Black and white or colour?

[Hector Bell]

You can tell I'm sitting here dog sitting while the girls are shopping
can't you?
But I was wondering if the shutter dogs amongst you could answer this.
I always feel model railways (particularly) look better in B&W.  So then I thought what if you made a model in B&W?  And then photographed it both colour and B&W.  How would it look...a B&W model photographed on B&W film?

Martin

[Ken Hamilton]

Since you bring it up, Martin, here's one I did a while back.
This is a color photo of the B&W-built diorama:



The case has been painted black since this photo was taken:

[darrylhuffman]

If you build your diorama in grays you can add a highlight if you take your photo in color.

When I paint a monocratic painting using any one color and white, I find it a nice touch to add just one area of a diferent color.

For example, if I am painting a landscape using only Paynes Gray (blueish gray) and white with the subject being a small log cabin in the forest in the middle of winter, the sky is a light blue-gray and the hills and trees are varying shade of blue-gray.

The cabin itself is also a variety of blue-gray shades.

If I then paint the light coming through the windows a pale yellow, that one little accent adds a strong focal point in the painting.

In Ken's steam shovel scene, the same effect could be done with a small yellow light in the area of the vertical steam boiler.

If taking a photo of a locomotive in a monotone scene, then the light from the headlight being yellow would be a nice touch.

Darryl Huffman

[Hector Bell]

Nice mining scene there Ken.
A proper diorama!  (i.e., not a set piece.)

Darryl, I know what you mean.  I did a series of paintings in essentially silhouette with Indian ink once.  I use the Clyde Puffer as an avatar usually, but can't get an avatar to happen on here.  I also did the last flight of Concorde
the same way.

Martin

[lab-dad]

i have done photos of models (women) in B&W and then 'colored' just their lips back to red.
Interesting concept.
I am also pretty sure some of the military modelers have done the B&W model in B&W.
-Marty

[finescalerr]

What a bunch of cool ideas. Now look what you've done, Martin: You are blurring the boundary between craft and art! -- Russ

[RoughboyModelworks]

With Photoshop you can convert your colour photos to B&W instantly and save both colour and B&W versions. You can also partially desaturate colour images, tone images, replicate faded antique colour... the possibilities are limitless if you start with a colour image. If you start with a B&W image, the options are greatly reduced and it's much more labour intensive to add believable colour to a B&W.

You are right though Hector. B&W often does look better for some model photography. I think of many of the photos by Tony Smith and Barry Norman in MRJ for example which were absolutely outstanding.

Paul

[Hector Bell]

Sorry, Russ.  If I can't bomb my own notions, who will?
No, this was just a meandering notion, but I had no idea whether the photographers amongst us would have any further experimentation notes to tell us of.
Paul, I love MRJ for its B&W policy.  It reminds me of old Model Railway News mags. of blessed memory.
I wasn't thinking along the photoshop lines, but actual capture of B&W tones versus colour and technically how a b&w photo of a B&W model might be different.
It fings like diss wot keeps us ol' farts mentally active!

Where's my elephant gun!  Whoa!! ten o' clock.

Nurse!!

Martin