Learn how to do anything: How to Take Black and White Photographs

Taking photos in black and white can produce a very different effect from color photography. Photographing solely black and white photographs involves a different perspective compared to taking colored photography. Thanks to new digital technology, taking black and white photographs is now a much simpler task than it once was, as long as you keep these tricks and techniques in mind.

EditSteps

EditAdjusting Your Approach

Aim for contrast. If you're used to colored photography, you'll be used to the idea that contrast isn't essential; however, in black in white photography contrast is highly preferable. When a photo is taken in black and white, all colors are turned into black, white and various shades of gray. For a photograph to stand out you want a mix of solid blacks and whites and a variation of grays. These sold blacks and whites will create an overall dramatic feel to your photograph.
- Attaching a red filter to your DSLR camera improves overall contrast automatically.
- Use Lightroom, or another editing program of your choosing in order to manually adjust the contrast of photos.
- In black and white photography, complementary colors turn the same shade of gray and do not work with one another like they do in color photography, instead they blend into one another.
- Turning up the contrast overall creates a much stronger image.
Start emphasizing the shapes and forms in your frame. Since color has been removed from the image, shape and form become more distinct. Photography is a two-dimensional form of art and it is often a struggle for photographers to take photos that really emphasize the three-dimensional forms of their objects.
- Arrange the photo so it displays fascinating shapes and lines to make these parts of the image stand out over others.
- Shadows and leading lines create form and help the subject of the photograph appear more three-dimensional.
- Get the right composition by shooting in different than usual positions in order to change the form of an object (In the photo below, the photographer takes the photograph from the side of the flower, instead of the usual photo taken from above).
Learn to play with textures and patterns. These elements of design go hand-in-hand when it comes to black and white photography because they are both often lost in colored photographs.
- Reoccurring patterns are seen easier in black and white photography because the viewer’s attention can be focused exclusively on the reoccurring pattern created by shapes, rather than color where shapes are seen more individually.
- Texture is greatly affected by lighting conditions, in order to receive the best texture use soft lighting or shoot pictures during the golden hours of the day (early morning, and dusk).
- The worst time to shoot texture under harsh lighting conditions, or during midday where the sun is at its peak.
Think in black and white. Seeing in color is the way typical people view the world on a daily basis. When going out and taking black and white photography, though, one must view the world entirely in black and white.
- Look for solid black and solid white, in order to make your photos not appear too gray and washed out.
- Black makes whites whiter. By making your photo appear darker, either manually of in Lightroom, it can really make your photo appear more dramatic.
- Use the dodge and burn tool offered in Lightroom in order to emphasize dark areas, and or lighten them in order to show more detail in the shadows.

EditTaking Your Photographs

Shoot in RAW and JPEG. Shooting in RAW lets one have unlimited access to the photograph when editing in Lightroom or Photoshop. Additionally, shooting in RAW and JPEG lets you change the picture style displayed on the LCD screen, to be black and white.
Use the histogram. When taking photography use a histogram to assure the scene has the right amount of lights darks and mid-tones. A lot of photographers are unaware of how histograms work, but honestly, it is quite simple to understand.
- The left side of the histogram displays how many shades of black are in the photo.
- The right side of the histogram displays how many shades of white are in the photo.
- The middle of the histogram shows how many mid-tones or shades of grey are in the photo.
- If the histogram reads high on whichever designated side, then there is a lot of that shade in the photo. If it reads low, then there is little to none.
- The ideal histogram for black and white photography should be evenly distributed.
Distinguish what photos should be black and white. Shooting in black and white is not suitable for all photographs. If color is the main emphasis of a photo it would be best to keep the picture in color, while on the other hand color can often be a distraction to the crucial elements of design in a photo and draw away the attention from the main subject.
- Portraits, long exposures and landscapes look exceptional in black in white.
Use low ISO. Use the lowest ISO when taking black and white photographs. When shooting with low ISO, it reduces the noise in a photograph. Noise in a digital image is like the grain in film photography. Once the photo has been taken the editor can always go back and add the grainy look if one desires post-production.
- 100-400 ISO range is recommended to avoid noise.

EditExperimenting with Your Techniques

Use the weather to your advantage. Rain, fog, mist and haze shouldn’t be a reason to not go out and shoot. These conditions can give a real emotional appeal in a photograph. Grey days can even be taken advantage of, the soft light can create smooth scenes and contrast can always be added later in post processing. Puddles from rain add reflections to the image and can draw a viewer in. These elements can come across as mysterious, romantic, eerie and more. Use the weather as an advantage next time Mother Nature shows up unplanned
Try long exposures. In order to take long exposures, a tripod is necessary and a neutral density filter is optional (for daytime long exposures). Most long exposures are taken of, but not limited to, seascapes, landscapes, and people. Long exposures are good for seascapes to soften the water for an overall smooth look and in landscapes to blur the clouds moving in the sky. These look exceptionally pleasing in black in white because it adds to the overall dramatic look created by the softened movement.
Play with lights and shadows. The use of light in black and white photography can make or break a photo. Since color is not available to draw attention to the subject, light needs to be used correctly in order to make the subject of the photo really stand out.
- Flat light can even help add a dramatic feel in a photograph when approached correctly. Look for flat light with deep blacks. The blacks will stand out among the low contrast created by the flat light and create a great emotional appeal.
- Use light to highlight the main subject of the photograph.
- Getting away with bad lighting can be easier with black and white photography, unlike colored photography. This is not recommended but can be used.
Experiment with filters. Using colored filters can have a great affect on the overall quality of a photo. A problem faced in black and white photography is that when colors get converted into black and white they often blend together in similar shades of gray.
- The colors red, blue and green often show up the same shade of gray. This can easily be fixed by applying a correct colored filter.
- Red filters are usually too harsh for other forms of photography but is the most commonly used filter for black and white photography. A red filter greatly increased contrast and darkens blues, making them a key asset to landscape photography.
- Orange filters are good to use in black and white photography, especially portraits because if softens skin blemishes and gives similar effects as a red filter, but is a little subtle.
- Blue filters are rarely used in black and white photography because they typically darken, and add too much contrast to a photo.