31 Stunning Black and White Subject Study Photos on Imagekind
Black and White photography is among one of the most striking forms. Photos sans color require an enhanced use of lighting, shadows, and subject.
Black and White photography is among one of the most striking forms. Photos sans color require an enhanced use of lighting, shadows, and subject focus. Black and white photography brings out details usually overlooked in standard color photos. Subject studies is the discipline of concentration on one particular subject. Not quite still-lifes, though they share some similar qualities, subject studies focus on one particular object in view.
Take a look below for 31 stunning black and white subject study photos on Imagekind.
Pear in Porcelain by Dawn LeBlanc
Baby´s got Back by Andreas Stridsberg
Ready to Bloom by Tim Zeipekis
Resilience by Ari Bixhorn
Mount Rainer by Frank Melchior
Feather Study by Keith Dotson
Cotton-top Tamarin by Mihkel Maripuu
salute to the sun by Antje Bormann
Beach Ballerina by Nina Bradica
Subtle by Terry Shuck
Lonely Tree on a Barren Hill by Keith Dotson
Cool Chick by Dapixara Black White Photography
Column by Jean-Francois Dupuis
Flower on My Bedside Table by Ricardo Segovia
Pelican Model Behaviour II by Diana Claxton
Egret by Scott Hansen
You said you loved me by Anna Theodora
Elk Crossing by Santomarco Photography
End of the pier by David King
Sad Labrador by Justin Paget
The Wait by Maggie Dee
Giants Ring, Belfast by Chris McKeown
Wellington by Ben Ryan
Calla Lily by Chris Anderson
The Will of the King by Larry Bohlin
Stardust I by Gigja Einarsdottir
Wet Shaking Labrador by Justin Paget
My Lost Love by Lynsey Weatherspoon
Hunter from the Deep by Myles Teo
old elephant, amboseli national park, kenya by Konstantin Kalishko
Wild Horses by Heather Rivet
74 Responses to “31 Stunning Black and White Subject Study Photos on Imagekind” - Add Yours
March 11th, 2010 at 12:23 am
some incredible photos there
March 11th, 2010 at 1:06 am
Not all of them look stunning to me, but definitely a lot of them are
March 11th, 2010 at 1:31 am
These are some very well shot, highly detailed photos.
Wild Horses by Heather Rivet and Cotton-top Tamarin by Mihkel Maripuu photos are very dramatic and are my favorites.
March 11th, 2010 at 1:31 am
These are some inspiring Black and White images. I’d like to know if they were shot in a monochrome setting or were they manipulated and converted to Black and White.
March 11th, 2010 at 1:34 am
I would love to know what Imagekind uses for blw conversion!
March 11th, 2010 at 2:30 am
beautiful photos!
March 11th, 2010 at 2:34 am
Inspiring black & white images! Were they post processed? Were they originally shot in black and white?
March 11th, 2010 at 2:37 am
Compelling images, thanks for sharing. Note to self: titles of images should not contain implications which distract from or confuse the inherent quality of the image, and let the thesaurus be.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:03 am
Some pretty heavy-handed vignetting in here. I’d say Beach Ballerina and Elk Crossing are truly stunning. Will of the King is a great moment but I’d rather see it in color.
March 11th, 2010 at 3:34 am
I wonder if these pictures were all captured on film or digital?? Any info?
March 11th, 2010 at 4:03 am
Some very nice shots. My question is what constitutes a “black and white study” as oppose a photo taken and deciding later that it looks better as a B&W? Many of these don’t seem like they intended them to be B&W, let alone a study. A “black and white study” just adds such a pretentious air to a simple but yet beautiful photography. I don’t mean to offend but rather discuss. ;-)
March 11th, 2010 at 8:18 am
“Beach Ballerina by Nina Bradica” Excellect image.. I
March 11th, 2010 at 8:24 am
Absolutely FANTASTIC.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:35 am
I love the Wild Horses! Beautitul.
March 11th, 2010 at 10:39 am
just straight up goregous photos here.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:02 am
I have yet to experiment black and white although I have tried giving a hint of colour to differentiate my subject once.
March 11th, 2010 at 1:37 pm
Nice Pics.
March 11th, 2010 at 1:45 pm
March 11th, 2010 at 1:50 pm
The whole topic of B/W photography is lovely and these most of these images are very inspirational.
March 11th, 2010 at 11:15 pm
One of the pictures is mine. To answer some of the questions here, my picture was taken digitally and in colour. It was not ‘manipulated’, I resent the implication of the word, it was processed. I learned photography in film days, and we used black and white as colour processing was too complicated and time-consuming to be done in a general photography class setting.
To the people who have issues with converting from colour to b&w – you can actually print b&w from colour negatives. Just treat the negative like a rather thin b&w negative.
I take my pictures in colour as then I have both options, whereas if I take a picture in b&w, I am limited to that. A bit pointless in my opinion, but certainly an option for ‘purists’.
Any black and white image, I may remind you, starts out as a real-life colour scene. I don’t think it matters much where the conversion happens.
:-)
March 12th, 2010 at 12:04 am
I started out taking Black & White photographs many moons ago – and as to whether these are converted from colour to B+W is academic. A whole series of photographs exceptionally well taken,excellent subject matter and which suited B+W reproduction – what more could one ask for. Stunning,absolutely stunning.
March 12th, 2010 at 12:37 am
Taken at Inch Abbey in Downpatrick, Co. Down Northern Ireland
This is the first Photograph I ever took using a DSLR
March 12th, 2010 at 1:53 am
If you use the B&W mode in your digital camera you are limiting yourself greatly. In that mode, your camera captures much less data, therefore your final image quality will not be able to compare to a RAW color capture that was later converted to black & white. This is just the way black & white photography is done in 2010, unless someone is still using B&W film.
For making images black and white I love Nik’s Silver Efex Pro 3. Since I started using it last year, it has made me really, really like black & white photographs. I write more in detail why I love Silver Efex Pro here:
http://jasoncollinphotography.com/blog/2009/11/11/why-i-love-silver-efex-pro-3-by-nik-software.html
March 12th, 2010 at 1:53 am
P.S. I really like the silhouette ballerina shot. Very well executed. The horse shots look ethereal and are well suited to black & white also.
March 12th, 2010 at 2:55 am
What do you think of this?
March 12th, 2010 at 3:05 am
I must admit, I usually dislike B&W photography. A lot of “artsy” people with no talent use this style to cover up their lack of understanding towards color. But in this case, many (is not most) are rather good.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:11 am
I love the simplicity of all the pictures.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:12 am
If your shooting raw with NIKON you can shoot with the B&W setting like I do and then convert to color. just remember this only works for raw files and not .jpg
March 12th, 2010 at 3:36 am
Beach ballerina was awesome. It made me feel FREE! Simply amazing work.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:39 am
A good number of these striking B&W images appear to be infrared.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:45 am
black and white photos to me seems to be more dramatic and a lot stories to tell.i like most is the “You said you love me” and “the sad labrador”
March 12th, 2010 at 3:49 am
I love good black and white but as a lively semi-professional in the world of travel, I have never had good success. This may be the inspiration needed to try again.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:32 am
How do you get the background so black and leave the image? I have photoshop elements 7 and I just have not figured that out.
March 12th, 2010 at 4:49 am
Excellent collection of photographs that perfectly demonstrate your point. My fav is the Pelican!
March 12th, 2010 at 4:49 am
Is the Beach Ballerina a composite image? I see no footprints to indicate that she was actually in that place. I wish there was a way to identify composites vs. images that are made of actual scenes – it would take a lot more skill to shoot Beach Ballerina than to put it together afterwards. However, it is a beautiful shot.
March 12th, 2010 at 5:35 am
I have to say I love f2point4’s reply – it takes a true artist to be able to take a photo and a computer wiz to make it a photo in Photoshop – I find too many people now relay/depend on Photoshop to make a photograph a picture and not a true piece of art!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:03 am
What a wonderful set of photos!! LOVE THEM!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 6:11 am
March 12th, 2010 at 6:14 am
Umm… Giant’s Ring, Belfast is not entirely B&W.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:22 am
I would say she has definately added the girl in beach ballerina for a start no ne can jump that high! and as someone else said ther are no footprints still it looks fab i like the wild horse shot also :)
March 12th, 2010 at 7:35 am
Incredible captures – most of these are just that – captured moments that have occurred naturally – my favourite type of photography – well done to all :)
March 12th, 2010 at 8:09 am
They’re OK – a few very good ones but not really stunning. Many of them lack contrast. Also most of the subjects shown are not that exciting either, we have seen many like this before.
I am sure many readers have better pictures in their portfolios.
March 12th, 2010 at 10:56 am
wow…pictures..hats off!!!
March 12th, 2010 at 1:20 pm
Great shots!! There might be good shots from other members but these are great too.
March 12th, 2010 at 1:41 pm
Wish I was the man behind the lens in all the above 31. Unbelievable captures!!
March 12th, 2010 at 2:01 pm
Great collection of work. Judging by the array of comments, it accomplishes the objective of creating thought provoking images. Isn’t that what every great photographer hopes to achieve? One of the best explanations of the use of the monochrome medium was written by Harold Davis, Converting to Black and White: http://tiny.cc/5GR1x.
I agree with his assessment. The use of this medium is more about presentation and preparation. While not every image is suited to this style, it does provide the photographer another dimension to use to tell their picture’s story. These images represent skill, talent and great imagination. Well done.
March 12th, 2010 at 3:18 pm
my kids and i are listening to the chronicles of narnia right now and ‘the will of the king’ brought joy to my heart when i saw it.:) thanks for sharing all of these. really beautiful. love the wild horses, too.
March 12th, 2010 at 7:41 pm
Absolutely stunning images. Well done!
March 12th, 2010 at 11:32 pm
Wonderful set! … However, a few of them clearly tailored in PS which is kinda sad. A lil lighting adjustments are acceptable but fully altered ruins the essence of photography. Like the beach Ballerina. The birds put in there (the two birds in front of her torso is same as the two in front of her left palm) and she looks atleast 5 ft. off air without much of a dent on the sand. It looks dreamy n wonderful but its not a photograph, its artwork! No offence to the artist. :) Peace
March 13th, 2010 at 2:08 am
Great shots…I love the way b&w can change a shot that will capture light and give it a different perspective,
example the picture of the trees in the pond. The light shines thru the trees creating a rainlight effect.
I first discovered this in some of my own photos, when I converted them to b&w. This changed my mindset
on this, and now I try to look for that type of lighting to capture if available.
Thanks D.P.S.
March 13th, 2010 at 2:33 am
excellent pics….hope one day i’ll also click pics like that.
March 13th, 2010 at 4:48 am
I used to love to spend time in the lab printing black & white images and I have played a little bit with digital images converting them to black & white. Viewing some of these captivating images has renewed my interest. I want to comment on “Baby´s got Back by Andreas Stridsberg.” The model is beautifully posed and the skin tones are wonderful but I feel the highlights around the head and left hip are a bit too much and the light spot on the right hip is distracting. Also can’t help but notice the similarity with this one and “Pelican Model Behaviour II by Diana Claxton,” another beautifully posed and rendered image.
March 13th, 2010 at 5:39 am
Honestly, I almost cried when I saw this pictures. They have texture, they are balanced works, and every picture has light and shados in a different way. Some of them are “3D-like”, I think I can touch them. specially the Beach Ballerina, an amazing composition work.
March 13th, 2010 at 7:50 am
I enjoy doing b&w photos…I am now learning to make different changes using Elements 7.
Photojoe
If you would like to see some of my pictures my web site add. is Zhibit/Photojoe.org
March 13th, 2010 at 9:44 am
A bit amused by Jeff C’s comments about B/W! I’d have the opposite view: colour is the easy option. We are so accustomed to it that a good B/W image is pretty difficult! for us to conceive
Gef D
March 13th, 2010 at 11:25 am
@Photojoe your web link does not work. can you repost it!?
March 13th, 2010 at 11:37 am
Wow, I stumbled on this page by accident only to find two of my humble photos among these other amazing shots. Thanks to Nate for including my work here.
I always shoot in color and convert to B&W in post-processing, but I’m learning to “see” the shot in B&W. Anyone who thinks a photograph should have no manipulation is fooling themselves. All photos, whether digital or film, require some form of intervention by the photographer. Ansel Adams printed Moonrise over Hernandez in many different ways, some with the twilight sky nearly black, and others with it middle gray.
March 14th, 2010 at 2:04 pm
I liked Giant’s Ring best of all, and I am happy to see people appreciating black and white. . It’s all about the light. As Ansel Adams remarked about “Moonrise over Hernandez, “The light was changing ahd I had to work fast.”
March 16th, 2010 at 5:54 am
Oh HAI! ;D
I just noticed one of my photos is there. How nice, I think it’s the first time one of my photos is being featured here on DPS…
I’m glad to know some of you liked my photo (you said you loved me.) ;-)
Answering some questions, my photo was taken with a digital slr, in color, but already with a black and white composition in mid. My blouse was of a cream color, to create contrast against the background, which was white, but the lighting made it black.
The only processing I did was turning it to black and white and increasing contrast a little bit, using levels.
Lately I have been using black and white film, with two analog cameras. A Canon and a Minolta. I can’t describe how much fun it is to make photography using film. ;-)
March 16th, 2010 at 7:12 am
A couple of people have expressed surprise to see their photos posted here. Just wondering who posted them and is it OK to do this without permission from the photographer?
March 17th, 2010 at 2:52 am
Thank You for adding my Black and White “Cool Chick”.
http://dapixara.com/Blogs/photo_blog.php
March 17th, 2010 at 6:25 pm
Before I don’t like the black and white photos, but the moment I see this photographs, I said there is still life in it. I’m planning to make and capture some wonderful and artistic pictures soon.I love it!!!
Thanks for this lovely photographs… ^_^
March 17th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
i m desi photographer …………………
so good black&withe pic
March 18th, 2010 at 3:25 am
@Anna Theodora I love your photos.
March 20th, 2010 at 4:59 am
I realized that one of mi pictures is there “Flower on My Bedside Table” It´s an honor to be with these great artists.
March 21st, 2010 at 4:57 am
hy darren tellme one thing this black & white phoyograph what thingas you consider more immportant . iwill try with my d_60 but it give me the gray result not black plz hell me
March 23rd, 2010 at 3:48 pm
Beach Ballerina is one of the most amazing photos I’ve ever seen.
Good collection.
March 30th, 2010 at 2:00 pm
Wow!! nice and wide show on what a simple shoot or an elaborated one can do. Thanks to all You!!
April 2nd, 2010 at 2:29 am
These images are glorious! I love black and white! It’s why I got started in photography!
April 9th, 2010 at 2:48 am
I am curious as to why so many of these “picks” are blatant Photoshops. Just curious, so no flames. Because I’m color blind, I find that I love to do black and white. Some of these shots are remarkable. But some are very good (or not) Photoshops.
April 16th, 2010 at 11:41 pm
great pictures i love it!
May 11th, 2010 at 10:16 am
Great B&W photography wonderful idea. hope i can learn from you. would you teach me?
June 4th, 2010 at 8:00 pm
Wow! stunning photo’s.. I love Black and white photography, it evokes so much feeling often.
June 29th, 2010 at 5:14 am
I love that SO MANY people here are critical of B&W Photography while their B&W Photography is either utter shit or non-existent. Most people criticizing this work have no concept of composition or story-telling. Everybody’s a critic, huh? I am talking to you Jeff Conklin (http://www.jeffconklin.com/) and Julian Hebbrecht (http://julianht.smugmug.com). Your work is simple and uninspiring at best. Work on your own craft before criticizing others please.
And, Jeff C., B&W is a TRUE art form and most people who dislike are people who cannot create good B&W photographs and lack the talent themselves. It takes a true artist to create stunning and compelling B&W like what is seen here (the majority of what is seen here. Some are just OK but others are incredible).
My $.02.
HJ
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