Best way to shoot B&W

What is the best way to shoot black and white photos? Is it better to shoot color, then convert in PS or shoot black and white straight from the camera?

Shoot color and convert in PS. You will capture much more info and have much better control of the final B&W image if you shoot it in color.

Color will give you more control in post processing, but B&W has actual clumps of silver in the film as opposed to dye clouds in color film. Those clumps of silver give B&W film a unique grain texture and tonal characteristics. I suggest you use B&W straight from the camera. :D

Yeah, I know what you meant. But you did ask what was the "best" way. That would be B&W film. :thumbsup: Occham's Razor. (learned that from a movie. :D )

Paul

Thanks guys. I was referring to digital, maybe I should have made myself more clear:D. Using the desaturation mode in PS the way to go?

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Originally Posted by slayer7124

Thanks guys. I was referring to digital, maybe I should have made myself more clear:D. Using the desaturation mode in PS the way to go?

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If you have photoshop, use the Channel Mixer, because it allows you to tweak the colors in the same way the color filters are used for B&W film.

I shoot in RAW format and set my camera's picture mode to B&W, that way I get a rough idea of how it looks in B&W "right out of the box", but no information is discarded.

I then process it in Lightroom, which has excellent B&W control. pre-lightroom, I "developed" the image as a color one and then used the channel mixer technique in PS (still shooting using the same technique mentioned above).

I shoot in color, desaturate, play with cotrast and levels. Intend to try channel mixer though.

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Originally Posted by photophorous

[snip] But you did ask what was the "best" way. That would be B&W film.

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I don't think that is true. I don't see how the same image, one taken with film and the other with digital, the film one will be better. Even if they produce different looks, there is no reason to say that the film one is the better photograph. If one likes the so-called film look, then it's his/her own preference; it has nothing to do with the good or bad of the photograph. If you ask which is the easier way to get a b&w picture, I'd vote for digital.

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Originally Posted by AgingEyes

If one likes the so-called film look, then it's his/her own preference; it has nothing to do with the good or bad of the photograph. If you ask which is the easier way to get a b&w picture, I'd vote for digital.

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Well, there definitely is a difference in look. Many 'old school' (film) photographers are partial to a particular brand of film. The difference between some lines of B&W is rather striking compared to color film. Some of my favorite shots are from high-ISO B&W film pushed a stop or two, to really bring out that unique grain.

I wonder if there are any PS filters or add-ons that mimic particular B&W films?

(As for easier, agreed that it is digital)

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Originally Posted by poemi

Well, there definitely is a difference in look. Many 'old school' (film) photographers are partial to a particular brand of film. The difference between some lines of B&W is rather striking compared to color film. Some of my favorite shots are from high-ISO B&W film pushed a stop or two, to really bring out that unique grain.

I wonder if there are any PS filters or add-ons that mimic particular B&W films?

(As for easier, agreed that it is digital)

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I find that Alien Skin's "Exposure" does a fantastic job of replicating most of the major films (Neo-Pan, Tri-X, etc.). This being said, getting to the point where you use the filter nescessitates a proper BW conversion. I used to use the channel mixer method, but I have grown much much more fond of the results I get using the Image-->Calculations method. Then I run Alien Skin Exposure 2 and I pick a film and that's that. Just make sure that the contrast in your source image isn't TOO high otherwise the software will yield a fake looking image.