March 20, 2023: Alan Ross will do a hybrid Zoom presentation titled “The Magic of Black-and-White”.

March 20, 2023: Alan Ross will do a hybrid Zoom presentation titled “The Magic of Black-and-White”.

Alan feels that black-and-white, by its very nature, is an abstraction of “reality”. A sky can be light or dark without looking wrong. Colors can be skewed without anything looking wrong. But with color, unless doing something clearly wild, there is an expectation of “reality”. A green sky or purple skin just looks wrong! This abstraction quality of black-and-white provides a freedom of creativity & expression that has captivated Alan since his very first forays into photography. Although Alan has done a lot of color in his career & has some things that he’s thrilled to have done, in the end, it seems black-and-white is always what grabs him.

 Join Alan as he shares with us how he “sees” in black-and-white, explores what makes a successful black-and-white image & shows us his favorite tips & techniques for converting images to black-and-white for a tonally rich final image.

Using his vast portfolio of exquisite black-and-white images, Alan will walk us through the magic of black-and-white, including: What makes a successful & compelling black-and-white image; How to use the colors in a scene to interpret & express the feelings you want to convey; Creating this magic with film or pixels…using filters for film & a range of conversion options from digital captures; Simplifying post-processing & learning why many do-it-for-you black-and-white conversion applications may not be the best option. If time allows, Alan will use one or two BPS member images to demonstrate his approach to post-processing that emphasizes interpreting shapes, colors, textures & relationships in a scene.

Alan Ross is an internationally respected master photographer & educator who worked side-by-side with Ansel Adams as his photographic assistant. He knows Adams’ approach & technique perhaps better than any other photographer today. He also continues to be the exclusive printer of the Yosemite Special Edition negatives, an assignment Adams selected him for personally in 1975. Alan makes each print by hand from Adams’ original negatives using traditional darkroom techniques.

As an artist, Alan is best known for his tonally exquisite black-and-white photographs of the American west. His photographs hang in collections & galleries around the world. As a photographic educator, he specializes in helping photographers realize & express their photographic vision at any skill level & using all formats & styles.

Alan lives in visually captivating Santa Fe, where he pursues his own work, teaches one-on-one & small-group workshops in the art of seeing & master printing, & writes articles & blogs sharing his vast knowledge of the art & craft of photography. Learn more about Alan & see his work at www.alanrossphotography.com.

This will be a paid event for non-members with a $10 donation. For non-members interested in attending, please register by making your $10 donation at https://store.berksphotographic.org/product/club-donation/. At checkout, please specify “Alan Ross March 20” in the order box. Once BPS receives your donation, your pass will be emailed to you.