Black&White Photography Digital Photography

Look for Contrast Because you can’t use color to distinguish one element of your image from another, the tonal variances become all the more important. This doesn’t mean you need to look for stark contrasts in every shot you want to convert to black and white – the subject matter will come into play here – but you should ponder how the contrast will come into play when composing your shot.

Shapes and pattern Shapes and Patterns Patterns or shapes that can sometimes almost go unseen in color (due to the color itself drawing attention) can come alive in a black and white shot. Black and White shots that rely upon pattern can often take on an abstract quality.

Capture Texture Revealing the texture of a subject can add a new dimension to an image. The sidelight does this by creating shadows. Textural contrast can enhance any photograph in black and white. Sidelight and backlight can be very useful to Enhance textures so that you can better see their contrasts. Front light tends to flatten out texture and will make these contrasts disappear.

The lighting in a black and white shot can be very important. For example, side lighting will reveal any texture that a subject might have (and in portraits will accentuate features) and light from any one direction will create shadows. All of these techniques can add interest to a black and white image – however they can also be distracting – so play with light with care. It effects shape, contrast, pattern and texture

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Google Image the following Photographers: and pick out 2 photographs each from you favorite 2 Ansel Adams American Photographed many national parks and was a big environmentalist, using his photographs to highlight the importance of nature in the US Henri Cartier-Bresson French The creator of ‘The decisive moment’. He never cropped his images and only shot in black & white. A Leica-wielding legend. Diane Arbus American Freaks, loners and people on the edges of society’s norms were Arbus‘s subjects. Her direct and simple portrait style and subject matter have inspired ever since. Richard Avedon American Avedon was the epitome of the modern photographer – a charming, sophisticated man-about-town and a photographer who was able to cross photographic genres Edward Weston American Weston’s experiments with shape, form and light, the female nude and natural forms influenced a whole century of photographers who followed him.

Take photographs of the following: (use black and white setting as well as in color, to later compare) Shape (1) Pattern (1) Texture (1) Portrait (2) Focus on 1 body part (3) e.g.: hands, eyes, mouth etc.