One of my most cherished pictures of my daughter is a black-and-white shot taken when she was 6 months old. I had a professional photographer come in shortly after my daughter started to show interest in crawling. The prized picture features my daughter on her tummy looking straight into the camera with both eyebrows arched perfectly in little peaks. It is pure and genuine and the fact that it was captured in black-and-white further enhances the simplicity of the shot.
Think about your favorite black-and-white photograph. It could be one taken of your grandparents decades ago or a winter landscape shot featuring snow and ice. Regardless of what the photo spotlights, the fact that it was taken in black-and-white undoubtedly helps to keep your eye focused on the subject rather than be distracted by the picture’s tone and texture.
I love the look of black-and-white photography and plan to discuss it in detail in the next few blogs beginning with what you want to shoot in black-and-white.
Landscapes. If you are shooting a non-descript landscape shot (be it a desert, mountain range, waterfall, etc.) and you want to add a dimension of intrigue to it consider shooting it in black-and-white. Removing the color from a bland scene can do wonders for your photo. Not only does it make it more interesting, it can also help the eye focus on a particular element of the picture that might be overlooked if it was shot in color.
Children. If your toddler has a fondness for wearing polka dot pants and multi-colored stripe shirts, then black-and-white photography can be your best friend. Converting a wildly distracting color saturated scene into gray tones might come in handy when your daughter’s outrageous outfit upstages her adorable facial expressions.
Close-Ups. Before committing to black-and-white ask yourself whether the scene would benefit from it. For example, most people shoot flowers in color—-for obvious reasons-—they want to capture the blossom’s unique color or how the petals contrast with the background. However, if you are trying to capture the dew drop hanging from the flower, you might consider shooting it black-and-white.
Black-and-white is also helpful if you are trying to create a nostalgic feel. Most black-and-white photos have a way of conveying an antique, sentimental feeling that isn’t possible in color photographs.
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