Tag: colours

The Power of Seeing Monochrome: Tones of Black and White

Posted on May 24, 2017 by Simran Nanwani

Colors have a way to give you a bright and cheerful feeling. There is just something about a photo that speaks colors. It brings out that energy and brightens up your day with it. Did you know that even photos in Black and White/Monochrome can intrigue you?

Black and White definitely gives you a retro feeling of the olden days, when photographers like Andre Kertesz, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Fan Ho created wonderful artistic memories. At the same time, in current times you will find many photographers including myself, trying to experiment shooting or even editing in Black and White to create a different moment with a touch of the past.

How do we find the right photo to edit in Black and White? Or maybe capture a moment in Black and White?

In a recent assignment titled “Cities in Black and White” on National Geographic by Matt Adams, I tried to experiment and submit to the assignment. We were allowed to edit photos into black and white. In the assignment, Matt gave us a guide as to what to see or how to find the right photo to edit. It was not easy to choose the colored photos to transform them in Black and White yet, it was a fun learning experience. It has also continued to help and guide me to keep improving and trying out various edits to get the right tones of Black and White.

Seeing through black and white can be a challenge but it can be simple. We have been quite accustomed to having the option of shooting in color that when looking at black and white it feels too plain. It is in that simplicity that many great moments have been created in the past and even today.

The photo above has been shot in pure black and white. There was the “Weekend Hashtag Project WHP” on Instagram at the time titled “Shadows and Light” if I recall correctly. This project helped me to experiment capturing in black and white. I saw the chair and the sunlight during the day was pretty good to create a shadow effect. From a particular angle, I captured the shot, to portray the serenity of the moment using the chair as my object.

We now turn to comparing between color and monochrome photos to see how editing and conversion can also bring out a good black and white tone to photos.

This prominent red colored photo of an art gallery brings the moment to life with the red, the artwork and the structures. I chose this photo to transform it into black and white. As you will see once transformed, there is a completely new sense of the moment. Everything is the same the artwork, structure, and perspective. We can’t say that color is missing as the essence is the same. It is now just a matter of personal preference.

In this photo, the raindrops with the bluish green background bring the raindrops to life with every detail of it. After we convert it to black and white we can see not just the raindrops are alive but every single aspect of the photo is visible. There is complete clarity. The black and white is my personal preference as it defines what I wanted to capture the moment.

Walking around Patan Durbar Square, Nepal this scene was quite pleasant. The details of the wonderful palace building with the sunlight blue skies and people walking around created a lovely moment. Capturing this in color and after a while transforming it to black and white, made the moment feel more captivating. The details of every aspect pop out more through monochromatic tones.

The insides of Patan Museum, Nepal was a feast for the eyes. The architecture and intricacy kept me fascinated looking for various aspects to capture this royal beauty. As we entered, without thinking I just clicked this scene of the girl standing and people sitting around. After completing the National Geographic assignment, I tried experimenting by converting this image to black and white and turns out the transformed version is much better. It focuses completely on the girl standing thus, creating a complete moment around it.

This moment was another pure black and white capture inside a Cathedral. The lighting inside was perfect to bring out the details and the black and white tones defined this moment entirely.

Lastly, through this patterned inside ground of Istiqlal Mosque, we can see how the colors combined with the skies form symmetry. Patterns can help to define black and white tones in moments more. Changing the image to black and white gives it a refined touch where all the lines and structure come in harmony together.

There is no perfect combination or formula to doing it right, just simply practicing. Fan Ho said, “it was always his goal to wait for the lighting and composition to fall into place when photographing.” That could be our benchmark when capturing in monochrome. As for editing, there could be many things we can take into consideration like patterns, structure, architecture or even people. It really all depends on finding the right balance and tones to convert it. Requires a lot of trial and error to get what you are looking for in the photo.

Monochrome will continue to be something we experiment on as we do not have the limit of films and that is what makes it a challenge. The questions of how did they do it in the past? How did they learn the balance of composition? The simplicity and limit enhanced their creativity to get it right. They were able to capture the essence of what composition is not quickly, but smoothly. With color, it can feel like we have more distractions when focusing on an object or moment. Both has its positives, eventually, the choice is ours to make and create photos to share and inspire.

Shooting Angles – What to Look to Click?

Posted on April 28, 2017 by Simran Nanwani

“You may find that the picture you want to do can only be made from a certain place, and you’re not there, so you have to physically go there. And that participation may spur you on to work harder on the thing, because in the physical change of position you start seeing a whole different relationship.” – Jay Maisel

yellow

The quote above by Jay Maisel perfectly expresses how interesting and challenging it can be to capture angles. Through my captures, I have somehow always had the tendency on shooting angles. I can’t recall when it all began but there is just something about it. It could be through looking up at buildings, or an exquisite architecture of a building, or lines and structure, or an alley, or even looking down or just simply whilst capturing macro shots of flowers. Photography is an expression of how we envision moments or things around us. Perspective and angles are a unique way to express the vistas of everything around us creating an impression and imprint in our minds.

It isn’t something that can be planned as it requires observation and experimenting as well. As always, letting it come naturally to you is the best way to capture angles. There may be times when nothing motivates you to do an angled shot and that is completely okay. The moment will instantaneously present itself to you and all you will need to do is “click”.

structure

This outward structure of the National Stadium spoke to me. I began by looking up, clicking and experimenting the numerous aspects of the building. Experimenting would be by pointing and shifting your camera in various directions to frame the shot. It took a number of clicks to get the above results. To frame this shot, I wanted it to also have a minimalist touch so as to not completely focus on only the structure but leaving the blank space as well.

flower macro

Nature and flowers are one of the easiest ways to try out various angles. This lovely pink half budding rose fascinated me. I wanted to try to get a specific viewpoint to portray as if the rose was looking at you. Balancing between getting close to the rose, composing the image properly and getting the right proportion was as interesting as much as a challenge.

curves of Stadium

“As people, we love pattern. But interrupted pattern is more interesting.” – Jay Maisel

Jay Maisel nailed it again with the above quote to describe the way I felt when capturing the image above. Standing in front of the National Stadium seeing all these patterns, lines, colours and structure was spectacular. It’s like all these elements came together for me to venture and shoot.

Check – Mate

Street photography can also be a perfect place to try and play out various outlooks. On a walking tour, I found two men playing chess and it intrigued me to explore a particular angle to capture the shot. So, I tried the side way peeking approach for a change, to focus more on the people and the chess board as a whole.

crowd

This particular mall has a unique architecture giving one a nostalgic feeling transporting you back in time. Whilst looking down, I wanted to capture the curved aspect with the lamps and lines in frame. Thus, a combination of colours, people and structure into one framed picture.

look

And here is the instantaneous moment that nature presents itself to you. Sitting at the restaurant, I randomly looked down, played with my iPhone by framing angles and hit the shutter. The whole scene filled with pretty wood interiors and layout was quite delightful to build into a moment.

crisp

Looking up through the details of a building has never been more fun if you can capture it in a completely distinct way. The idea behind this capture was to have the symmetrical shape on top, which is part of the top portion of the building I was in, look like it forms a cover of the other building. I tilted my phone so this captured moment directs your eyes upwards.

stand tall

Awed by the architecture of this airport in Kuala Lumpur, I wanted to snap this whole scene but focusing more on the lines and architecture. Yet, another spontaneous shot.

alley

Something about this exhibition and the rows making it seem like an alley, motivated me to point and shoot. Just to have a glimpse of what the exhibition was about and have a sort of symmetry was my main aim when framing the shot.

open

Lastly, standing inside the building I casually looked out and noticed the door ajar in the middle and the lovely blue on the outside. It definitely was a moment not to miss capturing. Angling from a few places and with a few clicks, voila this moment was created.

pink bud

Every angled shot makes you think outside the box bringing the image a new flavor. Playing with perspectives has allowed me to explore a new side and style to photography. It is like allowing nature to speak to you and at the same time being creative to make an image stand out. There are no set rules to achieve it but simply being alert and listening to the moment. Let’s continue to enjoy the various points of view and keep clicking!

Capture Daily Life with Style: Framing lifestyle with a camera

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Simran Nanwani

How does one capture daily moments?

We walk about our daily lives and pass by every minute without realizing how quickly time flies. Try slowing down our pace, observing every moment that goes by, feeling it and then capturing a snapshot.

When capturing what’s the first thought that crosses your mind? How amazing the sunset is, or how beautiful the flower is?. What about how simple the moment is or how in harmony with nature everything is? The idea of beauty differs from person to person. But, paying attention to simplicity and nature is what everyday life photography is all about. We are continuously looking at daily happenings and finding the inspiration to snap a shot; the thought should only be to do that. Staying in that moment where the eye can reflect it into a picturesque moment. It’s not about when I capture this; the first thing would be posting it on social media but, it’s about the moment itself.

Red Flower by Elaine Taylor

Technology and social media, as good as it is, if we don’t use it productively, takes the taste of true photography out of our lives. We have “forgotten” what it is to capture the moment for what it truly is. There are 365 days photography challenges everywhere, only to challenge us to click simple moments without planning. These challenges are only to motivate the photographer, so we don’t lose touch with photography.

There is no technique necessary when clicking every day, but it’s more about paying attention to everything around us, feeling it and then transmitting it into a moment. It could be as simple as a cup of coffee on a table. You see, you like how it looked, and you clicked.

Cup of Coffee by Elaine Taylor

The image above has been captured by a good friend Elaine Taylor for her Project 365, and the image ultimately reflects the spontaneity yet the subtlety of the moment.

Here are some words from Elaine on why she wanted to try the 365 days Project and how the experience has been so far:

There were three things I wanted to do this year in relation to my mobile photography.

The first was to share more of what I shoot. I take shots every day but share just one or two images per week via my Instagram profile. I have thousands of images in my camera roll that are unlikely to be seen by anyone but me. The second was to take more pure Hipstamatic shots. I adore Hipstamatic. It’s the first app I installed on my phone and the thing that kickstarted my mobile photography passion. The third was to print more of my images.

I’d seen a post on Facebook by Eric Rozen, Founder of Hipstography.com. He was planning to do a 365 project this year. It inspired me to do the same. I thought it would be a great way to achieve all the things I’d mentioned above. So I set out to record a pure hipstamatic shot every day and intend to create (and print!) a book or calendar at the end of the process.

I’m really enjoying it so far. It’s a great way to document my every day life and will be a reminder of key dates/events, but much more than that, a reminder of the little important stuff that happens daily. I’m trying to focus on capturing an image that is a good reflection of that particular day without worrying about what I posted the day before. I’m aware that I won’t be sharing an amazing photo every day, but I hope each one will be meaningful and together provide a good reflection of 2017 when I look back on them.

A few of her images from her project:

Top it Off by Elaine Taylor

Colors and Flower by Elaine Taylor

Play by Elaine Taylor

Her images portray the moment in its purest and simplest time captured straight from the heart. And that is what photography is all about.

Sharing some of my everyday moments captured instantly and the stories behind it:

Blue Skies at Monas

It was a clear day when we started our walking tour to the National Monument (Jakarta), and as we were about to finish the tour, the skies were starting to turn gray and gloomy. You can see our National Mosque in the distance, and I wanted to capture this image with the angle pointing towards the skies and mosque. There was not much contemplation to the capture but more of feeling and clicking.

Rain On

Raindrops have always caught my attention for the longest time, not sure why but it’s probably the way the round drops beautifully form on the window. It is amazing how nature creates such intense, lovely moments precisely. It can be a challenge to capture raindrops especially to get the shot you have in your mind, but with a few clicks, I was able to click this image.

Coffee and Yellow

Sitting at the National Museum (Jakarta) coffee shop, I noticed this scene and instantly captured it. The classic windows, with the posters in frames and the bright yellow, transports you to a nostalgic era.

Chinese Lanterns

During Chinese New Year, I came across this lovely lantern decorations in an alley, and as always, the colors attracted my attention. The ambiance of the night filled with colors intensified my motivation to click simply.

Graphical Collision

This was a graphical poster I found at a mall in front of a renovated store. Something about the illustration transported me to Paris or Europe even and I wanted to try to create a picture with the graphics in the background.

Backdrop Sunlight

This was captured last year at a restaurant during a trip to Bali. The table with a blend of the Singer Sewing Machine reminded me of the olden days. It was fascinating how creative the combination was. The sunlight in the backdrop reflecting on the table created an image in my mind.

Through all the images, you can see that eventually what sets everyday life images apart is they are unplanned. It is a moment that stands as it is and has been captured through the heart spontaneously. There has to be a blend of two things: what you feel during the moment and clicking it once you’ve felt it. Many times when I have done so, the images created turn out far better than the ones I planned.

We must not forget that very first feeling we felt when seeing the moment and transmit it into a scene so that as we look back, it will only make us Smile. Beautiful treasured moments do not come from planning rather from the willingness to take the leap of faith and taking a shot that has come from your heart.