspired myself a bit. Thanks Chris. :))
 
Oooooh... nah, I dont think I could restrict myself... mind you...
 
ChrisR said:
All good stuff, but in practice, spring in black and white... sucks. :(

All that lovely, luscious colour, going to waste. :runaway:
Click to expand...

But only on that C, L & F... No reason not to use a different camera and film for more seasonal colour. When I shot a lot of B&W, I was always on the lookout for shapes rather than colour - buds, catkins, unrolling fern fronds, April shower clouds. Of course, unless you're completely chemical and only do wet prints, you can always play with colourising B&W images (in fact, you can play with colourising wet prints if you're 1/2 handy with a brush...)
 
Chris, you are simply mad!! :lol: I LOVE colour film, I have every admiration for you, I simply couldn't do B&W all year when the colour option is available. However, like Nod says, look for shape and texture and some background separation too to make the most of what spring has to offer in mono.
 
Lot of lovely white clouds in brilliant shapes today, between the rain, hail and snow showers, but we were driving sarth so photography was a no-no!

I'm only using the one camera, and only Tri-X, that's it... except of course for that doesn't count digi stuff of my new grandson. But that doesn't give me the same satisfaction that film cameras do... or perhaps that manual cameras do? I'm not promising the whole year, but I decided I'd definitely do 6 months.

It's been fine so far, but the riot of colour over the past few days has made me a bit cranky. And the lens doesn't have good close focus, so things like unfolding ferns, emerging horse chestnut buds etc don't work either. Oh well... Thanks for all the comments, folks.
 
[heresy]No reason why you can't use the grandson camera for other colour stuff![/heresy]
 
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