This is my annual series of “THE ART OF BLACK AND WHITE”, and now it is issue #7. This is a collection of some of the best black and white photos found on the internet in the last few months, from some of the most talented photographers in the world. I said last year that the interest in black and white has been developing for some time now, and this year the photos collected are the most amazing photos I’ve had to date. Congratulations to the photographers who’s photo was chosen for this presentation.
As far as how I pick these photos, here is some of the criteria I look for:
The photo must have good contrast, and have excellent blacks and whites.
Would this photo look better in black and white, than in color.
For facial pictures or portraits, the exposure must be perfect. No washed out tones and the greys are very nice.
Some black and white photos tell a story, and it can be best told in black and white.
With that in mind, here is this years winning photos:
Here is an exceptional black and white photo, but, it’s color, but, it’s story is something you can’t pass up. I have never really had a photo, that is technically color, but, represents black and white so well. The meaning and thought to this photo is powerul. The photographer: Matheus Viana, who regularly posts his photos on Pexels.com, has some talent in his photography, and should be recognized.
Photographer Attila Hangyasi has come up with a wonderful portrait of this fine man. This black and white of this fine man struck me as one portrait that nailed it on exposure. The exposure is so right on. Plus, the pose is just so nice. I don’t usually pick a lot of portraits for this presentation, but, there is some real good ones this year. To see more of Atilla’s great photos, go to his FACEBOOK web page: https://www.facebook.com/attila.hangyasi.121
This photograph of this beautiful girl was also taken by Attila Hangyasi. I was curious if he was just lucky with one good photo of the older man, but, it appears he has black and white portraiture down to an art. Good exposure, nice grey tones. Certainly worth seeing two great photos from him. Go to: https://www.facebook.com/attila.hangyasi.121 to see more of his work.
Photo by PAUL ANTHONY WILSON (c). Now I know elephants are grey in color, but, to get this photo of the two elephants together was a job in itself. I really like how detailed the elephants skin is. It just makes you want to reach out and pet them. The black background was what really set this photo off. It just made this a winning photo. Paul Anthony Wilson has mastered his photography skill and has his own website. You should see some more of his photos. Please go to: http://www.paulanthonywilson.co.uk Great job Anthony!Photo by Jim Miller (c). This photo is just amazing. Look at the rain in this photo. That is something that takes skill to create this type of photo. But, the composition is so good. Jim is a great photographer, and this is his second appearance in this series. He had another amazing photo in last years presentation. You can see his and other photos from other photographer by going to: 23photogo.wpcomstaging.com/gallery/. Thanks Jim for always coming through.
Photo by Jessica Lewis from Pexels Photos. This black and white photo was chosen because of the guitar being vintage, and then the photographer had the mindset to put it up against an old door and a very old looking floor. It just takes a current photo, and made it look old. Congratulations Jessica, this was well done.
Photo taken by Lanny Cottrell photography. This black and white photo, compared to the color version is about the same. That is what makes some winter photos do so well in black and white. Other than a slight tint to the wood, they are almost identical. The contrast between black and white is amazing for sure, and makes this winter photo look delightful. Photo by Herman Van Bon (c). An animal done as a perfect portrait, I love the face on this sheep, and how it makes you just want to maybe keep your distance. The detail of the face, and then to vignette the photo, I think, makes it a real class photo. He lives in Napier, Western Cape, South Africa, and has developed an amazing talent in photography. He has his own website, and if you want to see more great photos, you really need to go to his website and check them out: http://hermanvanbon.comPhoto by Steve Brown (c). This long exposure of the mountain stream is really nice in black and white. Normally, I wouldn’t pick this type of photo in black and white, but, this one was just nice. The blur of water in the stream, the leaves in the stream and along the banks of the stream, just seemed beautiful in black and white. Thanks Steve for sharing your talent. Photo by Javant Kalkarni and was displayed on Pexels website. There is such a popularity of this type of photography. The simple photo with lots of background is really nice. This is the type of photography that is going on the walls now. This photo is way awesome because you can see the story behind a couple of men on a boat, whether they are fishing or not, it just seems to grab you, and draw your eyes to the main subject. It is done very well.
Photo by Jaoa Cabral from the Pexels web site. Fog and misty photos are really good in black and white. This just is one great example. The color seems to be taken away because the light is so subdued. And the subject in the photo is placed to tell as story. I have a feeling that wherever this is, it’s very typical of this weather.
This is another photo from Joao Cabral. Pexels is a great site to capture good, new young aspiring photographers. This photo is of fog again. I think maybe Joao is fascinated with these types of photos, because he is very good at them.Photo by Kayln Kostov. The reason this photo was chosen, is because the exposure is real good with this, plus, the freckles on this person, in black and white are amazing. I think a portrait of a person with freckles is just amazing, and the person doesn’t need to be shy about having them either. Is there anyone who doesn’t like freckles? This is just a wonderful portrait.Photo by Pixabay on Pexels. This is a photo that works really good on black and white. The good contrast, the subject material, the expression on the person’s face all contribute to this wonderful photo. I don’t think I want to be kicked by him.Photo by David Pearce (c). From looking over David’s Facebook website, it appears that this is a walk he takes often. And I can see why. This natural foggy scene, with those beautiful trees, are just spectacular in this kind of weather. The fog on this one photo is nice because it’s just thick enough to create a wonderful fade to white. A great capture of this weather. Thanks David.Photo by Todd Trapani. I have seen photos of this site many times, but most people don’t take the time to get different angles of this monument. And I really just liked to see that a photographer was willing to beyond the norm, and get a photo of this monument from an angle that we don’t normally see. Now you can get an idea of just how rugged this area is, and besides it being a famous tourist site, makes this interesting photo.Photo by Nika Akin from Pexels. We have all seen photos like this before from older photography. The exposure is spot on, because you have perfect blacks, and perfect highlights. This was done on purpose to lighten the image on the half of the face. Hardly any grey tones to this photo, but, this one works. It just makes the model more mysterious this way. This is a technique that only works when done this way. Very well done. And it’s good to see the talent put forward on this.
This concludes this year’s ART OF BLACK AND WHITE, VOLUME 7. Thanks to those who let me use their photos. You have amazing talent and perhaps we may use your photos again.
