Top 5 Black And White Photography Tips Monoimages March 12, 2015 Tips & Tricks 1. Shoot in RAW The best file format to use if you plan on editing your photos is RAW, if you have the option on your camera to do so. As opposed to JPEG, RAW stores more of the original photo data because it is processed less by the camera. The advantage of this is you have more control in post production over the image you want to create, and more room to tweak settings. 2. Use a low ISO Try to use the lowest ISO possible to avoid noise on your pictures. How low you can go will depend on the camera used, but a tripod can be used to get a lower ISO if the conditions are too dark. Also for some images you may purposely want more noise, which is fairly common in black and white photography, but it’s easier to add this in post production than getting rid of it. 3. Use Filters Filters are just as important for taking black and white photos as they are for colour. Polarizing filters are useful for increasing contrast and getting rid of unwanted reflections. Neutral density filters can be used to prevent the sky from appearing washed out, and increase detail. Coloured filters are also useful to lighten and darken certain parts of your image, such as a red filter will increase contrast and turn a blue sky almost black. 4. Shoot in HDR HDR shots will allow you to show more detail and shades of grey than any single photo can, but this does require a bit more work taking the photo and in post production. To create a HDR photo, first you will usually take around 3 or more photos at different exposures and then combine these into 1 photo using software that can process HDR pictures. Using long exposures can look great and create some interesting effects, especially on landscape shots. Most commonly this technique is used to blur clouds and water, making them appear smoother and less detailed which can create an interesting look and contrast with the rest of the photo.