Black and White - From Snapshots to Great Shots

Renowned pro shooter and author John Batdorff has once again teamed up with Peachpit Press to bring photographers a thorough reference guide for bringing their work to the next level — this time with a focus on achieving the perfectly balanced black and white photograph. In Batdorff's new guide, Black and White — From Snapshots to Great Shots, you'll get tips on everything from setting up your camera kit to DSLR shooting techniques to post processing in Adobe Lightroom and achieving the perfect print.

Check out Chapter 6 for information on printing, posting, and sharing your work. John is no stranger to Artistic Photo Canvas when it comes to displaying his award winning photography on our gallery wraps. In fact, he has a huge 40" x 60" gallery wrapped canvas print from APC featuring his new book’s cover photograph hanging at home.

Those mastering their black and white photography skills with John's help can share their photos with the book's Flickr group!

Here’s a description of the book from the publisher:

Now that you’ve bought that amazing new DSLR, you need a book that goes beyond the camera manual to capture stunning images. For digital photographers interested in black and white, this guide will help beginning- and intermediate-level shooters conquer the fundamentals and take amazing shots.

Pro photographer John Batdorff starts with the basics, including composition, light, contrast, exposure, and when to choose black and white. He covers all the key camera features (regardless of what type of DSLR you have) that affect your image, including the shutter speed’s ability to freeze and convey motion, and the aperture’s direct correlation with depth of field.

Once you’ve captured those great shots, John takes you step by step through the color conversion process to black and white in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom using simple presets. He also covers the enhancements and features that can be added using Nik Silver Efex Pro software–from presets to control points using U-Point Technology.

Follow along with your friendly and knowledgeable guide and you will:

• Learn to see in black and white by understanding contrast, texture, and lighting
• Understand all the best tricks and techniques for getting great black and white action shots, landscapes, and portraits
• Create your own digital workflow by understanding the basics of post processing in Lightroom, then go beyond the basics with Nik Silver Efex Pro
• Share your images and learn tips on printing and presenting your work online

And once you've got the shot, show it off! Join the book's Flickr group, share your photos, and discuss how you use your camera to get great black and white shots.