FINE ART MONOCHROME
Fine art black & white photography
Claire Gillo switches to the monochrome medium and shares her top tips for creating fabulous fine art images
Claire Gillo is a photographer based in the South West of the UK. As a day job she specialises in product and commercial photography but as a sideline she sells her framed black & white fine art prints at Little Blue Budgie (www.littlebluebudgie.co.uk). You can find out more about her at www.clairegillo.com and follow her on Instagram @clairegillophotography
Fine art black & white photography is your artistic impression of a subject or a scene. When it comes to shooting in this genre the subject matter can be of anything, however the end result is often more abstract and/ or artistic and not commercial in any shape or form. The only stipulation for shooting a fine art black & white image, other than it being shot or processed with your artistic impression, is the image needs to be in black & white.
What subjects and concepts work?
There are many different subjects you can explore, and a good place for you to start is with the landscape genre. When shooting landscapes in black & white think less about the golden hour and beautiful sunrises and sunsets and more about the shape and form of the land. You want to find scenes that create interesting patterns or are atmospheric and alternative. Think about how the light is going to shape your image and whether you want flat light or strong sunlight. Misty scenes, grey skies and drizzly rain work great if you want to take a minimalistic approach, or if you’re after bold and interesting shadows then you’ll want to shoot in strong sunlight.
Think about how the shadows will appear in the scene and how they contrast against the light.
Portraiture is another genre that can be explored through a monochromatic fine art approach and there are many ways you can capture amazing images. Again think less about the usual rules – for example, making sure the eyes are sharp – and more about the concept or emotions behind your portrait. Using a slow shutter speed and showing movement or capturing an emotion in a creative way will get you on the right track.
Following on from portraiture, fine art nude or the study of the human body is another way to use the monochrome medium. Again it’s less about getting technically perfect images and more about conveying a concept or an emotion so the image raises a question. This style of photography can be shot on location (this needs to be carefully planned and in an appropriate location) or in the studio. If you are going to hire a model make sure you
