Paris in black & white

For some years now, I've been interested in creating monochrome images, in the style of those illustrating this article. In the digital age and with the possibilities offered in the field of image retouching, this new approach for me came about as I improved my knowledge of Adobe Photoshop software. Indeed, I wanted to change my habits a little, by trying something different.

For many years, I photographed architecture in color, but already retouching my images (changing skies, perspectives, etc.). It was on the basis of some of these images that I began working in black & white. Since I kept almost all my work files in PSD format (Photoshop's native format), I already had cropped images available. The point I'm making here is that I didn't yet know technically how I was going to create these monochrome images. I should point out here that all the images you see here are not the result of long exposures or night shots. They were mostly taken during the day, with the idea of making them as neutral as possible. You can see two examples below, as well as the one after:

 

Armed with the tools and knowledge I had at my disposal at the time, I began experimenting. However, it took some time to achieve the results I wanted, as these images generally require a great deal of work. It's not just a question of technique, but also of creativity, in the sense that you have to build up the interplay of light and shadow.

The series you can see here is somewhat different from the images I create with modern architecture. The technique for working with them is also different. In my opinion, it's a little more complex, because of the variety of shapes (and the difference in textures) in classical architecture. This is probably why there are only a few images in this series at the moment, as I create them less often. You can see other black & white images in my portfolio.

Monochrome images have certainly been my favorite to work with for some time now. Their visual impact is often interesting, due to the density of tones, gradations and effects created. So, for some time now, I've been offering online courses for working with this style of image. Don't hesitate to contact me if you're interested. You can also see the course details on the website (you'll find the link below).

Thank you for your visit!

 

Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.