How to make winning Black and White Photos:
“The Art of Black and White,” a special presentation done on this blog annually is coming again in the first part of December. I am collecting the best photos from around the world now and making this amazing gallery now. How do I pick these photos? What am I looking for? What makes the perfect Black and White Photo?
TO TAKE WINNING PHOTOS OF BLACK AND WHITE TAKES MORE THAN JUST SNAPPING PHOTOS AND THEN CONVERTING THEM INTO BLACK AND WHITE. THERE IS TRULY AN ART TO TAKING GOOD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS. LET ME GIVE YOU THE TIPS THAT I LOOK FOR IN A GREAT BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO:
1- SUBJECT MATTER
WILL THIS PHOTO THAT YOU TAKE LOOK WITH THE ABSCENSE OF COLOR? SOMETIMES I LOOK AT A COLLECTION OF PHOTOS AND THINK: THAT SHOULD HAVE REMAINED IN COLOR. IF IT LOOKS BETTER IN COLOR, THEN LEAVE IT IN COLOR. THAT IS A DIFFICULT DECISION TO MAKE, BUT, A GOOD BLACK AND WHITE WILL LOOK BETTER IN BLACK AND WHITE THAN COLOR. LOOK AT THE ABOVE PHOTO. THAT IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF GREAT USE OF BLACK AND WHITE. WOULD IT MAKE A GOOD COLOR PHOTO? I DON’T SEE IT.
2- SHAPE AND FORM:
SOMETIMES WHEN YOU TAKE OUT COLOR, THE EYES HAVE TO RELY ON THE SHAPES AND DESIGNS TO ATTRACT YOUR ATTENTION TO THE SUBJECT: FORMS AND LINES CREATE AN INTRIGUING ASPECT OR COMPOSITION OF DIFFERENT SHAPES. COLOR THEN BECOMES NOT IMPORTANT AT ALL.
3- PATTERN:
PATTERNS SEEM MORE IMPORTANT IN SHOOTING IN BLACK AND WHITE THAN IN COLOR. YOU NEED REPETITION, OR INTERESTING PATTERNS TO CREATE A GOOD PHOTO IN BLACK AND WHITE. IT DRAWS MORE INTEREST TO THE VIEWER. I WOULD THINK THAT IF YOU HAD SOME GOOD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS HANGING IN A BUILDING, YOU WOULD ALWAYS SEE SOME THAT HAD SOME PHOTOS OF PATTERN PHOTOS.
4- TEXTURE:
TEXTURE IS ONE OF THE MOST CRITICAL THINGS TO A GOOD BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO BECAUSE WITHOUT IT, YOU DON’T HAVE DEPTH TO THE PHOTO, AND YOU WOULD HAVE JUST A PLAIN BORING PHOTO. THIS ALSO ADDS THE NECESSARY CONTRAST THAT YOU NEED TO BRING THE BLACK AND WHITE SOME “PIZZAZ”.
5- COMPOSITION:
ALL THE RULES OF COMPOSITION SEEM TO BE MORE IMPORTANT IN BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOGRAPHY THAN IN COLOR. REMEMBER ALL THE RULES DOWN TO THE “TEE” WITH EVERY SHOT, BECAUSE IT WILL MEAN WHETHER IT BECOMES A WINNER OR NOT.
6- AVOID NOISE:
HOW DO YOU AVOID NOISE IN A BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO? BY NOT USING A HIGH ISO SETTING. IF YOU ARE SHOOTING IN COLOR FIRST, BE AWARE THAT WHEN YOU CONVERT IT TO BLACK AND WHITE, YOU WILL INCREASE THE NOISE. SO, WHAT IS THE ULTIMATE END IN MIND? IF IT IS TO CREATE A BLACK AND WHITE PHOTO, THEN BE CAREFUL TO USE YOUR ISO SETTING AT A LOWER NUMBER, IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. I WOULD RECOMMEND AT LEAST 200 OR LOWER.
7- CONTRAST HAS TO BE NEAR PERFECT
YOU HAVE TO HAVE EITHER REALLY HARSH CONTRAST OR GREAT GREY TONES. DEPENDING ON YOUR PHOTO, MAKE SURE THE CONTRAST IS PERFECT. SOMETIMES WHEN I WAS JUDGING BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS, I WOULD SEE A GREAT COMPOSED PHOTO, BUT THE CONTRAST WAS NOT GOOD. SOMETIMES WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE THE MOST PERFECT CONTRAST IN GREAT BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS WAS A GOOD PORTRAIT. SO HARD TO GET THAT PERFECT IN BLACK AND WHITE. I WANT TO SHOW YOU 2 PORTRAITS IN BLACK AND WHITE THAT I THOUGHT WERE BETTER IN BLACK AND WHITE THAN IN COLOR:
THE REASON THESE TWO PORTRAITS WERE CHOSEN AS WINNING PHOTOS IN “THE ART OF BLACK AND WHITE” WAS BECAUSE THE CONTRAST AND THE EXPOSURE ON THEIR SKIN TONES WAS PERFECT. THE GREY TONES, AND THE REST OF THE CONTRAST WAS, TO ME INCREDIBLE. NOW, I COULD SHOW YOU HUNDREDS OF PORTRAITS I SAW IN THE SAME SEARCHING TIME FRAME, THAT JUST LOOKED LIKE, WHAT I CALL: MUDDY GREY TONES. AND THESE WERE JUST SO NICE. I FELL IN LOVE WITH THESE TWO PORTRAITS BECAUSE OF THE PERFECT EXPOSURE AND PERFECT GREY TONES IN THE BLACK AND WHITE.
**** SUMMARY:
MAKE SURE THE BLACKS ARE BLACK, THE WHITES ARE WHITE, AND THE GREY’S ARE GREY. AND I WOULD SAY TO WATCH OUT FOR THE “MUDDY GREY TONES”. MAKE SURE YOU ARE LOOKING FOR PHOTOS WITH THE CONTRAST THAT LOOK LIKE THESE ABOVE PHOTOS.
I LOOK FORWARD AGAIN TO FINDING GREAT BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS THAT WILL WIN AND BE PRESENTED IN “THE ART OF BLACK AND WHITE” IN THE NEAR FUTURE. THOSE FACEBOOK GROUPS THAT SPECIALIZE IN THIS WILL BE HIGHLIGHTED AGAIN TO SHOW OFF THEIR TALENTS.
THE ART OF BLACK AND WHITE, #5, COMING : DECEMBER 5TH, 2018 ! PHOTOS ARE BEING COLLECTED NOW, AND THEY ARE AMAZING !
Article written by: Lanny Cottrell for 123Photogo.
More black and white photos:
