4 Black and White Photography Tips

With the world full of bright technicolour rich photographs – one might wonder how to add that extra bit of wonder and magic to that all-important snapshot.  The answer in these cases is less is more – in this case – black and white photography.

Getting the most of your monochromatic shots is going to be one of the major goals of every avid photographer – and with these fantastic tips – you are going to be able to capture your own brilliant shots

1. Shoot in RAW

As an avid photographer knows – shooting RAW footage is key in capturing that all-important texture and detail effects. Unlike JPEG whose picture data is compressed, often causing data to be lost – RAW does not compress any data which ensures no data is lost.  This often results in a higher quality photograph – something you will be grateful for when viewing your finished portraits.

2. Look for Composition, Form, Detail and Texture

With the loss of colour, it becomes much more important to look for those other vital aspects of a photograph.  Finding a great subject to photograph which allows for great composition is an absolute must. Furthermore finding greater detail in that which gives off great texture, whether it be in nature (leaves, trees etc) or modern architecture– is excellent to highlight the tonal grading of your photographs.

3. Remember lighting is Important

With the lack of colour, there will be those who do not focus on lighting as an important photographic impact – which is definitely something that should be avoided.  Although lighting is not as important in black and white photography – it definitely is an important aspect that should be considered when capturing your image.  A great lighting base can help you take advantage of tonal hues between the black and white composition.

4. Dodge and Burn.

Dodge and Burn is a common term used in photography pertaining to the use of the Dodge tool and the Burn tool that lighten or darken areas of the image.   Dodging is the process of holding backlight in order to lighten a specific area.  The term burning means to increase the exposure in order to darken areas on the print.  These effects are easily applied with the use of a digital editing program such as Adobe Photoshop and should be used to add this gravitating effect.

With these top tips – you should easily be able to turn your latest black and white photography into simple masterpieces.

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