Tips for Black and White Photography

Shades of black and white: Tips for taking black and white photography

With the advent of digital cameras and a multiplicity of colors now available as possible options, why would anyone want to do black and white photography or take pictures in monochrome, where only one color is used? Is this not obsolete?

The opposite is true. Black and white photography is becoming more and more popular. In fact, it is back in vogue! 

Why is that?

Creativity:

Black and white photography allows a broad realm of creativity, far beyond that of color. A creative genius does not need to have color in a photograph in order to be creative. By using different shades of black and white, you will find that there is a whole other range of undiscovered color (color that does not appear to be color). These colors range from different shades of black to various shades of white.

Allow your creative genius to shine through your pictures by working with different shades of black and white. Try out the deep dark blacks, lighter blacks, dark grays and lighter grays. Do the same thing with the whites. Begin with the whitest whites and combine them with the various other shades of white. Play with different combinations of black and white. You will enjoy the results that you achieve.

Contrast:

Taking a picture in only black and white allows another dimension of photography to become apparent, as the person viewing the picture is alerted or awakened to the immediacy of sharp and distinct contrasts in the photograph. In a color photograph, what one is confronted with immediately is the color. Sometimes color is appropriate in a photograph, but not always. Changing any color to make it more appropriate is not always possible. It is much easier to work with the various shades of black and white.

When taking color photographs, look at what you think you would like the viewer to focus on in the photograph. Ask yourself whether that is hindered in any way, by the color in the picture. Try adjusting your camera settings and look at it in black and white. You may be pleasantly surprised because now what stands out is the very thing that you wanted to focus on, rather than the presence of a multiplicity of colors in the picture. 

Drama:

The drama that occurs in an action shot is an important part of photography. In a black and white photograph, the drama will be enhanced or stand out. In a color photograph, it tends to blend into the background and gets lost or its intensity is diminished.

Take a photograph of a couple of young people who are doing a dance recital on stage. Focus on something that you want to stand out in the foreground, like the tension on a person's face. Take a picture first in color and change it to black and white. Note the difference. The intensity of the drama moves forward in the black and white photograph, as the background diminishes. In the color photograph, the background is more apparent than the actual drama itself.

Texture:

Texture is a fantastic element to explore in photography, as almost everything has some kind of unique texture that can be captured in a picture.

On a sunny afternoon, go out and practice taking pictures of different textures with your digital camera. For example, find huge tree trunks or large rocks. Look at only their texture. Take a number of different shots of each subject up close, some in black and white and others in color. They are all going to appear different in various ways. What you may find is that the black and white photographs have amazing texture in comparison to the color photographs.

Emotion:

Emotion is a wonderful part of photography as there is intensity to it that touches the hearts of viewers. Every one loves to see emotion in a photograph, whether it is joy or sorrow.

Practice taking pictures that reflect either the intense joy or extreme sorrow on the faces of the people that you know and love. You can do this with total strangers. It is wise to obtain permission. First, take some pictures in the distance, ones that have a lot of background colors and do some close-ups. Try taking the same kinds of pictures in black and white. When you compare them, you will see the difference because the emotion on people's faces becomes increasingly evident as the background diminishes, particularly with black and white photographs.

Timelessness:

Black and white photography has an element of timelessness. In other words, the picture can appear to be from any time or any era. Taking a photograph in color immediately labels it with respect to time. Experiment with the element of timelessness in your photography. Try taking photographs of old buildings or people who are dressed in old styles of clothing. In color, they will be time specific. In black and white, no one will be able to date them as to the era.

How does one take black and white photographs?

You have a number of options with respect to how to take black and white pictures. You may adjust your digital camera settings, so that you can shoot pictures in black and white. A second option is to take a picture in color and at a later time or date, convert that picture into black and white on your camera or computer. A third option is to take the picture in color and then, scan or print it with black and white ink. Try a number of different shades of black and white.

The most important part of your black and white photography is whether you are happy with the results. If you are happy with it, more than likely, others will love it too.

Practice taking pictures in only black and white for a while. Critique them yourself or have other professionals do that for you. Photography is an art to be learned and one that is worth learning. It's all about the various shades of black and white.