I was approached today by a father whose eldest son is interested in photography. Apparently the son is 16 and his father was looking for ways of supporting his interest. It was a wonderful conversation as it made me think. He wanted to know what his son could do to improve his photography. After a bit of noodling around with ideas I got to the idea of shooting B&W. Many (most?) intro courses in photography use B&W because it simplifies the composition of the frame. Color is terribly distracting.

I have some theories on how to teach photography which basically mimic the way graphic design is taught. But, it boils down to starting very simply and working your way up.

Here is a bit of video with Herb Ritts. I was looking at my Herb Ritts book the other day and thinking about his B&W photography. Whether or not you like his work; it is distinct and has a vision.

Skip to about 16 minutes in to see Herb Ritts. Not the best interview, but you'll see some pictures. I like his description of some of his images as sculptural - that was the word that has been eluding me since I last looked at his book.