The Beginner’s Guide to Black and White Photography

Tips for Shooting in Black and White

As mentioned above, black and white photography can put more emphasis on certain elements of your photos. That means it’s a good idea to spend more time on these elements.

Here are some things that you should pay special attention to when shooting black and white photos.

Decide First

You shouldn’t look at B&W photography as a way to add interest to an otherwise boring image. Instead, you should be thinking in terms of B&W while you shoot.

This doesn’t need to be written in stone. Your original plan may not work out, and you could always change your mind along the way.

But it’s a good idea to start your shoot by deciding if you intend to make the image B&W or full color. That’s because it will affect the way you should approach many aspects of your photo.

Contrast

While black and white photography can put more focus on many aspects of your photos, it excels at emphasizing contrast. When you’re only dealing with black and white, your photos have just light and shadow. There aren’t different colors of light to worry about, and it can make it simpler and more effective to achieve a striking look through your use of contrast.

It’s important to note that “contrast” doesn’t only refer to the difference between the lightest and darkest parts of your photos. It also refers to proximity.

For example, if your photo includes two objects with different levels of brightness side by side, the difference is exaggerated. This is one way to give your black and white photos a more intense look. And in post-processing, you can up the contrast and lower the brightness to make the effect even more striking.

On the other hand, if you want your photos to have a more subtle feel, you can aim for a lower contrast image, where any differences in brightness have gradual transitions.

Textures

Textures can play an important role in black and white photography. When your images don’t have any color, textures can become more striking and eye-catching.

You can also use textures to add interest or create an emotion in your black and white photos. Here are some quick tips to keep in mind:

• Get close enough to your subject to capture the details of the texture.

• The most interesting textures often include repetition of shapes or lines that form a pattern.

• Try looking for natural textures (like rocky surfaces, wood, or ice) as well as man-made ones (like cement, metallic surfaces, or fabrics)

• Old and well-worn objects can offer interesting textures (like rusty metal, or the cracked surface of an old book)

• If you’re shooting in color and planning on converting to black and white later, remember that the contrast and variation in the texture may be less visible in black and white.

Shapes

Shapes are another aspect of your composition that will receive more attention when shooting in black and white. When viewing an image without any color, shapes are one of the first ways viewers will make sense of what they’re looking at.

But shapes are also another part of your composition that you can use to change the mood of your black and white photos. Here are some of the basics:

• Circles and other rounded shapes with no corners can create a sense of movement.

• Squares and rectangles can create a feeling of stability.

• Lines can lead a viewer’s eye through your composition, and diagonal lines are particularly effective.

• Triangles tend to direct the eye to the point of the triangle.

• Repetition of shapes can add interest, and patterns can lend a sense of calm to your images. Alternatively, broken patterns can create a sense of unease.

Tone

In black and white photography, “tone” can refer to the shades of grey in your image as well as the overall brightness and darkness. By making tone adjustments using editing software (such as the Curves tool in Photoshop), you can drastically change the look and mood of your black and white photos.

Composition

As with all types of photography, the composition is key to making a great black and white photo. But an important tip is to remember how the absence of color will affect your composition.

Once you convert a photo to black and white, you may find that your subject doesn’t stand out as much, or your eye is drawn to a different focal point. So as you experiment with black & white photography, notice how you need to change your composition to achieve the desired effect.

Mood

Black and white photography can evoke certain emotions. So it’s a good idea to consider that while shooting.

You may need to put special effort into manipulating the mood of your B&W photos. Otherwise, you can end up with an image that feels bland and emotionless, or dark and ominous when you were going for something more cheerful.

The techniques above for contrast, textures, shape, and tone should help you create the mood you are aiming for with your black and white photos.