The world in black and white: The pictures of the week

Contents

The photographers in last week's c't photo gallery wowed us with their black and white images. From animal to landscape to architectural photography, they cover a wide range of photographic genres. The pictures captivate with their fine composition, interesting structure or the motif itself.

Low-flyer

Gallery photographer analoochjehtooch took this high-key shot with very strong contrast on a safari through Namibia and Botswana and explains: "The picture was taken when a skimmer (bottom center) and two white-bearded terns flew past the boat low over the water. The sun was not ideal for this image, so I opted for a high-key conversion. The water surface of the Chobe River can still be seen as a spot under the middle bird."

Mismatch

A classic motif that gallery photographer calvin&hobbes was able to capture at the Steinhuder Meer near Hanover. He reports on the analog black-and-white photograph: "In search of a motif and in the desire to find distance from the events on the shore, I had separated myself from the group and came to this jetty, where I was initially interested in the structure of the wooden railing. When the single sail caught my eye, I turned it into a photo. It corresponds exactly to my mood of wanting to keep my distance, even though the circumstances are anything but favorable."

zigzag

In architectural photography in particular, building structures can have a different effect in black and white, as the color is omitted as visual information and is not initially distracting. In this case in particular, it helps the viewer to better see the contours of this house façade with balconies and to better understand its uniform design.

Form and light

The staircase photos by our gallery photographer Karsten Gieselmann always inspire us, and this one looks particularly good in black and white. About the picture, Gieselmann says: "Windows in stairwell pictures are usually distracting, so I try to avoid them. Here, however, the inclusion of the glass block front created an interesting contrast of shapes. To emphasize this, I chose to work in monochrome. A vignette enhances the contrast in brightness and helps to direct the eye to the center of the picture, the staircase."

Sausage stand

Sky, vapor trail, palm tree and tent roof come together to form a rather minimalistically composed picture. The black palm tree and the white tent roof form an interesting contrasting pair thanks to the monochrome composition and the clouds and the contrail look like white chalk drawings in the sky.

Jailbird beetle

This VW Beetle, standing in front of the Center for Art and Media in Karlsruhe, was taken in black and white by gallery photographer Dont-Panic-42. The photographer says of his picture: "Many of us 'older' people became mobile with the Beetle. It was the first car or the parents' car. We took the Beetle on trips to visit friends and family. Being 'locked up' and behind bars like in this work of art was my first thought. The Beetle is sitting in prison instead of buzzing freely on the highway, hence the name 'Jailbird'."

World Photo Day

On the occasion of World Photo Day on August 19, gallery photographer Klicker3D showed this picture of a dismantled Nikon Coolpix 3100. This (technical) still life of the interior of a camera that was launched back in 2003 looks particularly elegant and timeless in black and white and has a certain memento mori character.

(vat)