Pre-Visualization Techniques

Pre-visualization refers to the ability to see in the “mind’s eye” how a final image will come out based simply on the scene in front of one. Ansel Adams maintained that pre-visualization was a crucial skill in his work and for all photographers. In the era before digital he was often able to accurately “know” what his final print would look like, taking into account the vagaries of exposure and development, as well as his extensive experience with the craft of fine print making.

Without pre-visualization, photography can be largely random, and lacks conceptual clarity. You’ll also waste a great deal of time by making captures that don’t come out the way you’d expect or like. On the other hand, there is also a place for spontaneity and serendipity. You will need to decide whether you lean toward extensive planning or more toward relying on your gut and Lady Luck. In addition, some kinds of photography call for more extensive pre-visualization and planning than other kinds.

In one sense, digital technology has made pre-visualization greatly easier. With a digital capture, you can “see” what you’ve got right after the exposure as well as on your LCD screen even before you make the exposure. For more information about using these aspects of digital technology to help you pre-visualize black and white imagery, see pages 38–41.

Geometry—The Pont Valentre in Cahors in Southwest France stood as a fortified edifice at the armed frontier of the 100 Years War without ever being conquered. This impressive work of military architecture also exhibits impressive symmetry. I composed my image carefully to take advantage of the repeating ovals and straight lines inherent in geometry of the bridge and its reflections in the River Lot.

Nikon, D850, 68mm, 1/200 of a second at f/11 and ISO 200, with circular polarizer, and tripod mounted; processed to monochrome using Photoshop Adjustment layers.

Decorative Grass—In high summer, weeds and crabgrass grow in the cracks in sidewalks. I am always amazed at how the visuals of these “common” things are dismissed because they are not pedigreed as flowers. In fact, the internal and decorative structure of grasses has an appealing and intricate beauty all of its own. My pre-visualization was to contrast the shape of the grasses with a dark background.

To capture the essence of these fantastic grasses, I placed them on a backlit white background and photographed straight down with a macro lens. Before converting the resulting image to black and white, I inverted the white background to place the grasses on black with the form of the grass becoming silhouetted. See page 217 for more about image inversion.

Nikon D850, 50mm macro, eight exposures at f/22 and ISO 64, shutter speeds ranging from 5 seconds to 1/20 of a second, tripod mounted; processed to monochrome using Photoshop Adjustment layers, Nik Silver Efex Pro, and Topaz plug-ins.

Reviewing a photo on your LCD can be a great way to check the accuracy of your exposure and the basics of your composition, but there are a couple of reasons why previsualization in the digital era remains a challenge.

Assuming you’ve set your camera to create RAW captures, the image you see on your LCD is a JPEG rendition of the RAW file—and as such gives you only one data point regarding the potentialities available within the complete capture. See pages 94–95 for a comparison of JPEG and RAW captures in the context of black and white digital photography. It’s as if Ansel Adams were pre-visualizing his negatives developed only one way determined by shooting and exposure conditions instead of considering how his negatives might come out depending on the complex chemical mixtures and variable post-production techniques that he, in fact, used.

There are close to an infinite universe of possible approaches to digital postprocessing. You can take the file representing a photo and process it to a color image in numerous different ways—with tremendous variations in the final black and white conversion as well. From this viewpoint, the ability to pre-visualize digital black and white takes knowledge of the vast array of post-processing techniques, as well as the ability to see with subtlety and clarity how the color world translates to monochrome. (This is the subject of Black and White in the Digital Era starting on page 86 and Creative Black and White Opportunities starting on page 176.)

Here are some techniques I use to help develop my pre-visualization skills, and to try and see how particular photos will “come out” in their final black and white versions:

• I consider a generally monochromatic subject—this could be anything ranging from a bush to a door—and pay special attention to how it is lit. I think about whether I can make a black and white photo from the contrast between highlights and shadows. If not, I consider how I need to change the lighting to create an interesting photo.
• I sometimes bring a small sketchbook and a pencil with me on my shoots. Before making any exposures, I try to draw the key shapes I see in the image. I’m not in the least worried about the quality of my drawing. Often, this work helps me clarify the important aspects of the composition I am trying to make.
• Looking at a potential photo in my viewfinder, I try to see the image in black and white. In my mind’s eye I try to take both black and white areas to the limit. What happens when the darker areas go completely black? What happens when the lighter areas go completely white? What are the results if both “moves” are attempted at the same time?

Piazza San Marco—Venice is one of my all-time absolute favorite places to photograph. Apart from anything else, it is the largest intact ancient city in Europe. However, fame is not without its consequences, and Venice is often full of visitors, many off tour boats, and many wielding selfie-sticks.

I have found that one of the best ways to photograph Venice without being overwhelmed by the admirers of La Serenissima is to prowl the city at night when even public squares such as San Marco are often deserted. At night the miasmic marshes on which Venice is built send their fog into the atmosphere enabling compositions such as the one shown where a crisp foreground contrasts with the diffused atmospheric fog in the background.

Nikon D810, 85mm, four exposures at f/9 and ISO 200, shutter speeds ranging from 5 seconds to 0.3 of a second, tripod mounted; processed to black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro.

Bridge of Light—Along the rugged coast of Western Oregon, where the mountains meet the Pacific Ocean, a series of bridges were built across the chasms that kept this region isolated until the 1930s. These cast iron and concrete structures are great fun to photograph (for another example of the bridges along the Oregon coast, turn to page 10).

The bridge shown here crosses Cape Creek near the Heceta Head Lighthouse on Cape Perpetua.

Walking down to the underside of the bridge in the early morning light, I noticed the rising sun casting shadows and light, amplified by the mist that hung over the creek. I realized that I could make an image of the bridge that took advantage of this unusual and compelling light.

Nikon D850, 32mm, six exposures at f/25 and ISO 64, shutter speeds ranging from 1 second to 1/40 of a second, tripod mounted; processed to black and white using Nik Silver Efex Pro.

You can also sometimes use an in-camera conversion of a JPEG to black and white as a quick aid in understanding how the image might appear monochromatically.

By the way, pre-visualization is not a be-all and end-all by itself. It’s a tool and technique to help you create more powerful images with greater control. But don’t get caught in the trap of excluding alternative possibilities when you come to process your imagery. Often, the most interesting photos come from surprise detours along the way rather than following the straight and narrow path of your original roadmap.