Shapes and shadows in black and white photography

In our course "How to see in black and white", we talk about seeing shapes and shadows in black and white photography.
It's really worth doing because once you get your head around it, you see shapes and shadows everywhere!

Learning to master Black and White photography is fun.

Because it encourages you to 'see' in your mind's eye in an entirely new way.

It's something we talk about it in depth in our course "How to see in Black and White".

And it's something I kept in mind when I was in Shanghai a week or so ago.

It was cold. Very cold considering I had arrived from an Aussie summer! And typically smoggy. The combination of low sun and pollution reminded me of the challenges of shooting in winter. But rather than negate my imagination these climatic eccentricities actually made for interesting shots. You see getting fine detail just wasn't going to happen with these conditions, so I decided to see what would normally be a problem as an opportunity.

Rather than worry about losing soft shadows and tones, I embraced seeing shapes and hard shadows. Along with black against white and positive space against negative space.

This simple change in attitude allowed me to enjoy the crowded, cold and captivating city more than I would have thought possible.

By seeing people as blocks of dark against the otherwise bland white sky, I was able to wait until they positioned themselves in my frame rather than me positioning around them.

Beautiful architecture (which trust me is plentiful in Shanghai) also benefited from the shapes and shadows style. By seeing them as graphic blocks I noticed the artistry of their edges and the contrast they created against the sky and clouds.

Even a dose of rain didn't dampen my enthusiasm. The water created mirrors on the pavement.

The moral of the story?

Sometimes the opposite of what you want is goofd for you. Especially in black and white photography.

Or any photography for that matter.

Any thoughts?