Black and white photography made easy: tips for pro-quality results from start to finish

crutter | B&W | Photography Tips | 05/11/2012 02:00am

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Good subjects for black and white photography

Your local town or city is a great place to start experimenting with black and white photography, as there will be plenty of subjects – from the varying shapes and patterns of the buildings, to graphic details and wider street scenes.

The aim is really just to get yourself used to finding scenes and subjects that work in black and white, rather than colour.

While there aren’t any rules about what to shoot, there are certain elements and subjects that work perfectly. Just keep an eye out for tones and contrast, rather than colours.

Stuck for ideas? Here are some of the things to look out for when shooting in black and white.

Try capturing textures in your black and white photography

All images by Chris Rutter

1 Graphic shapes and contrast
Simple and graphic shapes are always very effective subjects for black-and-white images. You should look out for high-contrast subjects, which contain strong blacks and bright highlights that will provide maximum impact.

2 Detail and texture
Both of these elements can produce subtle images that maintain the viewer’s interest. Soft, diffuse light in shady or cloudy conditions will allow you to capture the maximum amount of detail in the subject, while harsh, high-contrast light (such as direct sunlight) will reveal more texture.

3 Simple and strong composition
As there are no colours to help add impact, black and white photography is often more successful if you use simple compositional elements such as leading lines or foreground objects in your images. Also look out for scenes with a strong focal point, but remember that its impact will rely on contrast, rather than colour.

PAGE 1: How to compose for black and white photography
PAGE 2: Good subjects for black and white photography
PAGE 3: Try using in-camera filters for your black and white photography
PAGE 4: Shooting images you can easily convert to black and white
PAGE 5: Black and white conversion in Photoshop Elements
PAGE 6: Black and white conversion in Photoshop CS
PAGE 7: Master Photoshop Levels and Curves
PAGE 8: Using the Levels sliders
PAGE 9: Master the Dodge and Burn tools
PAGE 10: Toning techniques for black and white photography