How to grasp the visual center of black-and-white photography

There is no doubt that today is the era of color photography. But there are still many photographers who are obsessed with the artistic creation of black and white photography. One basic reason is that we prefer the high abstraction ability of black and white photography. Without the interference of color, the lines, structure, light and other factors of the picture can produce stronger and deeper expressive force. Knowing how to use these visual elements to highlight the visual center of the picture is the key to shooting good black and white photography. Today, we listed eight methods to teach you how to grasp the visual center of the picture and make your black-and-white photography more solid and deeper. First of all, layout is also crucial, that is, deciding where to put the subject as the center of interest. Generally speaking, the object placed near the center of the picture is the most prominent, but how close is it? The above picture shows the architect photographed by Rene Burri. What we see is a typical one-third and two-thirds layout. It gives people a pleasant sense of balance and unrestrained relaxation, not as rigid as the middle. This is a layout. In this work, Barry deliberately put the child's eyes in the center of the picture to highlight the child's innocent eyes. However, he put the child's cheek on the round corner of the hat and watermelon to avoid the feeling of boredom. Second, contrast For black and white photography, there is no color contrast. If you want to use the contrast of objects to highlight the visual center, you can only reflect it by comparing the size of objects. In a picture of a fine horse taken by René Berry, a fine horse in the foreground is conspicuous for its tall figure. By contrast, other horses are insignificant. The photo of world ski champion Carl Schlanz also uses the same method. Photographer Horsr Ebersberg used a wide-angle lens to highlight the larger figure of Schlands than anyone else, even higher than the Alps! Third, the method of framing This is a meaningful winter scene, shot by photographer George Foss. The trunk of this painting frames the portrait of the subject. Although he occupies a small area on the screen, it attracts the attention of the viewer. In the following stage rehearsal photos, we can see another method of framing. Although the size of the two dancers in the foreground accounts for a large proportion, accounting for most of the picture, our attention is still attracted by the two directors who are seriously directing. For large and special outdoor objects, such as peaks, monuments, buildings, etc., framing technology can be used to improve the composition effect. The common method of framing is to take pictures of nearby branches. This photo is taken of Yosemite's semi-dome, and the delicate branches give the picture a sense of space and distance. This technique is often used in tourism photography and architectural photography. W.Eugene Smith built a photo frame for other members of the board of directors with paper-cuts of two people in the foreground, highlighting their absorbed facial expressions. To sum up: when your subject is too small to dominate the picture (or you are far away and want to show a sense of distance), one of the skills to attract attention is to build a frame for it. Fourth, when photography runs out, using shadows like running out of light will also create mysterious pictures. This photo was taken by Jerr Rice, a member of the New York Institute of Photography Professors Association. Here you can see a good example of using light. Both figures are illuminated. Everything else is actually in the dark. This photo conveys a symbolic message. This is a scene in Mount Zion National Park in Jerusalem, which is an extraordinary environment. Lighting technology is also used here. The peak on the right stands out in the contrast that the top of the mountain on the left is completely black. It is the contrast between light and shade that adds interest to this painting. V. Line Direction The main body of this photo is really too small, but the lines protruding from the four corners converge and point to the protagonist like arrows. Wide-angle lens enhances the convergence effect of lines and produces loneliness, which is the moral of photos. The above picture was written by Burke Uzley. The angle of the camera is low, so the relative position of the person and various convergence lines is very subtle. If the camera was at the height of Qi Mei, the layout of the characters would not be so dramatic. The author of this photo is Jerry Rice. He used many methods to attract people's attention to this problem. First of all, he focused on the theme accurately and put everything else out of focus. Secondly, he made the piper look tall and burly, and put him in the middle of the picture. Third, he made the protagonist's eyes look directly at the camera and attracted the audience's attention directly to his eyes. All these methods can draw attention to the subject without interference. Seven, the image repeats this picture of two horses drinking water shot by Rene Berry. The mirror reflection of the pool in the picture greatly beautifies the picture, and the elaborate arrangement of the main horses and trees constitutes a rhythmic repetitive pattern, which is an important factor to make the picture dynamic. Eight, the object dynamics The following photo adds color to the photo not only the beautiful movements of the skateboarding boy, but also the people around him who are absorbed. All the audience turned their eyes to him, even the cans on the ground pointed to him. His figure is very big, close to the center of the picture, and the boy in the cart and the timekeeper also built a picture frame for him. This photo focuses on all the skills we discussed in the same picture to highlight the key points, which is very meaningful. Generally speaking, we should not only use one skill to highlight the key points, but also use a variety of skills comprehensively.