Photography
Black-and-white photography (also called b&w photography) is a great place for beginners to hone their skills and perfect their art. Dive in to explore the intricacies of working in grayscale.
When photography was invented, all photographs were monochrome (black and white, blue and white, or brown and white), using the available materials of the time. Today, “Black-and-white photographs can be a lot of things. They can exist in the commercial realm, they can be fine art, they can be documentary or scientific in nature, they can be made on film or digitally,” explains photographer and teacher Tina Tryforos. While shooting in color on your camera or smartphone is always an option, pursuing b&w photography is a great way to explore the art form.
Black-and-white photos are a helpful way for beginners to learn the art of photography. By eliminating the complexity of color, you can better understand your camera and explore how light, aperture, ISO, and shutter speed affect each other. “Making photos in black and white can immediately change the way we view and interpret those images,” says artist and professor Ariel Wilson. Creating black-and-white images can let you approach photography as an art form — a study in light and composition — instead of just a way to document your life for social media.
Before jumping in and creating photos, look at other artists working in black and white. Explore historic work like Fan Ho’s black-and-white street photography of Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. Famous black-and-white landscape photography — think Ansel Adams — is another well to draw inspiration from. Or check out art with a clear message, like the work of black-and-white photographer and nature conservationist Nick Brandt. Find photos that inspire you and observe the techniques those artists used. When you know what style of images you like, it’s easier to make photos that you’ll like too.
Images by Fan Ho
Image by Nick Brandt
“A good place to start is by understanding the technical components of your tools,” explains photographer and professor Adam Long. When you know the ins and outs of your camera and your editing tools, it gets easier to create the photos you want to make.
For beginners, understanding the relationship between aperture, shutter speed, and depth of field will help you make superior images. See how focusing on light, dynamic range, and composition can get you started and help hone your skills. If you’re using a digital camera, look for a setting that allows you to see monochrome via the camera screen. Images change when they’re in black and white, and shooting this way can help you compose your image more effectively without getting distracted by color.
We’re used to seeing the world in full color, and it can be difficult to understand how those colors translate into shades of gray. “It’s hard to get your brain to know that a really bright red is going to come out pretty much the same as that deep blue in your final image,” explains Long. Help your eye to compose photos in black and white by creating lots of color-free photos. Experiment with shooting bright colors in black and white, too, so you can see how objects change in monochrome.
Different subjects train your eye in new ways. Black-and-white portrait photography is another great way to practice and build skills. “I highly encourage beginners to photograph either strangers or people that they don’t know,” Long says. When you photograph someone you don’t know, you don’t have any preconceived notions about them or how the photograph should look. Consider trying some black-and-white street photography, and you might just capture something interesting or unexpected.
For digital photos, shoot with a DSLR or digital camera that saves your raw files separately. Even if you’re using the monochrome setting to view images in black and white through your camera, it’s important to save the raw color file — not just a black-and-white JPEG. This gives you more opportunities for postproduction editing and photo manipulation.
Stunning black-and-white photography and impressive color photography share a lot of the same characteristics. It all comes down to composition, contrast, tone, and light. If you decide to shoot color images and want to edit them in black and white, there are post-processing tutorials that can help. With Adobe Photoshop or Lightroom, it’s easy to transform any image into black and white using a simple preset. From there, those shades of gray can be manipulated in almost endless ways.
Experiment with mood and emotion in your black-and-white photos by changing exposure and contrast levels. Tweaking these settings can help you understand how tone affects a photograph and the story that photo is telling. By highlighting the midtones, you can make an image more calm or relaxing. By creating high contrast and eliminating the midtones, you instantly make it more dramatic. Depending on your artistic goals, either tactic could be effective.
“I often see beginners replicating images they’ve seen out in the world, just to see if they can do it. And of course they can do it!” says Wilson. But if you’re trying to create truly stunning grayscale photos, focus on your own vision. Instead of simply recreating images, “I would much rather see people walk out their front door and photograph the block that they live on,” says Long. Avoid clichés by photographing something unique or something that truly interests you.
Whether you’re using film photography and printing your photos in a darkroom, or you’re a digital photographer who’s tweaking images in Photoshop, make sure to view an analog version of your black-and-white photos. Seeing your monochrome images on paper or in person is quite different from viewing them on a digital screen. Printing your photos can help you better analyze their dynamic range and composition. You can file that under useful black-and-white photography tips, but it’s also more — printing your images can help you begin to engage with them as art, instead of seeing them as mere snapshots.
First, find your inspiration. Working in black and white can help you see the world in a new way. If you’re looking for a place to start, consider one of these photography topics.
Nature is a hotbed of inspiration, especially when it comes to black-and-white photography. Look for scenes with contrasting textures, distinct shapes, or dramatic lighting. These features add depth to your image and interest for the viewer. If you capture whitecaps in the ocean set against a smooth, overcast sky, for example, the tonal differences will make your photo stand out. With color out of the equation, your landscape shot relies on contrast and shadows to make an impression.
Street photography is another classic source for black-and-white photography ideas. Since this style of shooting is all about capturing the moment and exploring the world around you, the artist can’t always control what makes it into the frame. From colorful billboards to bright yellow school buses, you never know what objects will distract the viewer in a color photo. But with black and white, you can direct the eye and highlight the subject of your image every time. Plus, street photography is a wonderful way to open yourself up to the world — which is often the perfect way to find new inspiration.
Animals and pets are trickier to capture on film than you may think. Pets don’t always take direction well, and wild animals will often run away when they catch sight of you. With black-and-white photography, you can remove distractions, highlight patterns in the fur or feathers, and keep the viewer’s focus on the animal.
Black-and-white photography is a skill to learn, just like any other. But without the added complication of color, it’s a wonderful starting ground for beginners as well as for photographers looking to advance their skills. Next time you’re ready to shoot, take a moment to consider what that same image might look like in grayscale. You just may find a new art form to pursue.
Contributors
Tina Tryforos, Ariel Wilson, Adam Long
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