Challenge Your Creativity!
Rediscover the World of Film Photography

Alfred Hitchcock was a master of the black & white film medium. He understood the value, mystique, and intrigue that dark shadows projected to the viewers of his motion picture films. Hitchcock commented, with respect to his black & white films, "Suspense is like a woman; the more left to the imagination, the more the excitement." Suspense in photography is created by the interplay of light and shadows; the more that's left to the imagination, the more excitement the viewer feels. When it comes to the expression of light and shadow, black & white film photography is king!

Black & white photography is about shape, form, and texture; but, even more than that, it's about the play of shadows and how they capture one's attention. It's all about reducing a subject down to its basic characteristics and structure. It focuses attention to the thing itself that's being photographed by eliminating a rainbow of distracting colors. You can't forcibly express concepts like poverty, depression, loneliness, and fear—even mystery—through color images. Color masks emotions; black & white images emphasize them.

To be a successful black & white fine art photographer, you must have a reason for shooting black & white images. Any subject or scene that can be shot in color can be shot in black & white; however, color subjects do not require a reason to be photographed. A photo of a zebra is a good reason for shooting the subject in black & white; an abandoned house in a dark forest at dusk is a good reason for shooting in black & white (this photo is among the eight images showcased at the top of this web page); as is the study of forms, textures, shapes, and the mystique and intrigue that dark shadows project in a scene. Some genres of photography, like street photography, are better photographed in the black & white medium. Thus, the key to creating outstanding black & white images is to have a reason for shooting in black & white that cannot be satisfied through the use of color.

An Emphasis On Developing and Printing
The fact that film and film cameras are readily available in the photography market does not mean commercial film processing and development is readily available to the film photographer. In fact, photo labs that develop negatives from film and produce prints directly from the negatives are few in number. Thus, the primary focus of the Robert Devere School of Film Photography is on the artist's penchant for developing his or her own negatives and enlarging prints from those negatives. Most film aficionados are pleasantly surprised to discover how easy it is to process and develop their own negatives and prints and find much satisfaction and enjoyment in this creative and forgotten aspect of the art of photography. Additionally, film developing equipment and supplies are not only immediately accesssible from online sources, but are also cheaper than ever.

Are You Up to the Challenge?
Do you have what it takes to be a successful film photographer? Do you fit the profile? Film photography is demanding, requires meticulous exposure and focusing control, rewarding, fascinating, intriguing, sometimes frustrating, but never mundane, boring, or predictable. A requirement for patience, dedication, and attention to detail is necessary. Film photography can be challenging. If you like tackling challenges and overcoming some of the photographic obstacles that are not characteristic of digital photography, then you will enjoy the satisfaction and rewards that go along with shooting fine art film images. Is fine art black & white film photography for you? See our special invitation at the bottom of this web page that gives you the opportunity to decide. Who knows? You just might be the next Ansel Adams or Annie Leibovitz!

Fine Art Printmaking
Black & white film photography is and continues to be the artist's gold standard for fine art printmaking. Shooting black & white film images and obtaining rich black & white tones with distinct separations of gray is truly an art in itself. Most photographers know that shooting perfectly exposed black & white images and obtaining rich black saturation and high-contrast dynamic range, while preserving aesthetically pleasing "bokeh" (a soft or "creamy" background with smooth circles of light and no hard edges) and distinct details in highlights and dark shadows in photographs, is more challenging than shooting color images.

Certified B&W Film Artist
The Robert Devere School of Film Photography offers a comprehensive B&W Film Workshop. The B&W Film Workshop that's featured on this website leads to a certification diploma that identies the graduate as a Certified B&W Film Artist. As a film artist, you not only specialize in bringing the black & white film medium back into the public limelight, but back into vogue within the photography community, too. Many amateur photographers have asked Robert Devere, Director of The Robert Devere School of Film Photography, why he shoots only black & white images—and because it's a good question—he has provided a detailed answer on this website. Click the tab on the menu bar at the top of this web page labeled Shooting Black & White Images to read his answer. Hopefully, you will appreciate his response and it will generate enough excitement in you to want to explore the beauty, intrigue, and mystery found in black & white photographs.

What Is a Certified B&W Film Artist?
A Certified B&W Film Artist is a competent film photographer who specializes in the black & white film medium and advocates for the preservation of black & white film photography in both the public domain and the visual arts community. These dedicated film photographers actively encourage and support the marketing and distribution of new and advanced film cameras and associated technologies to camera manufacturers like Canon, Fuji, Leica, Nikon, Kodak, and Sony, to name a few. See the results of their efforts by clicking on the menu bar at the top of this web page labeled Photo News. They are also active in the preservation of printed black & white heritage photographs (paper-based prints) created from film negatives. It is the image itself, and not just the means by which it was created, that is preserved for the purpose of posterity. Photographic preservation is also the practice of restoring the appearance of a physical photograph that has been damaged by natural, manmade, or environmental causes or simply affected by age or neglect, sometimes using digital means to protect film images.

An Invitation and a FREE Lesson
We invite you to view this website to learn more about Robert Devere's passion for fine art black & white film photography. We also invite you to explore the school's online B&W Film Workshop created by professional photographers, art directors, photo editors, and art critics with many years of progressive experience, specifically for those who share our enthusiasm for the black & white film medium. Before you can enroll in the workshop, you must Take a Test Drive to help you determine if fine art black & white film photography is for you. The test drive is a free, comprehensive, introductory presentation to black & white fine art film photography. If, after completing the test drive, you decide that black & white film photography may indeed peak your interest, you can even take the first workshop lesson presentation titled Understanding Film for free, too! Now that's a great invitation! By clicking on the above link a prompt may appear on your computer screen that looks like this:
Introduction.ppsx
Open File
Click on Open File to access the presentation.

Black and White IQ Quiz
Think you know a lot about black & white photography? Take this fun B&W IQ Quiz. You may be surprised by what you don’t know. Click Here to test your knowledge.