But do bear in mind that a scene that looks good in colour might not work in black and white – and vice versa.įor example, red flowers stand out against a green background when shot in colour. You don’t need to shoot in black and white you can take colour photos and then copy and convert the image to black and white after the file has been transferred to your computer. Check your camera instruction manual for details. You can select yellow, red, orange or green to change the monochrome tones to simulate the effect of filters. Alternatively a filter effect is available in the Picture Style settings on Canon EOS digital cameras. All EOS cameras and a number of PowerShots, such as the PowerShot G1 X III can accept filters. This not only makes the scene more dramatic, but also increases the contrast between any white clouds and the sky. Yellow and red filters, for example, absorb blue light, making blue skies appear darker in the image. In black and white film photography, filters are often used to change the tones in the image. Alternatively, the texture and patterns in a scene are shown to better effect in monochrome. Often the yellow glow of street lights brings a scene alive. Photography at night is worth trying in both black and white as well as colour. These images can also often benefit from the simplicity and stark nature of black and white. This light throws long shadows and can produce attractive texture when it falls across rough stone or concrete. These photographs are often taken in the early morning, partly to avoid the distractions of traffic and people, but also to take advantage of light from a sun low in the sky. The increased contrast possible with black and white over colour suits the subject well. Adding side lighting is particularly effective as it gives strong contrast between highlights and shadows.Īrchitectural photographs are often shot in monochrome to emphasise the shape of the buildings. But it is also because when the colour is stripped away it leaves us with character and personality. In part, this might be because many iconic portraits from the last hundred years are monochrome and we are familiar with the style. Portraitsīlack and white photography works very well with portraits. When to use black and whiteĬertain situations lend themselves to black and white images. The eye is attracted to the lines and drawn into the image. The lines of the road or track appear to converge, even though we know they are parallel. You can see this if you take a photograph looking down a road or along railway tracks. This produces a strong composition.Īnother compositional aid is the receding perspective. Aim to place your main subject at one of these intersections. Imagine a grid drawn in the camera viewfinder – two vertical lines and two horizontal lines giving four intersections. The rule-of-thirds is especially useful in black and white photography, with little colour to distract the eye. Composition and contrast become key elements of the image You can concentrate on the shapes of leafless trees, stone walls and buildings. A snow-covered landscape is already mostly monochrome. At this time of year there is often very little colour in a scene – no vibrant greens and few red or yellow flowers. Winter landscapes are well suited to black and white photography. To help your understanding of black and white photography this tutorial will look at the following areas: Black and white can produce a strong image from a subject that might look weaker in colour. In fact black and white is very effective at emphasizing the shapes and tones of the subject. There is a certain nostalgia about black and white not just memories of old photographs but early television too. Black and white photography is enjoying a revival, although it has never really gone away.
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