- John's Pro-Photo Tips -
How does black and white photography differ?
I’ve heard some people talk about black and white photography as if everything has to be done differently, almost as if it’s a kind of specialist field. – It isn’t!
When I first trained in photography, around 50% of our work was black and white photography. Basically, the techniques for black & and white photography were the same as for colour. Indeed, from studio portraits to industrial or product shoots, it was just a question of whether the client wished to pay extra for colour.
Nontheless, in reality, black & white photography is fun and easy. In fact, it uncovers an entire range of moods and effects.
Use contrast to create moods and effects with black and white photography
With colour images, the photographer must remember that a change in contrast, most commonly by an increase or decrease in exposure, can alter colours within the image.
Whereas in black and white photography, that is not a consideration. Exposure and contrast will only change the depths of the varying shades of grey, creating freedom for the photographer to create dramatic effects using highlights and shadow. As a result, this opens a range of opportunities for the photographer that are not available with colour.
Consider a portrait taken against a dark background with a strong key light (or modelling light). The effect can be dramatic. I shot this studio portrait of an old English Sheepdog in b&w to contrast the coat against the backdrop.
With landscapes, you can create a high contrast scene against a light sky. See how the snow-peaks in this image contrast against both the white fluffy clouds and the darker foreground.
Texture will also bring out the best in black & white. The bark on a tree trunk or sunlight glancing across the brickwork of a building are good examples of this.
In Summary ....
Most DSLR cameras and even Smartphones have inbuilt filters. Experimenting is lots of fun. See what works best for you.
Black & White photography is great to create mood in your photo. Here are some things to remember when shooting in black & white….
- Contrast is key whether you are creating a low-contrast soft romantic portrait or a dramatic high-contrast street scene, adjust your exposure to reflect this.
- Highlights attract the eye. Watch for where the bright spots are in your image. For example, car headlights, street lights or the one person an a group photo wearing white clothing. Are those the points in your image where you want to most attract your viewers eye?
- Concentrate on the key points and focus on them. All images need a focal point to attract the viewers eye. Where is your key point? It could be on the horizon at the end of a long road or perhaps the rocks on a water-fall in the foreground.
- Exposure will alter the effect. Over or under exposure can increase or decrease contrast. What do you want to expose for? Is it the sky to accentuate a dark foreground or perhaps the shadow detail under trees? Exposure meter readings can change drastically within different areas of an image.
Basic Photo Editing
Finally, on your computer, try experimenting with some of your existing colour images. You can do quite a lot by simply using the photo Editing software that is built in to Windows 10 or 11. In the same way, you can convert your colour image to b&w by reducing the Saturation to zero. Then play with the contrast, exposure, highlights, shadows and brightness adjustments to see what simple affects you can create.
Do you have any questions around Black & White photography? Just ask me a question:
The following comment was originally posted to the same page on my former website:
From Tierra on Black & White Photography
The article is very engaging and well-researched. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and expertise with your readers.