{"id":64713,"date":"2022-05-12T13:20:09","date_gmt":"2022-05-12T04:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fujifilmnxtc.wpenginepowered.com\/?post_type=xstories&p=4200936"},"modified":"2024-05-02T00:34:17","modified_gmt":"2024-05-01T15:34:17","slug":"be-mindful-in-monochrome","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/stories\/be-mindful-in-monochrome\/","title":{"rendered":"Be Mindful in Monochrome"},"content":{"rendered":"

Photographer and tutor Paul Sanders discusses how cutting through the clutter of colour helps him make uniquely compelling images<\/h5>\n

It\u2019s sunset on the Pembrokeshire coast, and Paul Sanders is framing the curve of an inlet with his GFX100S<\/a>. Flaming sunsets aren\u2019t a usual draw for the monochrome photographer, but if Paul\u2019s effort is anything to go by, opinions could change. It\u2019s a beautifully executed minimalist landscape, that neatly sums up his approach to black & white image making \u2013 and photography in general.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat scene was shot just outside a bed & breakfast where I was staying with my dad,\u201d Paul explains. \u201cI\u2019d taken him away to do some photography in Wales because he\u2019s very keen. We had enjoyed a great day, and I was happy and content at that moment. To be honest, the golden hour doesn’t really do much for me. It’s beautiful, of course \u2013 but working in monochrome, light can be good at any time. It was more about acting on the feeling that I wanted to make an image, inspired by the mood, as well as the shape of the bay and the light reflecting from the water. A feeling of calmness and joy.\u201d<\/p>\n

Paul\u2019s uniformly square and elegantly composed images illustrate astute black & white skills, with a hard-earned approach to shooting in a mindful fashion. Once a working news photographer, and now teaching workshops with an emphasis on the \u2018why\u2019 more than the \u2018how\u2019, \u201cmindfulness is about being present in the moment\u201d, he explains. \u201cFocusing your attention without judgement. It helps you see new images and get ideas, all of which can be accentuated through a monochrome approach.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Lonesome<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF30mmF3.5 R WR, 1\/80 sec at F5.6, ISO 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cAbove all, working in black & white is about simplicity,\u201d he explains. \u201cOnce I\u2019ve identified a subject, I don’t want it recorded in a cluttered photograph. I don’t like a cluttered life. And colour is a bit like clutter. It\u2019s shouty and distracting. When colour is stripped away, images convey mood and emotion more easily. They become about texture, shape and tonality.\u201d<\/p>\n

So, by virtue of having less information, black & white images are more direct? \u201cThat\u2019s right,\u201d Paul says. \u201cThey can say more with less. Colour can get in the way and draw attention. It\u2019s much the same with my minimalist compositions. Images become powerful because of their simplicity, and the viewer\u2019s concentration is drawn to that. In monochrome, I would always urge people to work in as simple a way as possible.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\u201cThat said, of course colour is actually really important to black & white photographers, because every single hue represents a tone. So, you have to pay attention to how the colour in a scene will be replicated in monochrome.\u201d An example can be seen in Paul\u2019s delicate image of a fern. \u201dThe difference in colour between the leaves makes all the difference. Here, yellow leaves appeared more strongly against darker greens, even with the colour removed. But that\u2019s not always the case. For instance, a bright red and a bright green might both look like mid-tones in mono.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Bent<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/10 sec at F4, ISO 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Thanks to the features in his GFX System and X Series cameras, finding this monochrome balance is a lot easier for Paul. \u201cI use ACROS red mode the most,\u201d he explains. \u201cIt tends to look on screen how I want it to look in a print. Based on that, I set the camera to shoot in RAW+JPEG, and only use the former if I want to make more changes. But what\u2019s really instrumental is the EVF view, which shows me \u2018live\u2019 how the colours are rendered in black & white.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Set<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/320 sec at F6.4, ISO 2000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cMy love of Fujifilm mirrorless cameras has a lot to do with the EVF effect,\u201d he continues. \u201cIt\u2019s so important that you can see how the image will be made, and how it changes, based on your settings. That goes for exposure, as well as mono. I work in manual, and with the Pembrokeshire sunset shot, I was able to underexpose it, heightening the contrast between the water and shape of the coast. Again, the darker look simplified the textures and decluttered the scene.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Stacked<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/400 sec at F4.5, ISO 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

But he acknowledges that texture is a major factor with monochrome. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly one of the biggest challenges to get right,\u201d Paul says. \u201cAnd is more difficult than shape and form, I think. I want a picture to show whether something feels soft, or hard. But while texture comes through more strongly in the absence of colour, I never want to overcook an image by adding too much clarity. If anything, I do the opposite.\u201d Taking his floral shots as an example, it\u2019s easy to identify them as gentle and natural, like the subjects should be \u2013 not hard, crunchy and over-processed, as sometimes happens when photographers layer on too many effects.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Close-up<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF45mmF2.8 R WR, 1\/25 sec at F18, ISO 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s certainly something that holds photographers back in monochrome,\u201d Paul offers. \u201cThe use of black & white as a tool to disguise shortcomings, rather than celebrate a subject. Any editing should be fine-tuning your original vision of the image, not fixing it. And that brings me to the most important aspect of my own photographic approach, which is intent.<\/p>\n

\u201cEssentially, intent is everything,\u201d Paul explains. \u201cThe biggest challenge is to know why you’re photographing something, and why you want to do it in black & white. If you can answer those, you can move forward with an image that has meaning, and the technical side of photography \u2013 ironically, the one that people tend to labour over \u2013\u00a0becomes secondary. The attention should be on the former.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Cluster<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/60 sec at F9, ISO 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Intent in his monochrome work also covers square format. \u201cI started doing this on my original X Series bodies,\u201d he says. \u201cAnd still do on my GFX100S. I believe that images are stronger if you set an aspect ratio before going out. Sticking to it, I find the simplicity in a 1:1 frame gives me the results I want \u2013 and it makes a body of black & white work more thoughtful and consistent.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Raindrops<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/60 sec at F3.6, ISO 1000<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Aligned with mindfulness, there\u2019s also an emphasis on waiting in Paul\u2019s photography. \u201cIf I make half a dozen black & white exposures on a shoot, I consider myself to have been a bit shutter-happy,\u201d he laughs. \u201cWhat\u2019s important to me is being present. So, for an image like this one of a wave breaking off Beachy Head, it was all observation. I saw the calmness of the water, and waited for a solitary wave to bring movement into that space.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Solitary<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 1\/100 sec at F11, ISO 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

That more mindful, less technical process is certainly helped by his relationship with Fujifilm cameras, says Paul. His experience of making images with X Series, and now the GFX System, has reignited his love for photography. \u201cWhen I switched to the X-Pro1 from a full-frame DSLR, I had almost stopped taking photographs. My previous kit was heavy and not great to use. But the X Series brought the fun back, especially with the EVF benefits. The cameras just felt invisible, as they should, because photography isn\u2019t about cameras \u2013 it\u2019s about connection to a subject.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\"Flower<\/a><\/p>\n

Photo 2022 \u00a9 Paul Sanders | FUJIFILM GFX100S and GF110mmF2 R LM WR, 5 secs at F13, ISO 100<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

For Paul, that connection can be found anywhere he takes his unique approach to black & white photography\u2026 whether it’s the dramatic Welsh coast, or the undergrowth of his garden. \u201cThe joy is in seeing, and that\u2019s what these cameras help me do. It\u2019s about finding the potential and beauty in something, then feeling the joy in capturing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you give a camera to a six year old, they’re just amazed they can photograph something and see it afterwards on the screen,\u201d he concludes. \u201cAs adults, we lose that innocence of expression. We think everything has to be perfect. But if you go back and find that compulsion and fascination which comes from a connection to the subject, that\u2019s where you\u2019ll discover real monochrome satisfaction. As photographers, we\u2019re explorers, and it’s our job to uncover these little gems \u2013 and you can only find them by being aware.\u201d<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photographer and tutor Paul Sanders discusses how cutting through the clutter of colour helps him make uniquely compelling images It\u2019s sunset on the Pembrokeshire coast, and Paul Sanders is framing the curve of an inlet with his GFX100S. Flaming sunsets aren\u2019t a usual draw for the monochrome photographer, but if Paul\u2019s effort is anything to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":64714,"template":"","category":[2084,1006,1202,3113,10414,10659,10512,1937,10169,1055,13039,3701,3211,13040,3505,320,1986,565,6445],"post_tag":[],"b2b-solutions":[],"class_list":["post-64713","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-be-inspired","category-cameras","category-category","category-g-mount","category-gf110mmf2-r-lm-wr","category-gf30mmf35-r-wr","category-gf45mmf28-r-wr","category-gfx-series","category-gfx100s","category-lenses","category-mirrorless-digital-cameras","category-gfx-series-mirrorless","category-x-series-mirrorless","category-prime-lenses","category-g-mount-prime","category-products","category-x-series","category-stories","category-x-pro1"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-08-03 12:26:28","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/64713","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/64714"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=64713"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=64713"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_tag?post=64713"},{"taxonomy":"b2b-solutions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b2b-solutions?post=64713"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}