January in Black & White

PHOTO CHALLENGE | Look for scenes with strong subjects, dramatic lighting, lots of texture or shapes, and edit your photos to the classic B&W during the month of January.

Black and white photography takes us back to the timeless and historical roots of our beloved art form. The imagery we see without color is at its simplest, least distracting, and most intentional composition.

We now shoot in color and edit to look like monochrome (I highly recommend this over shooting b&w in camera) to create the desired shades of gray. Monochrome specifically uses light to create the varying shades of gray, whereas b&w uses neutralizes the colors in your image. If you keep the light in mind and how it can be used to create impactful photography, you’ll achieve the most impactful form of modern black and white photos possible.

I find that low light is the perfect opportunity to create deep moody images, use artificial light without fear of white balance, to use ISO grain like film, and have fun shooting in a different way than you might normally. As you might notice in my photos, I blend photos with strong subjects and those with pure atmosphere.

Thoughtfully composed and carefully manipulated B&W should lend itself to the most dramatic, classic, and distinctive photographs. Here are a few things to keep in mind as you’re shooting this month:

  • SUBJECT | B&W photos should have very clear and strong main subject. Your subject should anchor the image and emphasize the foreground.

  • TONE | This is actually the most important aspect for b&w photography the I judge the above all else. Much like light used in color photos, the tonal range in b&w sets the entire tone and mood of the image. There should be multiple shades of color creating a wide variety of tones.

  • LIGHT & SHADOW | One of the most important components in naturally creating contrast and drama.

  • TEXTURES, LINES, ANGLES, SHAPES, PATTERNS | Look for these elements as you are shooting, as they are all valuable components to add beauty, interest, and drama to your b&w photos.