The Story Behind the Photo

April 2026: Portrait-Black and White

Steven McKeen

When I saw the assignment for April 2026, I instantly knew what I wanted to submit.  The only problem was how I was going to get that photo.  I wanted a certain look for the individual in the photo.  So, I started looking at people to see how they would fit.  I thought I might have to go into town and get a street photo of an individual.  I was going through my photos and ran across the look I wanted in one of the photos.   The only problem, it was in color.  That is where the journey started.

Last summer, we were in Utah visiting family and were invited to a 250th birthday party for the army.  There were modern units and re-enactments from early soldiers, equipment and displays with current army personnel dressed in old uniforms from the army’s history.  

I found this assignment one of the hardest to finish.  Changing the image from color to B&W and keeping everything in perspective was a challenge.  First, I changed the image to B&W with Photoshop.  All my editing was done in Photoshop.  I used multiple masks to adjust individual parts of the image.  The background had to be darkened while keeping the exposure on the person correct, so that’s where I started.  Next, when changing to B&W, the eyes were not even close to acceptable.  The eyes and surrounding eye sockets were adjusted to give a look of concentration.  The hands and uniform parts were individually masked and adjusted to bring out the detail and proper contrast.  Working with the lighting, contrast and each part individually, it really helped with the sharpness of the photo.  I adjusted the lighting to draw attention to the areas that if felt were important. I felt this added more drama to the photo.  The result was what I had envisioned when I first saw the assignment. 

 

  • Army’s 250th Birthday Celebration in Utah on family Trip.

  • Historical displays and uniforms.

  • Re-enactments with historical equipment.

 

The original color image.

The final Black and White edit.

I have always liked black and white photography.  That is where I started, manually developing photos in a darkroom.  While I still enjoy the darkroom and B&W photography, I had forgotten just how impactful B&W photos can be.  This assignment has truly rekindled my love for B&W photography.