Friday Photo Tip | B&W
The black and white photo. It’s a way to add some drama, make a photograph feel vintage, or just give something ordinary a little artistic edge. Now, I’ll admit - black and white photographs are not my favorite. I love telling stories with bright, beautiful color! I tend to stay away from the moodier side of photography so black and white photographs aren’t typically my jam. However, just because they aren’t my favorite doesn’t mean I don’t like a change of pace every now and then. I also know that not every photograph will covert well to black and white. There are some guidelines you should follow if you want to make a good black and white conversion.
Emphasize contrast. You only have white, black and gray with which to tell your story, so you need to make sure you are drawing the eye to your subject. Making your subject well lit on a dark background is one way. Another way is the opposite - creating a silhouette of your subject on a light background.
Capture emotion. Black and white photographs do a great job of emphasizing emotion. If you focus on capturing real moments, black and white will only enhance it!
Focus on composition. When framing your image, be sure to stay away from distracting elements like a busy background or objects that detract from your subject. Without color to help draw the eye, you must use light, shadow, and composition to focus the viewer’s eye!
If you follow these three guidelines when creating a black and white photograph (or choosing one to convert), you’ll be on your way to a scroll-stopping image!
