Black and White Photography Tips and Tricks

The beauty of black and white photography lies in the fact that these images are timeless and never seize to impress the beholder. Mentioned below are some tips and tricks that can be used for B&W photography:

Try the Raw Approach

If your camera has the RAW feature, use it. When you make use of the RAW approach in your photo shots, you’ll be able to see better defined B&W images that give much better results.

Go On a Hunt for Contrast, Shape and Texture

B&W photos with portions of almost pure black and almost pure white can add depth to images. The brightness of an object, set against a heavily shadowed area can make it pop, bringing out the light from the shadows.

Since B&W photos don’t have colors, you need to be on the lookout for interesting shapes, and textures while paying special attention to highlights and shadows for a picture perfect shot.

A Striking B&W portrait

Black and white portraits can emphasize facial features without the distraction of hair and clothing colors that are brightly set, and are also good for smoothing out facial tones.

Using Flat Light for a Dramatic Effect

Light that has no large range of exposure is known as flat light, and can add a depth of drama to any scene. If you find a rich black element like a wet road or a pathway amidst elements like snow, it can make for quite an eye catching and life-like image.

Darken the darks and Brighten the Whites

When you make dark images darker, the lights burst and brighten any image you photograph.

Go for Elongated Exposures

B&W images with a long exposure of moving clouds or water appear to be much wider than they would with limited exposure. This, in turn, helps to enhance the tonal contrast of a photograph. In addition to this, the blurry movement of the clouds and water add a textural blend of contrast with solid objects featured in a photo.

Opt for HDR for Dynamic Ranges

High Dynamic Range (HDR) is used to exaggerate the dynamics of range and edges. With HDR, you can get those magazine-like shots with added flares of elegance and texture.