My top 5  tips for taking black & white photographs.  B&W photography allows you to explore a whole new dimension other than color, like lighting, contrast, texture, tone & shape.  Not only do B&W photographs have a way of bringing back nostalgia of the “good old days”, but they can also be used to capture a romantic or sentimental atmosphere or the harshness of a landscape. Here are my top 5 tips to consider, next time you take a B&W photo:

No.1   Remove the color from the photo.

Before you are about to take a picture, if the colors just don’t look right for some reason, ask yourself, “what would it look like in B&W?”. Sometimes contrasting colors can be enhanced in B&W, yet in real life they clash.

No. 2  Use contrast and key to your advantage.

Use contrast and key to emphasize certain aspects of your subject or draw attention away.  High contrast helps to make something really stand out and draw attention, whilst low contrast softens the picture.

No. 3  Examine the texture of your photo and use B&W to emphasize texture.

Imagine how removing color will make the roughness or smoothness of the subject stand out.  Texture is expressed in B&W, use it to your full advantage.

No.4  Use line and shape in your B&W photos

If your photo has interesting lines or defined shapes in it, consider taking B&W photos.  A simple fence meandering across a field can be turned into a beautiful B&W picture.

No.5  Use your lighting

Use your lighting to full advantage to emphasize contrast and shadow.  Wait until the end of the day when there interesting shadows and lighting affects, this will enhance your B&W photo.  Different strengths of lighting will give your picture different affects and moods.