5 Black and White Photography Tips
Continuing the Black and White Photography theme we’ve been on lately in the latest forum assignment (where the photos featured in this post were submitted) I thought I’d share five pretty random Black and White Photography Tips.
1. Shoot in RAW
I know many readers of DPS can’t shoot in RAW (because their camera doesn’t offer it) or don’t shoot in RAW (because they either don’t know how or don’t like to) but for the most control in the post production phase of converting your color images into black and white ones - you’ll want to shoot in RAW if your camera does allow it. Of course shooting in JPEG doesn’t stop you shooting in black and white - but if it’s an option, give RAW a go, you might be surprised by what it offers you in post production. More on RAW vs JPEG here.
2. Shoot in Color
If your camera doesn’t allow you to shoot in RAW (or you choose not to) - shoot in color and do your conversion to black and white later on your computer.
While most digital cameras offer you the option to shoot in Black and White (and can produce some reasonable results) you have more control over your end results if you have the color data to work with in your conversion on your computer. (read more on the choice between shooting in black and white or post production conversion).
Update: There is an exception to shooting in Color and it’s when you’re taking note of point 1 above (shooting in RAW). When shooting in RAW and switching to Black and White mode you see your results in the LCD in black and white but the camera actually records all of the information (including color) - the best of both worlds. But if you’re shooting in JPEG - shoot in color and do the conversion later. Thanks to Joost (in comments) for the reminder to include this.
3. Low ISO
Shoot with the lowest possible ISO possible. While this is something that most of us do in color photography it is particularly important when it comes to black and white where noise created by ISO can become even more obvious. If you’re after this ‘noise’ (or grain) you can always add it later in your post production - but it’s harder to go the other way and take noise out.
4. When to Shoot
Many digital photographers actually prefer to shoot images for Black and White in low contrast situations. So an dark or overcast day can be a great time to shoot out door shots.
Ironically these are the days that those who shoot only in color sit at home complaining about the ‘poor light’. So next time you find yourself with a dark and gloomy day - shoot some black and white shots.
5. Composition
Most of the general tips on how to compose or frame a good shot apply just as well to black and white photography as they do when shooting in color - however the main obvious difference is that you’re unable to use color to lead the eye into or around your shot. This means you need to train yourself to look at shapes, tones and textures in your frame as points of interest. Pay particularly attention to shadows and highlights which will become a feature of your shot.
Read more on Black and White Photography at Key Ingredients for Black and White Photography.
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February 21st, 2007 at 5:54 am
A tip when shooting raw: Do shoot in black and white. This way you can check the results in black and white on your LCD, and back at your computer you’ve still got all colour information in the raw file. (Check before going out all day though)
February 21st, 2007 at 7:08 am
Great article!
Some good pointers for shooting in RAW. It’s important to experiment and expand your skills with photography.
Thanks.
February 21st, 2007 at 7:23 am
Good points. The “shoot in color” tip is key, but the “low ISO” is also very important. Post processing into black and white can really bring out the noise, especially when you’re pulling out more of the red or blue tones rather than greens.
February 21st, 2007 at 7:59 am
In my experience, noise is more of a problem when shooting in color, especially in low light situations. I often find myself converting high ISO images to B&W and greatly reducing the perceived noise level. Now I don’t know if I’m particularly sensitive to luminance noise, or if my camera (my trusted Canon 10D) is particularly good at producing it, but I’d say noise is generally more pleasant in black and white.
February 21st, 2007 at 8:28 am
Thanks for the article. I’ve always tried to shoot in color and convert to black and white later. However, a while ago I was shooting in low light conditions and the color shots were not coming out very sharp. In my camera, I changed to shooting in black and white and the shots came out much sharper. Is there any advantage to shooting in black and white in terms of the ability to shoot in low light conditions? Is there something else that explains the differences in sharpness that I observed?
February 21st, 2007 at 12:19 pm
I don’t know how many poorly-lit color photos I’ve “saved” by converting to B/W.
February 21st, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Another “amen” for the tip to shoot in color (or at least in RAW so you have the color data available) even when your final intent is b&w. You never know when you may look at a photo later and decide that the color version is actually better for the final piece. I shot a photo in a “chair” situation like the veteran above, and when I looked at it later in post-production the sea of chairs (blue in this case) was so stunning it made the photo fantastic.
February 21st, 2007 at 5:57 pm
love the black and white pictures. pity that i can’t shoot in raw. the others, i think i can practise it using my point and shoot cam.
February 22nd, 2007 at 1:02 pm
I agree you can save alot of photos when there converted to B&W, but also your printing equitment is very important. I use http://www.expressphoto.com.au , they produce good prints & there reasonable in there pricing.
February 23rd, 2007 at 10:17 am
With lower-end point & shoot cameras, B&W or sepia mode can often capture a more pleasing range of tones and especially ambient light than color mode does.
March 6th, 2007 at 2:33 am
I am as Raw as they come. No photo skills or experience. However I do have some ideas for b&w cowboy shots. I’m just learning and hope to progress. If you have any basic staring point please share. Thanks
March 10th, 2007 at 5:34 am
I’ve always seem importing raws as way more of a headache, maybe I should re-examine the way I do it with my digital rebel xt.
March 10th, 2007 at 6:02 am
A point should be made that if you shoot in color and then convert to BW (in Photoshop), don’t use Image > Mode > Grayscale, or worse, Hue/Saturation. Use Image > Calculations and play around with the channels and settings. You’ll get a much more dramatic effect.
March 10th, 2007 at 6:55 am
? What was wrong with my tip? It’s certainly much better than changing modes. jeez
March 10th, 2007 at 10:36 am
Great tips, I wish you had mentioned more on aperture because I’m clueless on how to get great shots like that.
March 10th, 2007 at 11:36 am
Yeah I second what Aaron about Photoshop–>Greyscale. Well maybe I just need to be taking photos that are more black and white friendly but it tends to look terrible. Someone told me that in CS3 there are some better B&W tools, but I don’t know if this is true or not. Anyone confirm this?
—
John
http://www.monomachines.com
March 18th, 2007 at 12:44 pm
good article
April 20th, 2007 at 11:18 pm
I shot in Raw for the first time last week.
The files are huge,there’s not a huge difference in the end result,and when you bring them up on the windows picture viewer, they are tiny.
Jpegs are really not bad.
May 18th, 2007 at 1:28 am
I shoot RAW, then convert it BW using Google Picasa.
August 6th, 2007 at 5:27 am
i’m confused.. what is shooting in the raw?
I”m new at digital and have a cannon rebel with
LOTS to learn
August 7th, 2007 at 10:45 am
For most of the photography I do, I prefer to shoot RAW..Not because I need it for the immediate need, but just knowing I have the best file format in the can is comforting. As noted by other posters, the large file sizes do take additional RAM. I have to believe that a new file format is in the works that utilizes the best of both world.
September 4th, 2007 at 6:28 am
great tips.
i always shooting in RAW [EOS 20D].
using EOS DSLR, i have no problem with ISO, sometimes i need to set ISO up to 800 and still get great results, and process the file with C-1-pro RAW converter, it works great for me.
cheers.
September 12th, 2007 at 3:18 am
I’m new to B/W and I’m trying to figure out exactly what makes a great black and white photo. It’s the old ‘I know one when I see one’ but I’m trying to figure out exactly what it is that makes some B/W’s so incredible. Some older photos using the film process and dark room technology seem to ‘glow’ somehow. Is this possible using digital cameras? If anybody has any ideas, I’d love to hear ‘em.
September 26th, 2007 at 12:20 pm
In response to Jodz:
I’ve heard that it is always important to use the rule of thirds, which is where you would divide the photograph into hree sections vertically and three sections horizontally. Where the lines match up in the corners is where at either of the four points the focal point of the picture should be.
November 28th, 2007 at 1:22 pm
I have to say i don’t agree with the above fact that color shots should be shot on sunny days and black and white on overcast days. I believe the quality of light in black and white is highly stylistic and aesthetic. Some people like that ‘glow’ in black in white which is often achieved on bright sunny days. Others like even tones of white, grey and black in their black and white photographs in which overcast days are suitable. Also i find that colors tend to become washed out by the harsh light on sunny days where as on a grey day colors seem to pop. Does anyone agree?
December 13th, 2007 at 3:15 am
It’s worth remembering that these are just tips and not hard and fast rules that must be obeyed. I think they’re designed to help people progress from only going out on sunny days with the camera set to B&W mode, and are good points that anyone starting out in B&W digital photography can benefit from as they’re not obvious to start with.
The rule of thirds is also a guidline and is based on the ‘golden mean’ which is a ratio humans seem to find naturally pleasing, but i’ve seen fantastic photos where the focal point is bang in the middle of the photo.
As for the ‘glow’, that’s something we all strive to acheive and only comes when all elements of photography, from the photographer to the paper used to print, are working well and in harmony with one another. There’s no easy route to acheiving this, just keep improving and progressing and one day you may well get there. I haven’t yet, but i’m trying!
January 5th, 2008 at 7:50 am
Good article!
shoot images for Black and White in low contrast situations… good point.
January 11th, 2008 at 10:37 am
Great tips! Thanks for taking the time to point these out.
February 20th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Agree RAW is better, but as mentioned takes more time on the computer. Interesting comments. Grayscale is not suitable for making great B&W prints. I use Paint Shop Pro 9 and use Layers/New Adustment/Channel Mixer.
May 7th, 2008 at 9:47 am
I think that shooting in low ISO is not that important when photographing in black and white because I normally add grain to my pictures anyway to give it that “feel.” As an Orange County Wedding Photographer, I use that style frequently in a lot of my pictures!
However, I agree with your other suggestions. :-)
May 14th, 2008 at 12:19 am
Photography is the best when it has a storytelling.
May 17th, 2008 at 11:30 am
I own a 30d for quick stuff, but shoot almost everything with my 35mm, 6X7, 4X5, or 8X10, in that order, depending on how much time I have.
I especially love the medium format, and have fallen hard for the FP4 and PanF films.
I’ve tried to duplicate the tonality, etc with the 30d, and have had some success, but overall, I still prefer film.
I’m very good with Photoshop, for manipulating others images, and assume that at some point I will have to make the investment of time to become proficient in getting exactly what I was shooting for.