B&W Forum - Yes or No

[ericmark]

It seems I was wrong you can get B&W cameras see here Special black-and-white-only digital fine art camera reviewed by Nicholas Hellmuth. Although my purse does not stretch to a Hasselblad so I'll continue to take in colour and then convert to B&W.

[Marko]

By using custom settings on most higher end digital cameras, you CAN throw away all colour info. IF you want to by changing the format. I believe if you choose a monochrome setting and save the image as TIFF, not RAW, all colour info goes gone.

Not saying I recommend this technique as I have not shot digital BW this way, but it can be done.

I'm still on the fence on this one (BW forum) based solely on the divided member count and how to categorize images. Logically for me, BW is its own game based on history alone. Whether the image is film or digital, does not matter much to me.....

I'd like to think about this a bit more before I use the gavel, but I am leaning toward 'yes'. We're still a smallish group but I think if we are thinking long-term it's a forum that would have to be created in the future anyway...

Continued input is appreciated and feel free to PM me about this issue as well.

many thanks!

Marko

[AcadieLibre]

You know you wanna, so just go for it.

[Fortytwo]

I always wonder when I see a b/w section but no color section.

[Marko]

You know you wanna, so just go for it.

You are right; I do want to. Likely next week.

I always wonder when I see a b/w section but no color section.

Once We put up the BW section I'll add the word Colour to the current show section.....

and if it does not work out (meaning if that BW section does not get respectable volume) I can take it out until the volume re-justifies it.

[Marko]

Hi members,

I created a BW forum today here Photography & Fine art photography - Black and White - Monotone - photography forum at photography.ca/Forums

I realize that the support for this forum was not overwhelming with a 60/40 split in favour of the Bw forum....but this is a fine art photography forum...whatever that means ...and Black and white photography is firmly entrenched in fine art photography so it only made sense to do it.

If there is little volume over the next few weeks in that forum it will be abolished until there is enough volume...my guess is that there IS enough volume though.

For now there are no subforums, but i will create them if the volume in the next short while warrants it.

Thanks for the input everyone!

Marko

[JAS_Photo]

So far some really awesome images showing up in the B&W section!

[ericmark]

I would agree however already there has been conflict with the cyanotype process and it was moved into another section and this was my worry and why I voted against it's own section.

Nearly every image in that section could also be rightfully placed in another as most are "Landscape & Nature (flowers, mountains, storms etc.", "Alternative photography", or "General photography" and questions and answers are not unique to Black and White.

There are of course some and the attempt to emulate old images is one good example.

I am sure as a new section the viewing figures are high. However once the novelty value wares off will it continue to get the viewing figures.

Up and running now so all that can be done is wait and see. I am watching with interest and it has become my new flavour of the month and as I did with HDR at the moment I am going a little overboard with Black and White until I feel I know how to do it.

Some tutorial on Black and White with Digital Cameras would be good. However what section would that go in? "Digital photography" or "Black and White - Monotone - photography forum"? And that was my point.

I do feel wet processes are very different to digital and talking about either to someone who is involved with the other format can be boring, so I can understand splitting wet and digital, but as already seen this is not happening here, and the one post which referred to a wet process was very quickly moved.

Please do not think I am complaining, I am just trying to be constructively critical and at this point I think letting the section run is the right thing and it has certainly sparked an interest with me.

All best Eric

[Marko]

I would agree however already there has been conflict with the cyanotype process and it was moved into another section and this was my worry and why I voted against it's own section.

Nearly every image in that section could also be rightfully placed in another as most are "Landscape & Nature (flowers, mountains, storms etc.", "Alternative photography", or "General photography" and questions and answers are not unique to Black and White.

There are of course some and the attempt to emulate old images is one good example.

I am sure as a new section the viewing figures are high. However once the novelty value wares off will it continue to get the viewing figures.

Up and running now so all that can be done is wait and see. I am watching with interest and it has become my new flavour of the month and as I did with HDR at the moment I am going a little overboard with Black and White until I feel I know how to do it.

Some tutorial on Black and White with Digital Cameras would be good. However what section would that go in? "Digital photography" or "Black and White - Monotone - photography forum"? And that was my point.

I do feel wet processes are very different to digital and talking about either to someone who is involved with the other format can be boring, so I can understand splitting wet and digital, but as already seen this is not happening here, and the one post which referred to a wet process was very quickly moved.

Please do not think I am complaining, I am just trying to be constructively critical and at this point I think letting the section run is the right thing and it has certainly sparked an interest with me.

All best Eric

Hi Eric - yeah there will be some conflicts and overlap for sure - but I'm happy about the new forum and think it was the right call.

In terms of the cyanotype... even though it's blue (therfore monotone) cyanotype is not a b/w process and it was posted in the wrong forum. It has been an alternative process for well over 100 years AFAIK...so i moved it. The alternative forum even has the word cyanotype in its description.

The digital photography forum I find confusing and I think we need to make its description clearer.

In terms of wet versus digital in the new bw forum - my pleasure to split the forum up and add a "wet" subforum when the time is right.

As Admin - I want the choices to be as clear as possible without many 'empty' forums and as little overlap as possible. I'm continually open to suggestions.

many thx!

marko