![]() ![]() Since we do not experience scenes in monochrome, black and white photographs do not have the same emotional tethers and expectations as color photographs might.įor my photography, this allows me the freedom to take a lot of liberties during the processing phase. One of my favorite things about black and white photography is the fact that it is, by its very nature, a departure from reality. Tip #2: Be Willing to Depart From “Reality” This often means seeking out black and white photographs while in the field and visualizing the final result in black and white before even clicking the shutter. Generally, having an artistic motivation to create a black and white photograph produces far more compelling results than viewing this pursuit as an occasional last ditch effort for saving a poor color photograph. While this latter process can sometimes produce good results, I think digital photographers can learn a lot from the deliberate, intentional processes practiced by our colleagues working with film. Or, if a color photograph didn’t quite work out, black and white processing is seen as a fallback rather than a deliberate artistic decision. This includes the selection of film, careful use of filters in the field, and making a series of technical and artistic choices in the darkroom.įor digital photographers, the choice to create a black and white photograph is often seen as easy – just click a preset and the photo is complete. ![]() Tip #1: Black and White = A Deliberate Creative Choiceįor film photographers working in black and white and using traditional methods, creating a photograph requires a lot of deliberate choices. You can save 20% for a limited time with the code BW20. If you would like to learn more about black and white nature photography, you might be interested in our new ebook + video course, Black & White Photography: A Complete Guide for Nature Photographers (188 page ebook, plus 9 videos including almost 5 hours of content - sold separately or as a bundle). For me, black and white photography feels like a more expansive pursuit than color photography because of the opportunities and creative freedoms I discuss below. By shedding the expectations that come along with color photography, I have the opportunity to share my photographic concepts with greater latitude. Thus, I can take an image file and create something that reflects my interests, visual preferences, and emotions about a scene or place in a much different way than I can with a color photograph. ![]() With black and white photography, the constraints of conveying “reality” do not come into play since there is no reality conveyed in shades of gray. With my black and white work, I often choose to portray drama, grandeur, and darkness in a way that just does not work for me when working in color. Many of my color photos are light and bright, or soft and quiet. While working within this constraint is my choice, it does highly influence my work in a way that applies boundaries. With my color work, I often seek to portray simplicity, quietness, elegance, and contemplation. ![]() While I do not hold others to the same principles, I personally think that my color photographs need to be mostly grounded in the reality of the moment I experienced in the field. After sharing selected photos from my black and white portfolios in my last three blog posts ( landscapes, nature's small scenes, and plants), I am going to turn to discussing tips for how nature photographers can create more compelling, interesting, and dynamic black and white photographs. While it is hard to distill years of reading, trial and error, and experimentation into a few bullet points, I consider the following ten items to be the most important things I have learned along the way in creating my photographs.Īs I mentioned in my first post in this series, I generally feel more restrained when presenting a photograph in color. ![]()
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