Julia Anna Gospodarou | Black and White Fine Art Photography and Architectural Photography

  • New Video Course
  • START HERE
  • BUY PRINTS
    • HIGH-END FINE ART PRINTS
    • ARCHITECTURE
    • LANDSCAPE
    • PORTRAITURE
    • PANORAMA & VERTORAMA ART
    • SLOW | MOTION BLUR
    • DANCE | CADENCE
    • ENLIGHTENMENT
    • ABSTRACT | BLUE MATRIX
    • AMSTERDAM CANALS | PANORAMAS
    • URBAN SAGA | CITYSCAPES
    • FLUID TIME | CHICAGO
    • ODE TO BLACK | BLACK HOPE
    • LIKE A HARP’S STRINGS
    • A PATH TO THE SKY
    • CATHARSIS | TREES
  • STORE
  • WORKSHOPS
    • WORKSHOP NEWS
    • PRIVATE WORKSHOPS | MENTORING
    • COMMISSIONED WORK
    • TESTIMONIALS
  • GEAR & DEALS
  • BLOG
  • TUTORIALS
  • (EN)VISIONOGRAPHY™
  • ABOUT
    • ABOUT THE ARTIST
    • AWARDS
    • PUBLICATIONS
    • INTERVIEWS
    • PRIVACY POLICY
  • CONTACT

Home » Blog » Tutorials Fine Art Black and White Photography » RECREATING THE SUBJECT IN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY – ODE TO BLACK | BLACK HOPE II – ANIMA BLACK

July 16, 2013 by Julia Anna Gospodarou

RECREATING THE SUBJECT IN FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY – ODE TO BLACK | BLACK HOPE II – ANIMA BLACK

follow me on Instagram Julia Anna Gospodarou
Ode to Black (Black Hope) II - Anima Black © Julia Anna Gospodarou - Recreating the subject in fine art photography.

Ode to Black (Black Hope) II – Anima Black © Julia Anna Gospodarou

Recreating the subject in fine art photography. The concept and realization of my image Ode to Black | Black Hope II – Anima Black

Another addition to my Black series and the darkest and most difficult to work with so far, because of the dark tones and the limited range that I decided to use in my processing, but also because of the complexity of the volume and the fact that whatever light and shadow you see here is created from scratch according to my vision for this object.

THE SUBJECT

The building is one of the highlights of San Francisco and is, in fact, an addition to the museum, but is so impressive that it is drawing all the attention to it once you reach the square in front of the museum. The structure had a cladding of dark-blue diamond shape steel sheets which can be astonishingly bright in the sun, but looking very dark and melancholic if the weather is overcast.

CAPTURING THE IMAGE

The most challenging when taking the shot was to find the best angle, the one that would tell what I intended it to tell and finally this angle was what you see. The space in front of the museum is narrow and long and finding a spot where you have an open view to the entire volume, as well as an interesting composition is really difficult. But there is always a solution if you want to find it. So, what I did was to find my solution But I had to pay a price for it. Even if there were some other angles I could use with less cluttered background, the building itself wasn’t “speaking” to me in any other way so what I had to do was to take this photo as it is but remove the background that was a high-rise building totally oppressing the delicate and sophisticated volumes of the museum.

CREATING (EN)VISIONOGRAPHY BY INTERVENING IN THE SCENE AND “RECREATING” THE SUBJECT

To avoid the high-rise building oppressing the museum building, I had to find a way to separate the two. So I decided to remove the high-rise building as if it wasn’t there. To realize this I had to shoot the building and the sky separately and reunite them in post-processing, while removing the building in the background.

Therefore, what you see as final result in the image is quite far from reality, but as you know by now, I am not driven by the intention to mimic reality in my work, on the contrary, I’d say that I try to “run away” from it and present my own reality, even if what I create is just slightly resembling the real world. This image is one of the closest to this “alternative reality” concept and to the concept of “(en)Visionography” that define my work and they illustrate it perfectly. What you see is my ideal proposal for this space and building, a perfect image of it as I envision it in my mind. Also, an image that can be a piece of the puzzle in the story that my Ode to Black – Black Hope series tells. More about the concept of the series with my next image that is coming soon.

I see creating my images as a way to “re-design” or the buildings or scenes I am showing, as if I was the architect who designed the space in reality. It is a “professional deformation” in a way, as I always look at the world through the eyes of an architect, even when I am not practicing my profession and this influences in a great measure my vision and the tools I use to create, also the result of my creations. However, regardless of my base profession, reimagining the scene can help the fine art photographer to reach the essence of his vision and show it to the world.


Recreating the subject in fine art photography is one of the most powerful tools the fine art photographer has to reach the essence of his vision and present his perfect world through the photographs he makes.


BLACK AND WHITE PROCESSING – PHOTOGRAPHY DRAWING (PhtD)

Processing wise, this image is again one of those which could be considered typical to illustrate the technique I’m using when processing, the Photography Drawing technique. You’ve heard me talking about this before quite a few times but I’ve never gone into details because I wasn’t really considering it a technique for a long time. It had a slow evolution but recently I realized that I’m every time doing the same things even if I don’t search for this and I like to experiment as much as I can. But somehow I always end up doing the same things, more or less and having consistent results. I think I should talk more in-depth about this sometime soon.

UPDATE

I did talk more in-depth about this technique and you can read more at the link above and also in my book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography. It is a technique and way of conceiving my images based on my former drawing background and the skills I’ve gained while practicing it making drawings of buildings for quite a long time in the past. What I basically do is to use the principles of drawing in black pencil on my images, changing the light balance in the image to suit my vision and intention.

This technique gives me the freedom to do whatever I want in my image, since I’m not depending on reality anymore, but only taking a base for my creations from the world around me.

To be able to influence reality in such an extent, what I need is to start from a very neutral base, meaning most of the times, what I’m interested in when taking the shot is a good composition and a clear idea. I then convert my color image into a very neutral black and white image (being neutral is a very important aspect of this technique because it is what will allow me to have total control over light and shadow).

I then work on this neutral image like I would work on a white paper, or on one where I only have the outlines defined.  My work is done separately on every surface, so perfect selections are vital here, but the processing skills needed to do this are minimal. I like to keep it simple and I do it here too. From then on, it’s only a matter of deciding the right balance of light, the right contrast, deciding where to place the right highlights and shadows and how to create depth and presence in the image.

This is what I do in a nutshell, since many of you asked. If you are curious to find out more, I will have to make a more in-depth description at some point. Let me know if you would want this.

TECHNICAL DATA

Exposure and EXIF: 

286.0 sec. (for the sky), 1/60 sec. (for the building), @ f/11,  ISO 100

Equipment:

CAMERA: Nikon D7000

LENS: Nikon 10-24mm f/3.5-4.5 ED AF-S DX @ 10mm,.

Processing:

LR4, PS CS6, Topaz B&W Effects  (B&W Effects extensive review) + Topaz DeNoise + Topaz Detail

TOPAZ LABS 15% DISCOUNT FOR MY STUDENTS AND FOLLOWERS

Topaz Labs was so kind to not only feature my work so many times and participate in my workshops, but they also gave me a discount code for my students and followers who are reading this blog and want to use the best software available in their post-processing work. You can use my special code JULIAG  to get  15% discount for any of the Topaz plugins, separately or the whole collection. You can use the code by ordering at this link. Enjoy!

 

FURTHER STUDY RESOURCES – FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY, ARCHITECTURE, LONG EXPOSURE

You can find more resources about fine art black and white photography, (en)Visionography, long exposure photography and architectural photography in my extensive collection of photography tutorials. To receive my future tutorials directly via email you can subscribe to my website.

More about how to create fine art photography, from vision to processing and the final image you can read in my book From Basics to Fine Art – Black and White Photography, with co-author Joel Tjintjelaar and in my video tutorial Long Exposure, Architecture, Fine Art Photography - Creating (en)Visionography a hands-on tutorial accompanied by an eBook presenting my processing workflow, or attend one of my workshops.

Julia Anna Gospodarou - (en)Visionographer

Julia Anna Gospodarou Fine Art black and white photographer Julia Anna Gospodarou is an internationally acclaimed photographer, architect with a Master degree, author and highly sought-after educator, teaching workshops and lecturing around the world. Founder of (en)Visionography™ and creator of Photography Drawing™, author of the best-selling book From Basics to Fine Art - Black and White Photography , with high distinctions in the most important photography competitions worldwide (International Photography Awards IPA Photographer of the Year, World Photography Awards SWPA and Hasselblad Masters finalist, as well as 80+ more awards), widely published internationally in books and magazines, Julia is passionate about the art in photography and striving to spread it into the world.
  • 3shares

Related Articles

follow me on Instagram Julia Anna Gospodarou
Posted in Architecture Black and White Fine Art, Inspiration Creativity, Tutorials Fine Art Black and White Photography. RSS 2.0 feed.
« KWERFELDEIN Magazine Interview
THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF (en)VISIONOGRAPHY – ODE TO BLACK | BLACK HOPE V – PERSONA BLACK »

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

juliaannagospodarou

Internationally acclaimed Photographer|Architect|Author|Educator|Founder of (en)Visionography™|FormattHitech GlobalAmbassador|Fineart Prints|Workshops

Julia Anna Gospodarou
_JUST LAUNCHED_ _EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT 15% OFF FOR 2 _JUST LAUNCHED_
_EARLY BIRD DISCOUNT 15% OFF FOR 24 HOURS_
The moment we were waiting for has come! 
The new 5.5+ hours video course FROM VISION TO FINAL IMAGE – Mastering B&W Photography Processing and the 50+ pages ebook Ultimate Guide to B&W Fine Art Photography are now publicly available after a stellar launch to my subscribers yesterday.
Already the reviews are raving so I’m sure you’ll love them.
You can find more details and order them at the link below (or at the LINK IN BIO). For the next 24 hours, you can do it with a discount. 
Enjoy! 

http://blog.juliaannagospodarou.com/mastering-black-and-white-photography-processing-video-course/

#blackandwhitephotography #photoshop #blackandwhite #photographycourse
#fineartphotography #fineart #architecturephotography #photographyclass #learnphotography
#photoediting #postprocessing #photoshop #longexposure #ndfilters #juliaannagospodarou
#envisionography #photographydrawing
ALMOST THERE!!! Official PRE-LAUNCH TO SUBSCRIBERS ALMOST THERE!!!
Official PRE-LAUNCH TO SUBSCRIBERS - Thursday, February 25, 1 PM New York EST – 6 PM London GMT.
NEW Video course: From Vision to Final Image - Mastering B&W Fine Art Photography Processing
NEW eBook: Ultimate Guide to B&W Photography
A 5.5+ hours video course with 50+ video sections accompanied by a 50+ pages ebook.
To get the PRE-LAUNCH DISCOUNT available ONLY to subscribers for 24 HOURS, subscribe here http://bit.ly/enV_Subscribe 
Check your inbox at the launch time!  You will love it! :) 

#blackandwhitephotography #photoshop #blackandwhite #photographycourse 
#fineartphotography #fineart #architecturephotography #photographyclass #learnphotography 
#photoediting #postprocessing #photoshop #longexposure #ndfilters #juliaannagospodarou 
#envisionography #photographydrawing
_VIPA 2021 Jury_ I have the honor to be part of th _VIPA 2021 Jury_
I have the honor to be part of the jury in the VIPA 2021 Visions International Photo Awards that has just been launched.

I am warmly inviting you all to submit your images to the contest and I wish you good luck to win one or more of the awards. 

Exceptionally, this year the competition will be free as a gesture to help the photography community that was so hard hit by the pandemic. The jury is volunteering and we are all happy to provide our work pro bono to keep the photography community alive and give the chance for exposure to more photographers.

Looking forward to seeing your images. Good luck! 

https://vipacontest.com/

#vipa2021 #photographyawards #photographycontest #photography #fineartphotography #photographyjury
COMING NEXT WEEK! And it's awesome! NEW Video cour COMING NEXT WEEK! And it's awesome!
NEW Video course: From Vision to Final Image - Mastering B&W Fine Art Photography Processing
NEW eBook: Ultimate Guide to B&W Photography
A 5.5+ hours video course with 50+ video sections accompanied by a 50+ pages ebook.
You’ve been asking for this for quite some time. I heard you and here it is! :)
To find out when the course will be published and take advantage of the PRE-LAUNCH DISCOUNT, subscribe here http://bit.ly/enV_Subscribe . The discount will be limited, so the faster you get in, the better.

#blackandwhitephotography #photoshop #blackandwhite #photographycourse #fineartphotography #fineart #architecturephotography #photographyclass #learnphotography #photoediting #postprocessing #photoshop #longexposure #ndfilters #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Delighted to have won the Best of Nation Award for Delighted to have won the Best of Nation Award for Greece and be a Top 10 finalist in Commercial Category at WPC World Photographic Cup 2021.

I haven’t entered in photography contests for the past years after I had the honor to win the Photographer of the Year award at IPA International Photography Awards in 2016, but this was different. It was teamwork, and we represented Greece with my fellow photographers at one of the most distinguished international competitions, which makes me even happier to have been awarded. 
We are still waiting for the team awards. Wish us luck so Greece wins. And keep an eye on this space to find out the final results. 

For now, you can enjoy the finalist images at this link https://www.worldphotographiccup.org/wpc_gallery/finalists-2021/

Go Greece! 

Nikos Siamos Akis Douzlatzis Anna Pantelia Prokopis Manousopoulos Babis Tsoukias John Makris Nik Pekridis 

#worldphotographiccup #photographyawards #commercial #fineartphotography #blackandwhitephotography #architecturephotography #oculusnewyork #juliaannagospodarou
Fluid Time V – Aligning Paths The 5th image in m Fluid Time V – Aligning Paths
The 5th image in my Fluid Time series, shot in Chicago in 2013. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 
I’m quite fond of this image, and I remember how much fun I had playing with the camera and the geometry to get a dynamic shot of the convergence of these 2 buildings. The image was shot with the 24 m TS lens of a Canon full frame. 
The particularity of this image is that I wanted to emphasize the composition's dynamism even more by using selective focus with the tilt function of the TS lens. One of the challenges was to place the area of focus in the right spot, given that focusing with the tilt function of TS lens is entirely different than the way we regularly focus. It took quite a bit of work and patience to get it right but it was worth it. 
This is one thing you need to have when working with the TS lens, patience. And the second is the desire to think out of the box and play with your gear. I just love doing that. 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #skyscraper #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time IV – Stopping Time This is the 4th im Fluid Time IV – Stopping Time
This is the 4th image in my 2013 Fluid Time series and it shows one of the iconic historical buildings in Chicago, the Wrigley Building. Finished in 1924 and built in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, it was one of the first highrises built in the area. 
Here too, I used the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, as in all the images in the series, and it was actually a quite challenging image to shoot because of the intensity of the effect I needed, which wasn’t easy to create. But the more challenging, the more I love it. Easy images are boring, isn’t it? As everything that is too easy. :) 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #wrigleybuilding #skyscraper #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time III – Two Worlds The third image in m Fluid Time III – Two Worlds
The third image in my 2013 Fluid Time series. This is one of the most interesting buildings in Chicago, the Hancock Center. One of the things I love about this building, in terms of architectural design is that the structural frame of the building is placed exteriorly and not at the interior as usually, and it is visible on the façade. For those who are wondering, this x-braced reinforcement system allows for larger open spaces in the interior of the building which is why it is ideal for an office building like this, and it also allows for rising taller structures. When it was built, in 1965, the Hancock Center was meant to be the second taller building in the world. 
Like all the images in the series, here too, I used the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, to focus on the relation between the 2 buildings – hence the title: Two Worlds. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #hancockcenter #skyscraper #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Fluid Time II – Utopian Connections Second in my Fluid Time II – Utopian Connections
Second in my 2013 Fluid Time series, this image shows the Prudential Plaza Tower in Chicago, flanked by the Prudential Plaza One building and the Aon Center.
Here I used again the tilt function of the tilt-shift lens, as I did in all the images in this series, to isolate different planes of focus in order to create depth. 
There are three things that you can use to create depth: composition, selective depth of field, and selective work with light. All 3 of them are just as powerful if used right. 
I’m working right now on finalizing a video course about creating B&W photography where I will get into a lot of details about these aspects and many more. If you are interested, keep an eye on this space and I’ll be back with more about it very soon. 
You can find limited edition prints of this and more images at www.juliaannagospodarou.com 

#architecture #architecturephotography #architecturelovers #cityview #chicago #chicagophotography #prudentialplaza #aoncenter #longexposure #longexposurephotography #formatthitech #ndfilters #tiltshift #tiltshiftlens #blackandwhite #blackandwhitephotography #fineartphotography #mono #monochromatic #monochrome #limitededitionprints #Insta_bw #instadaily #architecturelovers #archdaily #photoshop #juliaannagospodarou #envisionography #photographydrawing
Follow me on Instagram
13.000Fans
9.000Fans
7.000Subscribers
3.000Subscribers
7.000Followers

NEW VIDEO COURSE & EBOOK

Creating (en)Visionography Video Tutorial long exposure fine art architecture photography

TOPAZ VIDEO AI $150 OFF + 15% OFF WITH CODE JULIAG – ENDS MAR 12, 2021

Topaz Labs AI Discount -Topaz Labs Discount
Creating (en)Visionography Video Tutorial long exposure fine art architecture photography
From Basics to Fine Art_Black and white photography, architecture, long exposure
new york workshop 2020
Topaz Studio 2 -Topaz Labs Discount
Formatt-hitech filters Discount
manfrotto gitzo Discount
 gitzo Discount
 Luminar 4 Discount aurora hdr discount
 skylum aurora hdr discount
 on1 photo raw 2021
 adorama discounts deals
 smugmug photography websites
long exposure photography ultimate guide
FREE DxO Presets Dark City
Topaz Labs BW Effects Full Review

QUESTIONS? CONTACT US

  • Log in
Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies to make sure you have the best experience possible.
By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use described here: Privacy Policy
©2007- Julia Anna Gospodarou
  • 3shares