Surely with the amount of images we observe daily, at this point you have seen many black and white photographs. It is also likely that you have tried to do this type of photography because you have seen the magic, the essence and the elegance that black and white has, and because in addition, today, monochrome photography is available to almost anyone with a Smartphone or a moderately modern digital camera. Now, perhaps you thought that black and white photography was an easy thing, that the images were better “only” because they were transferred to monochrome, more transcendent, more interesting… And surely if you have tried several times, you will have given yourself realize that this is not the case, or at least not always. And that is because black and white photography is not always good, rarely improves a bad photograph, and does not always "stick" with everything. Now, it is not so difficult if you know where to look ?for it, in the following lines I leave you what I consider as basic so that you can start in black and white photography obtaining great results. LEARN TO LOOK IN BLACK AND WHITE This exercise of abstraction is basic and at the same time is the most complicated to achieve. It requires practice and dedication , but is available to anyone. Just try to ask yourself before taking the picture how the result will be in black and white. Do not just take it "thinking of color" and then turn it to black and white, because if you have thought about it in color, it is likely that it will not respond equally well when transforming it to monochrome. 8382721886_6f275faa80_h Learn to think in black and white SHOOT IN RAW OR IN COLOR It may seem like an oxymoron to want a black and white image and shoot it in color instead of black and white as most cameras offer us, but the truth is that the conversion to monochrome from a RAW file (or failing in color ) retains much more tonal information (much more) than the black and white programs of the cameras contain. This basically translates into a richer and more complete image with more processing possibilities. TAKE CARE OF THE COMPOSITION Just as you always try to do, but even more ?When stripping the color images, the gaze is focused on the shapes and their disposition in the image plane; In short, in the composition . Therefore it is important that you decide what elements you want to include in the scene, and how you want to place them, and although there is never a guaranteed formula in photography, there are some compositional tricks that are good friends of black and white images, here are some: The lines and the abstract forms and therefore the architecture with all its architectural elements: buildings, stairs, benches, etc. Roads, train lines, vanishing points, tree trunks ... The negative space or that space without information that we leave around our center of interest. Here is a detailed article on the subject. And if you need a good dose of inspiration, take a look at the weekly challenge we had about the negative black and white space . 9211994716_59dae6e033_k Abstract lines and shapes PLAY WITH CONTRAST The contrast is a good ally of black and white photography, as it can help us strengthen in certain cases, the strength and character of the image or transmit softness. Photos in high and / or low key . To convey darkness and mystery and light and joy, as you prefer, the important thing, as always, is to transmit? High or low contrast photographs TEXTURES Another good ally of monochrome photography. The “rough” or soft textures of different materials such as wood, the wrinkles of a face, rocks eroded by time, or the softness of the skin of a newborn. All textures become more relevant when stripping the color image. 16223532715_5a9195546f_o Textures gain prominence in black and white NOISE OR SHARPNESS? The noise is directly associated with the ISO you are working on. In general terms, we say that at higher ISO more sensitivity but also more noise, and conversely, at lower ISO less sensitivity (we should shoot at slower speeds) but less noise. In black and white, noise is another artistic element that you can include or take advantage of in your images. However, perhaps the safest way to work the noise is to do it in post-processing. To a clear image it is easy to add noise, but to a noisey one it is more complicated to leave it clear? WORK AND KNOW THE LIGHT It is essential in all types of photography. Beyond any other advice you can read, it doesn't matter if you like fashion, landscape, portrait or Street-photography. Controlling the light is essential, knowing how to play with it and knowing the behavior of your camera in relation to it is what will give you great photographs and allow you to adapt to any situation. For this it is very important to know how to use the histogram of your camera. With it you will learn to expose properly in any situation, to know where to measure the light, and over time, to know how to predict the result without even looking at the screen of your camera? And speaking of correct exposures … Trying to “fix” an underexposed image is always complicated, but in black and white it is even more complicated, unless you love the noise, because it is very difficult to rescue an underexposed image in black and white without generating a excessive noise . So pay special attention to light when you photograph in monochrome. The message : We must always try to make the images speak, to catch us in history. A simple play of light can convey a completely different story or another depending on the measurement point or the exposure. From the purest to the darkest, from the most mysterious to the most obvious. You can get almost anything you want by mastering the light of the scene: Backlights Shades Hard or diffuse lights Check out my blog! www.pixael.com/en/blog. If you like to buy a print please visit my wall art shop www.pixael.com/en/shop. This is a free picture released under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic. Feel free to use and share this picture but please give me credit linking my website or my Flickr account. More info about me on www.pixael.com. If you like my pictures please like my Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/giuseppemilophoto) or follow me on Twitter (https://twitter.com/pixael_com) and Instagram (https://instagram.com/ pixael). Thanks! Learning to play with the lights is essential GRAYSCALE Each tone of the color image has a grayscale translation that forms a black and white photograph. Knowing in a general way to what tones the image will be translated when passing it from color to black and white, will give you an idea of ??the image that you are going to obtain, and will even help you decide before taking the image if you are a good candidate for conversion. Effects_Color_Greyscale Each color has its translation in grayscale POST PROCESSING It is essential to master the image processing to get the results you want. A good base (exposure, focus, framing, composition, etc.) together with a good processing, are the perfect combination to get the image you want. Filters : Filters that include image processing programs such as Adobe Camera RAW, Lightroom or Photoshop, allow you to control the entire tonal range of the image, obscuring or lightening the tones of the image. Contrast Brightness or exposure Noise THEMES Any subject is a good candidate to be photographed in black and white, from fashion to nature through documentary or architectural photography. However, there are issues in which the use of black and white is more entrenched. Documentary photography Street-photography Architecture Abstract fashion 19594256792_f533ac679c_k Street-Photography is a recurring theme in black and white photography PRACTICE, PRACTICE AND PRACTICE Any advice or trick you can read stays in nothing if you don't practice it, because there is no other way to learn to master black and white. There is no way of knowing what will look good, what will convey what; There is no other way to learn to see in black and white. And it would be a shame to miss the potential it has, its ability to transmit, its artistic component just for not trying, don't you think? If you are passionate about photography, this is not a great challenge, so get to work ? I hope you found the article useful, if so, share it so that someone else can benefit from it (Google+, Facebook or Twitter) Thank you very much and see you next time! Book: The Complete Guide to Black and White Photography
