High Contrast Grunge Photography takes the look of traditional Kodalith darkroom prints to the digital era (or for those of you still shooting with film, and developing in a darkroom, keeps Kodalith alive). By the way, there is a Kodalith group on Flickr!
Creating high-contrast black and white images is quite simple. Some digital cameras allow you to set things such as contrast, saturation, picture style, etc. using the in-camera menus. My Canon 5D Mark II makes setting the contrast and picture style quite easy (along with a multitude of other settings I haven’t yet found a use for). For others without the luxury of high-end digital cameras, or for those who are converting their prints to digital, the process is also relatively easy.
The photograph here was edited using Paint.net, which is free. All you need to do is open the image, then go to Adjustments > Brightness / Contrast. Set the contrast higher, and the brightness lower. If the image is color, you’ll need to convert it to Black and White first. You may need to do this in small increments as just subtle changes here have a drastic effect on the photograph.
Other Black & White Flickr groups worth checking out include (but certainly aren’t limited to) All That Is Black And White, Old-School Photos [B&W And Sepia], Shades Of Gray, B&W Photographer, B&W, B&W Gallery, B&W Xibit, B&White, and B+W.
On a sad note, this will be my last contributing article for CurrentPhotographer.com. As my small business and personal obligations have demanded more and more of my attention, I reluctantly had to say goodbye to my good friend, Trevor Current. I will, however, continue to post photography-related posts to my blog, and every now and again, I’ll be submitting guest articles, but sadly nothing on a regular weekly basis. I wish to personally thank Trevor for believing in me, and allowing me to guest post on his blog on a weekly basis, and for helping me to promote my small business, helping to get it to where it is today.
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My company specializes in writing, photography, and website design. My father gave me my first camera when I was a small child, and it quickly became my most prized possession. I was also fascinated with exploring places others rarely ever ventured, such as abandoned places, buildings, and railroad cars.
As time went on, I formed a business centered around my passion; living larger-than-life adventures, and sharing the photographic journey on my website.
Tom! Sad to see you go, but excited your business is going well.
Best of luck buddy!