eye4bw.com
A photo community for Black & White photography
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• Intro
eye4bw.com
is a community of artists who share the same passion,
Black & White photography. We welcome photographers of all levels
to join and help preserve the timeless art of Black & White.
The absence of color provokes our mind, defines our thoughts and
our emotions are elevated. The spectrum between Black and White
is a subtle and beautiful mystery and with skill, seems infinite.
eye4bw.com is a place for photographers to illustrate their relationship
and communication with life and reality, by displaying their artistic
vision and bringing profound meaning to a subjects existence. Being
a community means sharing knowledge , advice and encouragement as
well as accepting constructive criticism from others.
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bw Blog
Photoshop by Erik Neilson
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Avoiding Excessive Use of Photoshop
Photoshop is one of the greatest tools to ever be introduced to the world of photography. With its robust interface and irreplaceable tools, many modern photographers would be lost without it. While the benefits surely outweigh the costs, many photographers rely too heavily on Photoshop for finalizing their work. Just about every commercial photographer these days uses the program to boost their results, but how much is too much?
Purists believe that it doesn't take much at all. In its heyday, black and white photography was all about the personal touch - everyone's prints looked different depending upon their individual style. The tools and tricks of analog manipulation were more art than science, and interesting results relied not on computer algorithms but instead on experimentation and the careful use of the human hand. While many photographers still use these techniques to this day, Photoshop and other types of augmentation software have all but replaced traditional techniques.
To be fair, the program is incredibly versatile. Most of the time, a raw image needs a little help to reach the point of being all that it can be, and Photoshop is a user-friendly, versatile program that can more than do the job. Some of the most beautiful printed images in photography have been subject to various degrees of alteration via Photoshop, and to great effect. The problem arises when photographers use Photoshop not to enhance their work but instead to cover\ flaws and make up for isn't there. When used as security, Photoshop can be a dangerous tool.
We've all been witness to prints that have been so overly "Photoshopped" that they look more like cartoons than photos, and no one wants to claim ownership to these prints. Yet, so many people are victim to the same crime, whether they want to admit it or not. Anyone who is concerned with the quality of their works has likely used Photoshop as a band-aid, and more often than not this results in ruining the photograph altogether. Photoshop is a great enhancement tool, but it is not a magic solution to an already dead photograph.
So next time you fire up Photoshop and start playing around with your images, remember that restraint will yield quality results. Overusing Photoshop is like putting on way too much makeup; do what you can to avoid it at all costs.
Members Bio - Rees Gordon
"I have no schedule and that is such a plus since I feel that a schedule, or routine, detracts from your creativity potential."
From the rural heart of America, born in the year of 39, a ninth child, orphaned soon after, Rees blends a touch of the outsider with a sharp focus reminiscent of the nighthawks in daylight. A sense of transcendent harshness, a bleak moment of the soul that celebrates mortality and the trip that brought him to the unrelenting and revealing light of the Arizona high desert. Not soft nor sentimental, sad yes, and joyful too, a drop of Caravaggio and a whiff of Phillip Glass.
"I enjoy working with figure models doing artistic nudes. Basically my motto is ”Mother Nature, and all her daughters”. I also dearly love old rustic subjects such as old wood framed houses, barns, and other structures. "
A working man's perspective, with an edge of sophisticated naughtiness, Rees uses his moments wisely, introspectively, a creator who has worked all his life, workingman, artist, child of dreams and man of the hard school. His work reflects loss, and the overcoming of loss, based on the inspiration from small things and quiet moments. His nudes are comfortable but detached, as if a dream was distilled with no intention of conformity, nor intimacy revealed. Veiled to reveal, he brings us in as spectators to a reverie of mature completeness, secure in the eye.
"I find black and white speaks so well to me, an emotional high to me to see a well done print.
I love shadow plays regardless of the subject, a very important element in black and white photography I think."
Rees started with a Kodak Hawkeye Brownie, and still uses one on occasion to fuel the nostalgic touch, switching to a Mamiya 645 and a Yashica for medium format work, a Canon EOS Elan II for 35mm and only a Canon Digital Rebel for digital.
by Osvaldo Menegol
• Meet our members (view all)
 David Hixon |  Giancarlo Vizhnay |  Green Matahari |  Edilson Dantas |  Jun-Chin Wang |  Mora lubis |  EDUARDO MONCADA |  cashmael derby |
