Colour Relationships - Tones in B&W (3.3b)

Requirement

4 images

Purpose

To understand how colours affect tones in black and white images

Technical learning

• Black and white photography has revived in the digital era: post-production makes 2 important features easy - monochrome conversion and adjusting tones to suit intent
• Colour filters brighten their applicable colours and darken their opposites, e.g. a red filter enhances reds but darkens blues.

Exercise instructions

• Make a still life with 4 objects: 1 coloured red, 1 yellow, 1 green and 1 blue on a mid grey brackground 
• Take 1 photograph
• Convert image to monochrome in Photoshop
• Produce 4 further images by dialling up in the monochrome conversion tool (a) the red component, (2) blue, (3) green and (4) yellow. 
• Each case keep the tone of the grey bcakground unchanged

Images and review

A favourite old coffee mug almost fits on its own the subject requirement for this project. Large Orange (instead of Red), Green and Blue Polka dots on Yellow. The neutral grey came courtesy of a predominantly grey packing blanket lying forgotten in the garage.

Colour Original

Converted to black and white without colour filtering effect

Neutral Monochrome

After applying Blue filter effect..

Blue Polka Dot assumes a light tone
whilst all of the other (brighter) colours become
signficantly darker, most noticeably
the Yellow and Orange

After applying the Green filter effect...

Green Polka Dot becomes lighter, the Blue is unchanged,
whilst the Yellow and Orange have turned
a shade darker

After applying the Orange filter

Orange, Yellow  and Green Polka Dots lighten, the
Blue darkens

Finally, after applying the Yellow filter

Orange, Yellow  and Green Polka Dots lighten, the
Blue darkens. In fact the Orange and Yellow filters
have largely the same effect, at least to the eye, due
to the proximity in the inherent brightness
of these twi colours