We recently shared with you a fast tips article on seeing in black and white (B&W) when photographing in color. Since then, a few professional photographers from Professional Photographers of America offered these tips.
Black and White Tip #1 from the Deep South
Danny Izzo, CPP is owner of highly respected Nouveau Photeau in Lafayette, Louisiana. He finds that both vast, sweeping landscapes and small, intricate details of large subjects shine in black and white. Danny also suggests inspiration from looking at books. Real books. The following photographers are on his list:
- Ansel Adams
- Margaret Bourque White
- Edward Weston
- Any work from the members of the original Group f.64 – Fun history: this small group of San Francisco based photographers promoted photography with sharp details and a big depth of field. The name of this group was inspired by the smallest aperture setting of a large-format camera diaphragm.
One additional tip from Danny. “Buy a Holga camera and have some serious fun.” What is a Holga? An iconic, very inexpensive B&W toy film camera known for it’s unique image aesthetic. This link will take you to B&H photo for pricing and availability. An interesting holiday gift?
Tip #2 from Arizona
Bob Coates lives in Sedona, Arizona. He is a photographer, photography educator and author. He offers, “Turning the camera view into monochrome at the time of image capture. Shooting in RAW ensures that you have full color, all the detail in the image. This provides for better processing in post.”
Bob drives Successful Photographer, a professional photography site devoted to “Marketing, Business and the Fine Art of Photography.” Bob’s eye and creativity brings beauty and inspiration. He’s very active on Instagram and Facebook.
Tip # 3 from Colorado Springs, CO
Tara C. Patty shot in black and white film for the first ten years she was in business. For Tara, “it’s about light and shadow, shape and texture. Observing how black and white sees colors, such as greens and yellows, elevates your ability to think in black and white. “
Today she specializes in company head shots, team images and customized personal branding. To learn more about Tara, visit Tara C. Patty, Business Branded Photography and see her work. You can also see her pet portraits on Instagram at Tpattyphoto. These will melt your heart!
When converting a color image to black and white in post, Tara suggests Nik Silver Efex Pro. Nik Silver Efex is part of the Nik Collection by DxO. I couldn’t agree more! Their presets literally create eye-popping B&W imagery from your work that you can further edit.
There’s a big world of color out there waiting for you and your camera. There’s also a field of view, a moment, in black and white that’s waiting to be revealed. By you.
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[…] Shoot with the plan of processing in black and white. It’s ok, you can still keep your color images too. For black and white photography tips we have: Fast Tips: How to See in Black and White. We also had professional photographers from Professional Photographers of America weigh in with: Fast Tips: Pro Photographers Share How they see in Black and White. […]
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