A month in Mono

Location
London UK
Name
Andy
I luuurv mono / Black & white images and thought it may be fun to spend a whole month just shooting in mono. I have 3 choices to do this.

1: Shoot in colour and convert to mono.

2: Just shoot in Mono on JPG setting only so theres no temptation to post colour images.

3: a mixture of both.

Shooting with Panasonic means being able to shoot with the Dynamic Monochrome art filter which has a superb mono look (IMO). Also having the Olympus Stylus 1 means some gritty mono's could be fun!

Has anyone done this and found it fun to do? I was thinking of doing this in March when the weather hopefully starts to improve.

Your Thoughts........
 
If your camera allows it, shoot in "bw jpgs + RAW". That way you see and review in black and white in camera, and have the RAWs to work with on the computer.

That's how I set up my X100 95% of the time.
 
Great idea but the GX7 does not allow RAW +JPG using the art filters!! Silly and annoying not having this feature. I may look and see if I can set up a picture style that will work as RAW + JPG.
 
Has anyone done this and found it fun to do? I was thinking of doing this in March when the weather hopefully starts to improve.

Your Thoughts........

Really nice idea, Andy. I think I might join you. We will be heading into spring, and the heat of summer will be mostly gone. And I love B&W also. I'm particularly fond of the output from the Hipstamatic app on my iPhone, with the JohnS or Jane lens, and either of the BlacKey BW films :) I also like how BW comes off the XZ-1 (similar to the stylus I think) and the GRD3

Wonder if its worth setting it up for a challenge for March?
 
A challenge sounds good.

Still don't know if I should shoot in JPG with a B&W preset on the camera or shoot colour then convert. I guess Converting would yield the best results and at least I would still have the original files to play with later.
 
DIdn't we do this as a challenge once before?
Or am I simply suffering (once again) from intra-cranial taramasalata deterioration?
 
Well I have decided to go with the 'Shoot only in B&W' option just if I had a film camera and just B&W film. No Raw & minimal editing. This should concentrate the mind on getting the image and not fiddling with so many settings. It could be quite refreshing too!
 
just seeing if what remains of my memory is still functional. haven't got an axe to grind.

but feel really sure Luke started one last year sometime. only his rules allowed colour in :)

Edit: And there was Silver September of course (in which you Sue were an enthusiastic contributor :D)

Still, the more mono the better, I say
 
Of course there was the Silver September. No reason there can't be another month of mono. Anyone can set up a monthly challenge, but unless you really turn into a cheerleader and egg people on, the group tends to fizzle out under the weight of it's own malaise and indifference. Seems the forum is most often more interested in talking about future/new cameras and their negligible improvements than in trying to create meaningful photographs.

Even if I weren't kind of worn out and tired of trying to rally the troops to go out and shoot, I'm just way too busy moving, fixing up our old house and settling into the new home to be the ringleader for a monthly challenge.

Andy, I think going true mono is a great idea to help curb any secret desires to see it in color and I look forward to seeing your work (as always). And I think if more people join in and the forum is flooded with inspired black and white images of all sorts, the world would be a better place.
 
Thanks Luke

Well I'm going to put up my own thread and if anyone wants to Join in then they are more than welcome. Not so much as a challenge but just a chance to dedicate yourself to just one thing. Will be interesting to see what happens and I will hopefully learn from it in some ways as other will too I hope.

Actually to make sure I actually do stuff I'm also going to make it a 1 post per day! :D
 
Seems the forum is most often more interested in talking about future/new cameras and their negligible improvements than in trying to create meaningful photographs.

I've noticed this too. Whenever theres a new camera, everyone gravitates to that and its all about that and its "sample" images. I've never seen so much buying and selling as on this forum.

I'll keep shooting with what I have for quite a while yet, in spite of my GAS. Must be mad. Or impoverished.
 
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