I went to Seybold San Francisco this year seeking information and news. I wasn’t expecting much more from the conference. I dutifully sat in my share of sessions on practical topics such as workflow and color management, filling my mind and reporter’s notebook with interesting tidbits and observations.
There were several digital photography sessions on the roster and I went to two of them — expecting more of the same type of slightly dull (but nourishing) brain food. Instead, I got something I hadn’t expected in the slightest — delicious big heaps of gourmet graphic arts inspiration. I came away from these sessions with renewed respect for still images and the people who create them.
Looking for the Form Within
Renowned portrait and celebrity photographer Greg Gorman spent an hour showing images of celebrities and publicity shots (nothing too racy). Fortunately for the audience he had spent some time with the AV people before the session tuning the projection equipment so we could see some of the high quality in the images. I was glad he’d taken the time to try to get the colors, especially the skin tones, as realistic as possible.
He showed us dozens of images that he’d taken with various digital cameras. Each image was presented on the large screen at the front of the room –first in color as he had taken it and then the black and white version of the image would appear. He had timed the transitions so that the colors seemed to evaporate, giving the sense that the real bones of the image were always black and white.
I was transfixed by the gushes of color and form. I had not realized how much color can obscure the interesting shapes that can lie within, especially in images of people. In color images the colors themselves can attract so much attention from the mind and eye of the beholder that you can miss the power of the form itself. When you remove the color, the form takes center stage.
After showing us some of his latest work, Gorman opened up Photoshop CS and explained how he removes color from an image and how he gives the resulting grayscale images a little extra something that is his signature look. He demonstrated the technique at the same speed he works, which made it difficult to catch everything. Fortunately, he also gave away printed handouts explaining his process and I brought the formula home with me to share with you:
Greg Gorman’s Photoshop CS Recipe for Black and White Conversion
- Open a color image in Photoshop in either 8 bit or preferably (in Photoshop CS) 16 bit.
- Under the Image menu, choose Mode > Lab.
- Click (Highlight) the Lightness Channel.
- Under the Image menu, choose Mode > Grayscale (discard color information).
- Command/Control Click on the Gray Channel (to load the selection).
- Under the Select Menu, choose Image > Inverse.
- Under the Image menu, choose Mode > RGB Color.
- In the Adjustment Layers Palette choose Solid Color.
- Select a color from the Color Picker or from the Swatches Palette (which I prefer).
- Your choice of color should be based on the tonal range you wish to see in your final B&W.
- . Go to your Layers Palette and change your Blending Mode to Multiply.
- Because your Color Fill is on a Layer you may adjust the opacity to dial back the color to your desire.
- In addition (IMPORTANT), you may add a Curves or Levels Adjustment to achieve the desired result.
- Should you wish to change the color of your B&W “Duotone” simply double click the color fill and reselect.
I was happy to find that I had done many of his techniques myself and pleased to find he had a few things to teach me. No recipe can replicate his talent and eye, however. I doubt my skills as a photographer will ever match his, but I can still enjoy my own photographs. Plus, artists of all kinds need appreciative audiences — which I certainly was during that session.
Out of Thousands. One Lingers
In another session Kim Komenich, a photographer with the “San Francisco Chronicle, shared his experiences working with the America 24/7 project. More treats for the eyes were revealed as he showed a montage of shots from the massive project — thousands of photographers, 3,000 graphic arts professionals took part in creating this beautiful collection of images.
Each of the images he previewed took my breath away. I watched in awe as wall-size images crammed with color and life burst onto the screen. Honestly, I wish he’d just kept showing images from the project instead of stopping to tell us about the project and his work,
One image in particular has stayed with me. It was only on screen for a few seconds, but I can see in now in my mind’s eye: a sunlit country panorama of a ribbon of dirt road undulating through farm land filled with burgeoning green plants and at the top of the frame a bright red barn sat off the side of the road. The photographer must have climbed up a silo or a tree to get that particular wide angle, but he (or she) must have been determined to capture one shot that combined these vivid and unforgettable shades of red, green, gold and sunlight.
Photographic Storytelling
In the same session, digital photography and video guru David Snider and founder of the Photography Channel demonstrated a technique he has developed for what he calls “photographic storytelling.” It’s a mix of still images and video narrative that must be seen to be appreciated properly. That’s fortunate because you can see some of the digital video pieces that Snider created for television and the Internet on the Web. I urge you to take a few minutes to visit the Photography Channel Web site and see examples of Snider’s work.
Like Gorman, Snider spent some time showing the session audience how he does what he does. The technique for making the still images move back and forth within video frames appeared simple but it’s not as easy as he made it seem. Watching his pieces in the session you quickly realized that the technique, as simple as it may be, is no substitute for talent. Rather, the technique reveals the talent (or lack thereof) of the person using it.
Finding Inspiration
I was so inspired by the talent of these presenters and by their images that I slipped my digital camera in my briefcase and carried it around with me the remaining days of the conference. San Francisco is such a beautiful city that I knew I’d find a vignette or two worth capturing.
Early one evening I snapped a shot of the famed San Francisco fog folding itself around the top of office buildings just as twilight was falling over the city. When I got home, thinking of the famous Carl Sandburg poem “Fog“, I added the “little cat feet” later using a custom shape and blending tools in Photoshop Elements.
May you find such delectable inspiration at your next conference because as graphic arts professionals we need all the creative fuel we can find.
Read more by Molly Joss.
This article was last modified on January 18, 2023
This article was first published on September 2, 2004
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