Black & White Photography Tips
Black and White photography is one of my favourite styles of images as it adds a certain drama and timeless quality to many photographs. However not all photos lend themselves to converting to black and white, so it’s worth experimenting and playing with this style to see what looks good and not so good.
1. Look at inspiring images
I love looking through other people’s images to admire their work, especially older photographs where there was only black and white as an option. Have a look through some old family photographs from your parents or grandparents albums and look at how they were captured for great inspiration for your own photos. I love looking at Eve Arnold‘s stunning photography, as she was such a natural documentary style photographer, that she always caught the essence of her subjects without any obvious direction or obtrusion.
2. Look for patterns
A good photo typically has some pattern to it. Something that makes the viewers’ eyes follow the pattern and look for more patterns. Patterns can be rocks on the ground, blades of grass, cars going from left to right, and any other repeating object, texture, or design. For example, capturing patterns in black and white street photography can make your images distinct and make the main subject really grab attention. Patterns work really well in black and white photography because there are no colors to distract you.
3. Experiment with exposure
Black and white portrait photography is a good area to experiment with exposure. Sometimes, over or underexposing, your photos can add some dramatic effects. Don’t be afraid to experiment with your settings when taking a photo of a certain subject and go from a darker exposure to a lighter one and see what effects has on the image. Don’t be afraid to try out under exposing for a more dramatic effect, as with digital you can take many images!
4. Emphasise the contrast
Since black and white photography is all about playing with only black, white, and shades in-between, always emphasise the contrast in the photos you take. When taking a photo, think about how it will look like in black and white. Drama can be achieved when there is only dark black tones contrasted with lighter whites, rather than lots of greys. To add more contrast, you can adjust this during editing. Try doing the follow to enhance your black & white photos:-
- Crop your photo to remove unnecessary background if it looks better.
- Sharpen your image if needed.
- Add more contrast
- Make blacks a little darker and the highlights brighter.
Have fun and enjoy trying out shadow photography!