5-minute photo tips: Select in-camera B&W to master mono and keep color

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Take control of your black-and-white shots without losing the color images

In-camera Features
(Image credit: Jignesh Chavda)
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Improves: Monochrome tones

Have you ever wondered why there are expensive cameras for black-and-white photography that can only shoot in black-and-white? The answer is simple: black-and-white photography is a work of art that requires more than simply converting a color image to monochrome in post-processing.

To successfully capture high-end black-and-white photographs, it helps to visualize the subject in monochrome at the point of capture. This is not easy when the camera’s screen only shows the color preview. Viewing the image in black-and-white beforehand will help you understand how the monochromatic tones shape the subject, and how the light and shadows impact the scene. 

(Image credit: Future)

When working with monochrome tones, the focus shifts to the subject’s shape and structure. Here, the preview enables you to experience the subject in a new light.

To take advantage of this, depending on your camera, set your LCD screen to black-and-white or shoot directly in black-and-white in-camera.

Shooting in monochrome doesn’t mean that the color information is deleted; by shooting in JPG + RAW, you have the freedom to use the RAW color version of the image if you change your mind.

Pro Tips

1. Analyze light
With a keen eye for analyzing the direction and intensity of light, you can expertly illuminate your subject, masterfully control shadows, and shape them to your liking by adjusting angles and perspectives with your camera.

2. Experiment with picture profiles
These presets change the scene’s colours, contrast and sharpness. To bring your vision to life, the key is to make manual tweaks to black level, gamma and saturation.

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This article originally appeared in Digital Photographer, a monthly magazine, and the kitbag essential for pros, enthusiasts, and amateurs alike!

Inside, you'll find practical guides, shooting tips, and techniques from working photographers, plus all the latest industry news.

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Some of the best black-and-white cameras include the Leica M11 Monochrom (review) and the Leica Q2 Monochrom (review).

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Kim Bunermann
Kim Bunermann
Technique Editor

Kim is the Technique Editor of Digital Photographer Magazine. She specializes in architecture, still life and product photography and has a Master's degree in Photography and Media with a distinction from the FH Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences in Germany. While studying, Kim came to the UK for an exchange term at the London College of Communication. She settled in the UK and began her career path by joining Future. Kim focuses on tutorials and creative techniques, and particularly enjoys interviewing inspiring photographers who concentrate on a range of fascinating subjects including women in photography, the climate crisis; the planet, its precious creatures and the environment.