Taking better black and white photos - basic tips and examples. Five tips for black and white photography

Black and white photography This is not a snapshot of reality - as it is, but from an interesting perspective, with the author’s idea. Black and white photography is an image of emotions, feelings, experiences, a string of thoughts

Black and white photography- historically the first type of photography. After the appearance of color, and then digital photography, black and white photographs have retained their popularity. Often color photographs are converted to black and white for an artistic effect.

Each photograph is accompanied by text beginning with the word "one day" and the pronoun "I", in which the second is not as important as the first. Because “everything you see appears in front of the camera lens only once, and every photograph turns it once into eternity.” And every time this “one day” is always the beginning of something new.

black and white rainbow of life...

Today man is completely absorbed in the external, the internal is dead to him. This is the last stage of decline, the last step into a dead end. Previously, such a situation was called an “abyss,” but now the word “dead end” is enough. “Modern” man seeks inner peace, since he is deafened by the external, and hopes to find this peace in inner silence, from which in our case arises an exceptional tendency towards the horizontal-vertical. The logical consequence of this would be a clear preference for black and white, which has already been attempted many times in painting. But the exclusive connection between horizontal-vertical and black-and-white is yet to come. Then everything will be plunged into internal silence and the world will be shaken only by external sounds.

Wassily Kandinsky

Knowing what a good black and white photograph is is almost the same as taking one.

If I knew how to remove good photo, I would do this every time

“A hundredth of a second here, a hundredth there - even if you put them all together, they add up to one, two or three seconds, snatched from eternity.”

Robert Doisneau

The prejudice many photographers have against color photography stems from a lack of perception of color as a form. You can say things with color that cannot be said with black and white. Those who say that color photography will eventually supplant black and white are talking nonsense. They don't compete. These are different means to different ends.

Edward Weston

I've been working on the "no" series. No - to exquisite light. No obvious compositions. No to the temptation of poses and narration. All these nos led me to yes. I have White background, interesting person and something happening between us.

Richard Avedon (1923 - 2004)

“Photography is like life. What does this mean? I don't know. You get an impression, a feeling. The impression of walking down the street, in the park, in life. I'm suspicious of anyone who says they know what it means."

“A good photograph must have an element of good intention. Everything in a photograph should be significant. This is not painting, where everything can be perfect. A photograph doesn't have to be absolutely perfect. It would have destroyed her."

The photogenicity of a person is not determined by his beauty, but rather, on the contrary, by the sharpness of the lines of the face - the more sharp curves on a person’s face, the more impressive it looks in a photograph, and the better it is remembered - the more strongly it is etched in the memory.

The camera sees more than the eye, so why not make use of it!

Features of black and white photographs
Great photographers begin teaching their students with wisdom black and white photography. This is due to the fact that in such photographs the composition is very great importance, so all the flaws are clearly visible. To make sure of this, you need to “bleach” an ordinary “everyday” photo in a normal graphic editor, you can be more than sure that most of the photo will be covered with gray spots. If you look at a color photo with a red flower on a green lawn, then it will be bright and festive. But if it is a black and white photograph, the green and red colors will merge and you may not see anything. The difference between black and white and color photography is not only that color is missing. Thanks to monochrome photographs, you can reveal the essence of things more deeply, while focusing on the most interesting and most important. Black and white photography allows you to highlight shapes and lines, emphasizing rhythm, light and shade and structure. In the foreground of monochrome photographs are impressions and emotions. It is for this reason that black and white photographs have a completely different approach, so for the monochrome version you need to see the colors of the world around you in your own way.

So, when is it better to give preference to black and white photographs? In most cases, this is a nude, a portrait; reportage and genre subjects also look very good in black and white photography. But this does not mean that still life and landscape will not look good in black and white.

A good color photograph most likely should not be converted to black and white. It is the successfully found color solution that makes it attractive, and if you remove the color, then the photo will only lose. For example, photographs that you brought from travels around exotic countries, should play with color and convey local flavor. Although several interesting black and white photographs will only decorate your photo album, their semantic content should be completely different.

It may also happen that the color component does not fit into the overall design and overloads the photo, different color spots do not harmonize, they are too colorful. In this case, it makes sense to take the photo in black and white. Therefore, do not rush to delete an unsuccessful color photo - it is possible that in black and white, after some processing in a graphics editor, it will become much better.

So, in order to get a good monochrome photograph, you can go in two ways. The first option: take a regular color photo, which is converted into black and white in a graphics editor. The second way: set your camera to black and white photography mode. In the first case, you leave yourself the opportunity to return to the original color option. In addition, you have at your disposal the powerful tools of modern graphic editors that give flexible control over the process. What photographers used to do in " dark room", developing film, experimenting with developers, printing pictures, now you will get it by working with the program. In the second case, in the graphic editor you only “extend” the image to the desired result.

Composition
First of all, you must determine for yourself what you want to emphasize, highlight in the photograph, and select the means to achieve expressiveness accordingly. Think about whether you need to enhance sharpness and contrast in order to show a courageous face in the photo or an old abandoned ship worn out by time, rain and heat, or, conversely, to soften a gentle portrait of a woman or child, to show a “paradise” landscape in the photo.

When you are thinking about a future black and white photograph, abstract from the rich and bright colors - a monochrome photograph will not convey them anyway; moreover, they can merge.

It is desirable that the picture retains a rich range of halftones. The range of a successful photograph is from black to pure white. Tonality and contrast are the main starting points on which the success of your work depends. But it should be noted that in black and white photographs, dark areas will look almost dark, so try to construct the plot in such a way as to avoid large “black holes”.

If you look around with a careful eye, you can take an original and high-quality black and white photograph almost everywhere. Contrasting textures, relief and attractive shapes, patterns, rhythmic, repeating details of the scene make the photograph more advantageous. When looking for interesting and contrasting graphic forms, do not forget Golden Rule: the simpler the better. The picture should not be overloaded with unnecessary details.

A selection of black and white photographs

Black and white photography not only has not lost its popularity, but is also a powerful artistic technique that allows you to obtain results that are inaccessible to color photography.

1. Color or black and white?

Before converting a photo to black and white, it makes sense to think about the necessity of this action. Converting to black and white can kill the charm of a picture if it lies precisely in color or make the photo more interesting if color obscures the beauty of tonal transitions.

When we remove color, only tonal transitions of one color (gray) remain in the image. If the photo becomes more harmonious after converting it to black and white, it is worth making it monochrome, if not, it is better for it to remain in color. Here is an example of a photo that looks better in color than in black and white:

As a rule, photographs that you bring back from travel and that should convey the flavor of the country you visited should not be taken in black and white.

But sometimes color gets in the way, the color spots don’t harmonize with each other, and the photo looks too colorful. In this case, it may make sense to make the photo monochrome. In any case, do not rush to delete colorful pictures. They may well benefit from going black and white.

Monochrome photography forces you to concentrate on the main thing, makes it possible to show lines and shapes, the play of light and shadow, structure and rhythm.

If you're going to shoot monochrome photos, look for subjects with tonal rather than color contrast. Pay attention to the brightness of objects, because... Monochrome photography is a juxtaposition of light and shadow. When photographing an object, look not at its color, but at its texture, shape, lines, tone.

2. Exposition

If you're shooting with a digital camera, shoot in color and be sure to watch your exposure. The exposure needs to be set very precisely so that the picture has smooth tonal transitions and is not too light or dark (unless you are shooting in low or high key).

Every B&W photo should have pure black and clear White color, and there is also a large range of gray tones, with NOT the same level of brightness. Some tones will be darker and others brighter. But gray tones should not dominate, otherwise the photo will look flat. It is also important that most of the gray tones do not fade into white. Correct exposure will make the photo unique.

Read your camera's manual and metering system. The result you get will depend on this.

Please note that using matrix metering, you will not get a three-dimensional and dynamic frame in black and white, since it gives a uniform exposure. If you set center-weighted metering, the contrast and brightness of the image will increase, and spot metering will give your photos sharp transitions from light to shadow. When shooting silhouettes, you need to measure the exposure based on the light areas of the frame, otherwise the frame will be too light and lacking in contrast.

3. Shooting in RAW and JPEG

Monochronous photos should be shot in RAW format, since a RAW file stores much more information than a JPEG. If you're saving card space or have other reasons to shoot in JPEG, shoot in color. You should not take monochrome pictures with a camera, because... a color frame, in turn, carries more information than a black and white frame.

4. ISO

If the photo is noisy, it will be even more noticeable in the B&W version. Therefore, try to shoot with the lowest ISO values ​​possible. If you want to add a film effect, you can do so later in post-production.

5. Technical equipment

You don't need any special equipment to take B&W photos. B&W can be shot with both a compact and a DSLR entry level. WITH SLR camera you will be able to better regulate the result. It's always a good idea to have a tripod and remote remote control. The issue of using filters is very controversial. In general, you can use polarizing and neutral density filters, as well as ultraviolet filters. They can enhance the contrast of the image. Polarizing filter will give the sky greater density and allow you to enhance or remove glare. But, if you use filters, it is important to consider one rule - the effect of the filter should not prevail over the content of the photo. You will find a huge number of filters in graphic editors.

6. Light

Everything here is the same as in color photography. IN different time You will get different lighting and light patterns throughout the day. The same plot will be perceived and look differently at different times of the day.

7. Composition

Composition in B&W photography is even more important than in color photography. It would seem that it is enough to take a good color photograph and the job is done. But it's not that simple. If you frame the frame incorrectly or choose the wrong subject, the picture may not turn out as the objects in the picture
will merge with each other. This is due to the fact that in a color image there is color and brightness contrast, but in a black and white image there is only a brightness contrast.

Here's an example:

In the color version you see the contrast between the squares, and in the black and white version they merge with each other. Interestingly, contrasting colors in a B&W photo will look almost the same. Green and red, for example, are contrasting colors, and in a black and white photograph they will almost merge with each other.

In the picture, objects and objects can merge into one gray mass, and even by raising the contrast, you will not save the image.

Those. the first thing that is important is the choice of the right subject and the correct arrangement of objects in the frame.

All classical compositional rules apply here too. Don't forget about the foreground, the rule of thirds, perspective. The presence of diagonal lines will increase the tension of the photograph. Look for rhythms. When there is no color in a photograph, something else needs to grab the viewer's attention. Watch the shapes, they are an important part of the black and white world. Create contrast and conflict in the frame. Use contrasts, such as highlights and shadows.

Look for textures, patterns, interesting graphic forms, without forgetting laconicism. Do not overload the photo with unnecessary objects and details. Experiment by changing the angle and angle of shooting.

The most important thing is to learn to see the world in black and white.

Attached are some example pictures for your inspiration. In the following articles we will tell you how to correctly convert a color image to black and white in a graphics editor.

For me, black and white photography is one of the most interesting and inspiring areas of creativity, it is what people call a hobby or passion. It is rough and refined, naturalistic and unusual, powerful and sophisticated, mysterious and open, emotional and calm, simple and complex, it contains all shades from black to white. Black and white images are linked to the origins of photography, but what was once just a way to capture images has evolved into something deeper over time.

Practice, practice and more practice

Experienced black and white photographers may see the world as colorless. They train their minds to perceive contrast and tones while ignoring distracting colors. This is not a skill you can acquire with a short time, this is something that will come to you with experience. I can't say that I'm good at black and white, but I can spot some scenes and objects that require black and white.

One way to prepare your brain is through conscious effort, or in other words, practice. Trevor Carpenter gave us a great example with his October Challenge. He decided to limit himself to only black and white photography for a month. This allowed him to experiment in this environment and learn from his own works. Summarizing his project, he said: "I noticed, especially in last days"that when I take or think about a photograph, I sense in advance the potential impact of the composition in black and white."

Focus on contrast

Black and white photography is black, white and all the tones in between. The human eye, by its nature, is designed in such a way that it perceives two things - the intensity of light and color. When we remove colors, our eye becomes more sensitive to light intensity. A person perceives areas of contrast, thanks to this he can distinguish one thing from another.

When shooting in black and white, your main goal will be to frame your subject through the shades of gray. Use contrast to show your viewers what is important and what is not. Look for scenes that themselves contain high contrast, this will help your black and white shots stand out more from the start.

When processing black and white photos, using Photoshop's features such as levels, curves, and layer blending will give you a wide range of options for achieving the final image. You can also use the dodge and burn technique, which is effective method increasing contrast. This technique works well because it allows you to focus on processing certain elements of the image without affecting surrounding areas.

Focus on texture

In reality, texture is nothing more than a manifestation of contrast, but it is perceived completely differently. If you think about it, texture is a constant or variable pattern of shadows and light of varying degrees of intensity. Black and white photography largely depends on texture.

Colors add an extra layer to a human-perceived image and therefore mask the most subtle textures. Look for areas with interesting textures where the surface can be photographed in a way that highlights the specificity of the surface and brings out the contrast.

The decisions you make during processing can also have a significant impact on the texture. When processing a black and white photo, you have the opportunity to extract texture from a flat surface thanks to the technique you choose. In digital photography, blue and red channels tend to contain more noise than green channels, so tools like the channel mixer and black and white adjustment layer in Photoshop will allow you to bring out the textures contained in your photo.

Shoot in color

This mostly applies to digital photography. If your camera gives you the choice of taking color or black-and-white photos, never choose black-and-white mode. In reality, the camera first takes a color photo and then converts it to black and white.

Photo processing software can make the translation much better, and you will have more flexibility in producing the final image. It's incredible how different photos can be when you edit them yourself, so it's best not to limit yourself before the image even comes out of the camera.

The only exception to of this rule, if you are using the camera's black and white mode to get an idea of ​​how the scene might look in the final black and white photo. This trick can help you find good black-and-white scenes faster, but after you find them, return the camera to color shooting mode and take another shot.

Use color filters

In order to change the shades of photographs, photographers who shoot black and white film use filters. Have you ever seen black and white photos with dark skies and snow-white clouds? This is not the result natural conditions, for this, color filters are used to achieve the desired effect. Using similar color filters with digital camera It's perfectly acceptable, it's not necessary, but it can give you some benefits.

Software like Photoshop allows us to apply filters without altering the original image. Thanks to the program, the same results can be achieved when converting from color to black and white images. Those using Photoshop CS3 will notice that the black and white adjustment menu gives you the ability to customize and apply several filters.

So if you decide to practice a little black and white photography, you should definitely think about these things before and after shooting. Anyone can take a black and white photo, but you will need a little more skill and knowledge to create a good black and white photograph.

There are different points of view regarding black and white photography. Some believe that this was a technical limitation of the past that needs to be overcome and moved on. While others see it as a creative choice that needs to be explored in greater depth.

Camera design technologies are improving with a greater emphasis on improving color ranges, so why do you decide to shoot or process your images in black and white? In this article, we'll look at five reasons why you might want to shoot or convert your images to black and white.

1. Black and white photographs help you see differently

The old “masters” of photography initially shot in black and white because they had no choice. Even with the advent of Kodachrome, which introduced color photography to the world, black and white still existed. This is because black and white photography was (and for some still is) photography in its purest form.

When you remove color, the focus shifts to other compositional elements in the image. This includes lines, shape and texture, contrasts and tones.

With this in mind, it is obvious that not all images convert well to black and white. So look at all the elements and figure out what else you have to work with besides color.

Often black and white helps develop a different perspective of what we are used to seeing and what our photographic eye brings up.

2. Black and white eliminates distractions

You are used to seeing the world in color, and there is nothing wrong with that. Sometimes this contributes to other elements and details being lost or taken for granted. Some elements (highlighted earlier) needed for great photography include contrast, texture, lighting, and shape.

When you shoot black and white photos, you challenge yourself to remove the distraction of color. These include color shades and differences in color temperature (ambient light sources), as well as specific bright elements that may be in the background or distracting from your story.

Monochrome photographs force you to focus on shape and texture when composing your composition. If the emphasis is on using colors together, these elements are sometimes overlooked. In black and white photography, distracting colors are reduced to shades of gray.

3. Black and white photography offers creative options.

Since your world is in color, it is safe to say that color photography depicts reality and is more realistic. Thus, black and white photography is seen as an interpretation of reality, or how you interpret what you see.

When you remove color, you not only isolate different elements, but you are also forced to look at how they relate to each other. It will help you learn and create various ways tell your story.

When you remove color, you remove what your viewer is used to seeing. Now you need to find the stronger elements of the scene and figure out how to use them to convey what you want to portray.

4. Adds emotion or mood

Something about the variation in tonal ranges, rich blacks and deep contrasts appeals to us psychologically. This creates a connection that makes you stop and take notice of what is being depicted.

Many photographers use black and white images to narrate their travels and in street photography, as well as when depicting religious or cultural events. Monochrome in some genres connects and enhances emotions and mood.

5. Black and white photography is timeless

Even though this is the last item on the list, it is still one of the most common reasons why some photographers shoot in black and white. Monochrome photography is perceived all the time.

Black and white photographs seem to transcend reality and take you back in time. Historical color schemes associated with certain types of film or trends in digital photography may indicate the date your images were taken. Removing color makes it impossible to find out when the image was taken.

Bonus

You no longer need to imagine what your scene will look like in black and white, because modern technologies camera allows you to try it on site and see if it works. While some photographers prefer to shoot in black and white straight away, others prefer to shoot in color and then process or convert their images to black and white to achieve a different or better tonal range.

Note. If you shoot in RAW format and set the settings to monochrome, you will see the image in black and white when previewed on the LCD. But all colors will be saved in the file data and will be available during post-processing. This gives you the best of both worlds - a quick preview in black and white and the ability to convert later.

This image was shot in black and white using the camera's monochrome settings.

This image was shot in color and then converted to black and white.

Conclusion

Although black and white photography still plays important role in photography, please note that not all subjects transfer well to this mode. While a strong composition doesn't depend on color, sometimes the strength of a photo is its color. That's why it's good to know when to use black and white.

If you're interested in monochrome, look for other compositional elements such as texture, shape, line and contrast. Experiment with shooting and processing black and white images and see what you like best.