When the Answer is Black & White

Joseph C. Dovala · Issue 41, Mar/Apr 2008 · pp. 62–66

Products mentioned: Nikon D2X, Subal ND2, Nikkor 10.5mm FE, Nikon D100, Light & Motion housing, Nikkor 16mm, Nikkor 24mm, Sea&Sea YS120, Substrobe 200, Nikon Capture 4.4.2, Photoshop Elements 5.0

Sometimes black and white is just plain cool. Yeah, the oceans are full of color, seemingly impossibly so sometimes; but the nuances and ‘simple’ feel of a good B&W image is occasionally the way to go. The trick is to decide what makes a good monochrome photo. This can be highly dependant on the person creating and viewing the finished work. Of course, not everything that you point your camera at will translate to a nice B&W. A number of image basics need to be considered such as subject matter, contrast, tonality, luminosity, especially in the muted world underwater. On the other hand it isn’t rocket science either (at least knowing what you like) and it’s never been easier to experiment with these parameters than now in the digital age. Before you get the heebie-jeebies worried about all the Photoshopspeak, rest assured there won’t be any. And our goal isn’t to try and make underwater …