BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY – HOW AND WHY WE USE IT

I love black and white photography, it is part of how I make images and I couldn’t imagine photography without it. Black and White photography is an art. There is an indefinable magic in black and white that is impossible to explain. Creating drama in the shadows, highlights, and everything in between is one of the reasons I love creating black and white photographs.  It crosses that fine line between reality and fantasy.

When converting color into black and white it is important to have different tones in the photo so your subject will stand out of the background. Often, if the subject has the same tone it can look a little flat in black and white. Having a high amount of contrast and texture is a good way to achieve this. Portraits particularly, work well for this as you can color coordinate your subjects clothes to create a strong contrast effect. Look for interesting hats, clothes or textures in their environment that would make a strong portrait in black and white. 

To create great black and white photographs you must train yourself to “see” in tone. Lighting plays a big factor in black and white photography because it raises and lowers the brightness values of the original colors in the scene. The lighting creates the highlights, shadows and everything in-between. Learning to “see” in Black and White is an excellent way to improve your photography.