Table Of ContentFROM BASICS TO FINE ART
BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND
JOEL TJINTJELAAR JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU
FROM BASICS
TO FINE ART
BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY
ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND
FIRST EDITION - MAY 2014
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS BOOK MAY BE REPRODUCED OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY
FORM, BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC OR MECHANICAL, INCLUDING PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING,
OR BY ANY INFORMATION STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION
FROM THE PUBLISHER, EXCEPT FOR THE INCLUSION OF BRIEF QUOTATIONS IN A REVIEW.
THE TERMS “(EN)VISIONOGRAPHY”, “THE MANIFEST OF (EN)VISIONOGRAPHY”, “PHOTOGRAPHY
DRAWING”, “PHTD”, “RULE OF GRAYS”, “GUIDE TO VISION”, “5MF8 RULE”, “ISGM”, “ITERATIVE SELECTIVE
GRADIENT MASKS”, “FOUR STEPS AWAY FROM REALITY”, “ARCHITECTURAL STREET PHOTOGRAPHY”
CONSIST INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OF THE AUTHORS AND CANNOT BE USED BY THIRDS TO
DESCRIBE OTHER CONCEPTS OR NOTIONS THAN THOSE DESCRIBED IN THIS BOOK, EITHER IN
ENGLISH OR TRANSLATIONS, OR IN ANY PARAPHRASED FORMULATIONS THAT CAN BE RELATED
TO THE SENSE THEY ARE GIVEN HERE. THEIR USE ELSEWHERE SHOULD BE ACCOMPANIED BY THE
MENTION OF THE BOOK OR THE AUTHORS.
COPYRIGHT 2014 BY JOEL TJINTJELAAR AND JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU
CONTENTS
For my two sons, Wesley and Julian Tjintjelaar, who inspire me to be the
best father I could be and share my knowledge without any restrictions
to this and future generations.
Joel Tjintjelaar
The Netherlands, May 2014
To my daughter Artemis, my best critic and my best assistant also, my
biggest admirer and the sweetest person in my life.
Julia Anna Gospodarou
Athens, Greece, May 2014
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 3 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
When I started writing this book, almost two years ago, as a collection of
thoughts addressed to my photography students, I was not expecting it
to evolve into something so complex as it is today. What started small has
become a complete black and white philosophy, based on architecture, but
JULIA ANNA reaching so far beyond it. I somehow knew I would write this book from as
GOSPODAROU far in the past as when I was an architecture student. I knew something was
there, underneath the surface, waiting to manifest. I was waiting for the right
moment to do it and the right moment came. This book comprises my artistic
philosophy and, in a way, my life philosophy also, since these two sides can-
not be separated. It is who I am, because photography is a big part of who
I am. Who I am today, I owe it not only to myself but to a few people and
moments that marked my path and helped me, in one or the other way, to
shape the person and the artist I am. For this I want to thank them now: to
my father, the first person I ever saw holding a camera, when I was at an age
I could barely walk and talk, to my mother who first showed me an art book
at age one, to the artists who made me dream when I was a teenager, to my
teachers who helped the sparkle become a flame, to a few “lucky” moments
that made me make a turn and not another, some would call it fate, but I only
believe in the fate I create myself, just as the artist creates his art.
A special thank you to my co-author and friend Joel Tjintjelaar, an artist I
highly admire and who brought to this book exactly what it needed to be-
come perfect: his inspiration, soul and knowledge.
Many thanks to our professional collaborators, our very creative graphic de-
signer, Artur J. Heller, and our erudite proofreader, Dr. Charles Paul Azzopardi,
for investing their talent into helping this book reach the shape it has today.
Special thanks also to Topaz Labs, Formatt-Hitech Filters, SmugMug, DxO
Labs, Stark Magazine and Camerapixo for their warm support over time
and for creating such great software, equipment and photography resources
that help me and others better express ourselves as artists.
Julia Anna Gospodarou
Architect | Fine Art Photographer
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 4 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
FOREWORD BY GEORGE DEWOLFE
FOREWORD BY GEORGE DEWOLFE
“INTENSITIES OF LIGHT” I consider Julia’s (en)Visionography and Photography Draw-
Joel Tjintjelaar and Julia Anna Gospodarou ing the most important innovation in B&W photography since the
invention of the Zone System. What she does is combine classical
Outside of Ansel Adams’ Basic Photo Series, From Basic to Fine Art: drawing with photography and breaks away from the original pho-
Black and White Photography – Architecture and Beyond, by Joel tography in terms of light. Through the use of selections and gradi-
Tjintjelaar and Julia Anna Gospodarou, is the best book on B&W ents, she transforms the image into something that glows with more
photography written in the last 40 years. It is with delight and privi- of an inner light than an reflective exterior one. A whole section on
GEORGE DEWOLFE lege that I was asked to write the foreword to a book that appeals classical drawing and what it can do for your own photography will
not only to very advanced B&W photographers, but to beginners as send you back (literally!) to the drawing board to learn drawing, if
well. In Maine, USA, where I live, we have only two ways of express- you did not already. Her main goal is to transform the original image
ing our opinion of something: it is either “Pretty Good” or “Almost into something that she envisions, hence (en)Visionography.
There”. This book is Pretty good!
The importance of the book is reached in Julia’s and Joel’s abilities to George DeWolfe, Maine,USA, April 2014
blend the practice of classical form and content in vision and tech- www.georgedewolfe.com
nique, so that Form is Content. While others claim to have achieved
this state of aesthetic grace, this is the first time I have seen it ac-
complished with great skill and with a brilliant explanation of how
to get there.
Forming this elusive aesthetic point where Form becomes Content,
Real becomes Abstract. It is an act of magic. And, like all great magi-
cians, Julia and Joel make it look easy, until they start to unveil the
skill and technical tools used to accomplish their photographs.
I am especially drawn to several aspects of the book that stand out
to me as an old B&W practitioner.
(en)Visionography
Photography Drawing George DeWolfe is a prestigious B&W fine art photographer, writer and
The Rule of Grays teacher who has studied in the past with icons like Ansel Adams and Minor
White and now he is opening new roads in photography just like his famous
Long Exposure Photography
teachers. He is the author of a series of reference books and essays about B&W
Black and White post Processing using iSGM photography, among which The Master Print and many other well-known
titles. George has been widely published and recognized internationally and his
photography work was exhibited in numerous exhibitions and collections. He is
the creator of Optipix and Percep Tool, two Adobe Photoshop plugins specific
to B&W photography and is also teaching workshops about the art of B&W
photography.
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 5 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
FOREWORD BY CHARLES PAUL AZZOPARDI
FOREWORD BY CHARLES PAUL AZZOPARDI
“FROM BASICS TO FINE ART”
Joel Tjintjelaar and Julia Anna Gospodarou
“A great photograph is a full expression of what one feels about what is
being photographed in the deepest sense, and is, thereby, a true expres-
sion of what one feels about life in its entirety.” – Ansel Adams
I first touched a camera nary three years ago. I have been a black
CHARLES PAUL
and white convert ever since, but black and white photography is
AZZOPARDI
not a simple plugin conversion, desaturate command or a Photo-
shop Channel mixer action to be taken lightly. I loved the emotions
black and white conveyed, but without a vision and a drive to cre-
ate images which move and evoke, it is worthless being affection-
ate towards black and white as I was when I set out on my personal
journey. My initial steps floundered, rudderless and lifeless; then I
came across this image of the Salk Institute in California by some-
one who, up until then, was relatively unknown. An artist called Joel
Tjintjelaar, a Dutch-Indonesian fine art photographer… and then all
was good. The quality of the work on offer communicated directly
with my soul. The emotions the image conjured shone through. I
was addicted. I was hooked, and after approaching Joel, I started
being mentored in his methods and his vision behind the creation of
his transcendental art. I have followed Joel closely from his humble
FEEDING WATER TO THE OCEAN - REDUX
beginnings to today and I can vouch for his immense knowledge, his © JOEL TJINTJELAAR - LA JOLLA, CALIFORNIA
passion, his ingenuity and his creative drive.
Shortly thereafter, another artist made her presence felt on the long
exposure fine art scene, an artist of Hellenic & Romanian origin and
They will guide you to look at gear as merely a tool of exploration,
artistic roots, Julia Anna Gospodarou. And thus the most dynamic
just a conduit to your own very personal inner sanctum, and how to
and creative duo in the modern history of black and white photog-
find your vision to become an instrument for change in your chosen
raphy came to fruition.
sphere. Their images are proof that vision and art matter today more
What sets Joel and Julia Anna apart though, is their artistic approach than ever before. Their drive shows a deep hunger for the unknown,
and holistic background, distilling influences from classic art, engi- fused with the courage to be ignorant, but leading to an inherent
neering, architecture, poetry and philosophy and resulting in a pure wisdom to recognize that the image is not taken, but given and
concentrated milieu in the end-result. made in the artist’s mind.
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 6 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
FOREWORD BY CHARLES PAUL AZZOPARDI
FOREWORD BY CHARLES PAUL AZZOPARDI
In today’s humankind ever-increasing urge for homogenization and
uniformity, Joel and Julia stand out. Joel is the modern equivalent of
what Ansel Adams did for black & white photography in the film era,
always exploring new horizons, new techniques, and new frontiers
to explore. Julia Anna, on the other hand, is the chimera of Imogen
Cunningham and Vivian Maier, merging one of the sharpest eyes in
the art world with the artistic flair to make every image canvas come
alive.
CHARLES PAUL
AZZOPARDI
“When I’m ready to make a photograph, I think I quite obviously see in
my mind’s eye something that is not literally there in the true meaning
of the word. I am interested in something which is built up from within,
rather than just extracted from without.” – Ansel Adams
Their book and stunning images testify to their intellectual curios-
ity and desire to understand where they are coming from, who they
became and where they are going, together with taking black &
white art to ever higher dizzying heights. All artists want to connect
with others, and photography is all about communicating with light,
tones, shades and ideas. Great photographers are great because
they speak eloquently from their inner mind, see sharply and pro-
duce consistently, meticulously and passionately. They are masters
not only of the techniques of photography, but, for at least a brief PATH TO HUMAN CONSTITUTION
moment, they are masters of the eyes and mind of another human © CHARLES PAUL AZZOPARDI 2013 - ATHENS
being.
Less than 3 years after I started my journey with these two wonder-
ful persons, artists, mentors and co-authors, my art, the art they
helped bring to the surface and to the fore, achieved international
recognition. Open the book, sit down, open your mind and start Charles Paul Azzopardi is a B&W fine art photographer and a medical doctor
your own very personal journey now towards artistic illumination. with the soul of a poet. His artistic personality and the love he has for beauty
and art can be seen in the vision he transposes in both his B&W performance
It is your turn now.
photography as well as in his fine art work. Charles has won the 1st Prize at the
Architectural Photography Contest organized by the Fine Art Athens Workshops
Dr Charles Paul Azzopardi, black & white long exposure and Formatt-Hitech in November 2013 with the image exhibited above. Charles
has a special richness of artistic feeling which is exactly what an artist needs
(en)Visionographer - Malta, April 2014
in order to express himself through art and the first quality of a B&W fine art
www.charlespaulazzopardi.com photographer and (en)Visionographer.
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 7 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION
In front of you lies a book on photography. Just like so many other As you know by now, the subtitle of the book is “Black and White Pho-
photography books available, or... is it something else? tography - Architecture and Beyond”, “beyond” being an important part
JOEL Agreed, there are so many books on the market these days that cover of this title. Why “Beyond”? The answer is simple: although archi-
TJINTJELAAR
different topics on photography: books on basic camera handling tectural photography is the main subject matter, it is only a pretext,
and skills, books on Photoshop and Lightroom, books on Black and it merely serves to illustrate the generic principles behind fine-art,
White photography, long exposure photography, HDR photography, vision and good black and white processing. The core principles tran-
strobist, portraiture, landscape photography and also beautiful cof- scend the chosen subject matter in such a way it enables you to utilize
fee-table photo books with only beautiful images. them in any preferred genre.
JULIA ANNA This is not such a book. We meant this book to be personal and universal at the same time.
GOSPODAROU
Meant for beginners, intermediate and advanced photographers. Its
First of all, through this book, we are trying to cover photography
goal is to walk next to you, from the very beginning of your fine art
aspects from both a theoretical and a practical fine-art point of view,
journey, by introducing you to the basics of creating photography, like
which is something not really covered yet. Yes, there are books on
vision and composition, to guide you, step by step, through different
the artistic aspects of photography that are usually very theoretical
considerations about shooting conditions and methods, gear choices,
but not many books that also give practical tips for creating fine-art
subject choices, styles and techniques in architectural photography
photography and how to develop something so abstract as vision.
or the secrets of a good black and white conversion, then drive you
What we bring new and original is that we also give you an interesting
towards advanced long exposure techniques, extensively presented
new theoretical point of view on photography in this digital day and
black and white processing methods and tips on creating a clear and
age with the concept of (en)Visionography and a complete guide on
easily understandable by the viewers fine art language. Every step
how to discover your vision and personal style: The Guide to Vision.
along this journey is illustrated and explained using our own award-
Furthermore we are introducing some new and interesting concepts winning images which are well-known, but also surprise material con-
on how to approach black and white photography and how to pro- sisting in unpublished so far photographs from our archive.
cess photos to black and white: from the method of Photography
The book is structured on chapters written by either of us and we
Drawing, to the B&W processing method iSGM. In addition, we also
WE MEANT THIS chose to use the first person in expressing ourselves, even if we are in
give you a set of rules for good B&W photography called The Rule of
BOOK TO BE fact two persons speaking, in order to be able to narrate and explain
Grays, that are more than the usual tips and tricks that can be found
PERSONAL AND more accurately our personal experiences, our beliefs and vision and
in any other book on black and white photography. We are also pre-
UNIVERSAL to help you experience them yourselves. We hope you will enjoy this
senting a very comprehensive guide on long exposure photography
AT THE SAME TIME. journey and find it useful. If so, we would be delighted to hear it per-
and a practical pricing list to give you practical guidelines on how to
MEANT FOR sonally from you as comments on either of these links: Julia & Joel.
price your work as a photographer. And all of this revolves around a
BEGINNERS,
subject matter that can be considered the forte of the writers: fine-art Yours truly,
INTERMEDIATE
architectural photography. J&J
AND ADVANCED
Julia Anna Gospodarou & Joel Tjintjelaar - (en)Visionographers
PHOTOGRAPHERS
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 8 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
SIMPLE PURPOSE
OF THIS BOOK
SHARE OUR KNOWLEDGE AND VISION
To share knowledge. To show the differences between classical and fine art
architectural photography.
To share our vision.
To talk about different types of architectural photography and
To introduce new innovative concepts, such as (en)Visionography, focus on black & white long exposure techniques.
the Rule of Grays, the Guide to Vision, the 5MF8 Rule,
Photography Drawing, 4 Steps Away From Reality and more. To unveil the secrets of a good black and white conversion.
To share our love for black and white photography. To talk about light in black and white photography.
To share our love for architecture and show its beauty. To talk about shapes and volumes and how they react to light.
To share our experience in photographing fine art. To give practical ideas about useful gear and tools for long
exposure and architectural photography.
To give ideas and to offer examples based on our own work.
To inspire.
To provide tips & tricks and analyze how we get the results we
get. To teach you how to be able to move yourself and others.
To invite the readers to come closer to black and white fine art To start an artistic revolution in photography...
photography and start to love and understand it.
To analyze the most important aspects of black and white fine
art photography, from composition to advanced processing
techniques and offer practical solutions to those wanting to
approach and discover this genre.
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 9 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
WHO WE ARE JOEL TJINTJELAAR & JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU
WHO WE ARE
A photographer in love with architecture and an
architect in love with photography, we have been
photographing the world around us from a young
age, architectural photography being our passion
and one of the things that defines the relation we
have with the space we live in and with the world it-
self. Photography is our representation of the world,
our vision, our (en)Visionography.
JOEL JULIA ANNA
TJINTJELAAR GOSPODAROU
www.bwvision.com www.juliaannagospodarou.com
FROM BASIC TO FINE ART BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY - ARCHITECTURE AND BEYOND 10 CONTENTS © JULIA ANNA GOSPODAROU & JOEL TJINTJELAAR
