Black and White Flower -- Does it work??

[Kathy O]

I have no clue when it comes to Black and White photo's -- here is a photo, teach me what I need to know!! Thanks so much!!

Kathy

[Bobobird]

I quite like it.

[botspur]

Hi Kathy, I'm no expert but I like it, I like the tree bark more than the flower probably because of more detail.

I wait with anticipation for the answers to your question. I also battle with B&W as I'm not too sure as to what makes a good B&W image.

[WJT]

Hi Kathy, it works for me and I too like the tree trunks and bark. It is well composed and I like the light. I'm not the black and white photographer but I like this.

[Donald]

I have no clue when it comes to Black and White photo's -- here is a photo, teach me what I need to know!!

Line, Shape, Tone, Texture.

What you're trying to do is make something visual that has no colour for the viewer to use a reference point or to provide the visual interest/excitement/pleasure.

So, it's got to be interesting enough without colour to grab and hold attention. So what have you got to play with - Lines : Shapes : Tones : Textures.

So what have you got here?

• There are good strong lines running at angles that make for pleasant viewing
  
• There are clear, discernible shapes that provide alternative areas of interest
  
• There's good range of tones from light to dark
  
• There's texture in the bark and in the petals of the flower

So, a pretty good start to B & W production.

Compositionally - I really like that branch that is going up at the extreme left hand side. Unfortunately it is at the extreme left hand side and because I think it's so strong an element in the image, I find my attention getting pulled over there. The other part of that I don't think helps is that stem of the flower coming in as it does from the right hand side and cutting across the trunk of the tree. However, the rather obvious issue with that is that if the stem wasn't there the there would be no flower.

I hope these few ramblings help you think more about B & W.

[Daisy Mae]

Good advice for all of us there Donald.

Kathy, I really like it and having spent half an hour battling with a magnolia that was way above my head You have my admiration in getting an isolated bloom.

That plant fights dirty!

[PBelarge]

I don't want to sound sour on this, but I do not see much in this image that works, based on the title.
The tree is too overpowering. The bark is distracting, especially the portion to the lower right of the flower itself. The flower does not fill enough of the image. The lines of the building in the background are just enough to be distracting as well.
The flower itself is nicely captured, and I really like the lighting. Maybe you can find a way to capture it again, without all the other distractions.

[Kathy O]

Line, Shape, Tone, Texture.

What you're trying to do is make something visual that has no colour for the viewer to use a reference point or to provide the visual interest/excitement/pleasure.

So, it's got to be interesting enough without colour to grab and hold attention. So what have you got to play with - Lines : Shapes : Tones : Textures.

So what have you got here?

• There are good strong lines running at angles that make for pleasant viewing
  
• There are clear, discernible shapes that provide alternative areas of interest
  
• There's good range of tones from light to dark
  
• There's texture in the bark and in the petals of the flower

So, a pretty good start to B & W production.

Compositionally - I really like that branch that is going up at the extreme left hand side. Unfortunately it is at the extreme left hand side and because I think it's so strong an element in the image, I find my attention getting pulled over there. The other part of that I don't think helps is that stem of the flower coming in as it does from the right hand side and cutting across the trunk of the tree. However, the rather obvious issue with that is that if the stem wasn't there the there would be no flower.

I hope these few ramblings help you think more about B & W.

Thanks Donald for all the Great Advice. I was thinking there should be a different way of cropping the photo but have not been satisfied with anything I have tried so far. I was also thinking the same thing about the stem of the flower but thought it would look even more strange if it weren't there. Thanks again for the great advice I will refer back to it many times I am sure!!

Kathy