I've seen this challenge requested/suggested before, and I'm all for it. Unlike the last time this was done, however, I would like to see a requirement that the image not be B&W, but Color. Interesting little twist, requires a little more of a challenge. So, how about it...? Can we do it...P-p-p-p-p-p-lease...??!?!?!
how does not being black & white make it more challenging? It doesn't change the fact the original subjects would have to be black on black.
Sure it does; photograph dark blue on dark red, and you got HUGE PS capabilities to distinguish subtly between the tones. something you don't have with black on black. The former you can fine tune to a fare-thee-well and then convert to grayscale... Or are you suggesting that the entries would be validated based on whether the original shows any color? Better be sure your white balance is set properly, in that case :-)
Seriously, to do a "black on black" without allowing conversion seems to me to MANDATE studio set-ups. Where the heck else can we find black on black to shoot? What's the challenge "purpose" anyway? If it's to have any real-world applicability, it needs to be about rendering drak tonalities against a dark background, which is plenty of challenge in its own right isn't it?
I had a discussion with another photographer last year about how Black doesn't really exist in nature. Some rocks are partially black... other than animals that's about all we could come up with. Do some flowers have black in them?
I had a discussion with another photographer last year about how Black doesn't really exist in nature. Some rocks are partially black... other than animals that's about all we could come up with. Do some flowers have black in them?
Black-eyed Susans and some Pansy varieties certainly look like they contain some black. Some molds, fungi and fern spores are black. A lot of seeds are black.
This photographer doesn't consider minerals and animals "part of nature"?
It's easy to say "zebras are black, skunks are black, cats and dogs are black, I even saw a black rat once" but it gets tougher when you eliminate animals. It's really not rocket science, it was just a general discussion that didn't include the obvious: animals.
I had a discussion with another photographer last year about how Black doesn't really exist in nature. Some rocks are partially black... other than animals that's about all we could come up with. Do some flowers have black in them?
I had a discussion with another photographer last year about how Black doesn't really exist in nature. Some rocks are partially black... other than animals that's about all we could come up with. Do some flowers have black in them?
Black tulips.
I think those are human-created hybrids.
Ebony (wood) is a synonym for black. Some varieties of Manzanita have bark which is pretty black, as are its seeds/pods. Mildew is black. Vanilla beans turn black when they ferment/dry out. Black beans are black. I've bought some 80% chocolate bars which looked pretty black ... although I suppose there's a reasonable argument to be made that chocolate is heavenly and not of this Earth ...
Even using a flash outdoors at twilight gives the background a total BLACK look. Personally I think that would fit the challenge well.
It's always interesting to see what other people feel meets the challenge...some of us on DPC have this extremely strict idea of just what a good entry's set-up and subject should be.
I like the challenge suggestion, either way. But I can just imagine the comments from the un-calibrated monitor voters:
"I don't see anything."
"Youf subject is unclear."
"You're supposed to take the lens cap off."
...etc.
how does not being black & white make it more challenging? It doesn't change the fact the original subjects would have to be black on black.
Doing a B&W shot for a Black on Black challenge is the easy way out. Almost any desaturated shot could qualify. Think of the Light on White challenge. The ones without any color were dismal and lifeless. Much more of a challenge to do it with color.
I'm going to shoot a black cat crossing a blacktop road, lol.
I like the challenge suggestion, either way. But I can just imagine the comments from the un-calibrated monitor voters:
"I don't see anything."
"Youf subject is unclear."
"You're supposed to take the lens cap off."
...etc.
Lots of interesting comments about this suggestion. It's good to see there are people out there that understand the difference between "black, the color (or lack of color if you prefer)" and Black and White. That is my idea behind this challenge, is to go out and photography black as a color. Photograph that black dog and you will see more than the color black in his coat. Shooting the black cat as he crosses the blacktop road will render wonderful colors including maybe the oils in the road, and reflections off the cats shiny fur. As a B&W photo you only see shades of grey. Hence, shooting a black foreground on a black background forces the photographer to think about tonal ranges, lighting and composion. There will be some marvelous blues and violets, greens and reds, showing up in all that black I'm sure. It's a challenge. Challenges aren't meant to be easy. They are meant to make one think, before doing. Think about photographing someone wearing black clothing with a black background. How are you going to seperate the two? I do hope this on flies as it should bring out some interesting and warm photos. However, as mentioned by babymarero, the "None-Calibrated monitor" viewers may have a hard time with this one. Due to that, overall judging scores will probably also be lower then usual. But it should still be fun.
