Happy Tuesday, everyone!! I took the week off last week from posting, so I could catch up on photo sessions. If you didn’t know, October is the craziest time of year for photographers, and this year is no different. Sometimes, you just gotta cut yourself some slack and have a good ol’ fashioned Netflix binge to get you back on track. That’s just what I did- watched Netflix (I happen to have a few shows I’m obsessed with! 😉 ) , and edited, ran between sessions, had a little fall fun at the pumpkin patch (making sure to cram in as many of these moments this year), and now I’m ready to take on the world again!

There was a time when I wasn’t a huge fan of black and white images. I’m not sure what the excuse what back then for not loving them, but I can guess it’s because I hadn’t figured what it was that made a black and white picture awesome. Since everyone can take images and convert them to black and white on any camera, I thought I would share some tips to create awesome black and white images.

Tips for taking black and white

pictures

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Look for textures.

You can find all sorts of things that add texture to your images everywhere. Bark on trees, buildings, rocks, sand, blankets, carpets, the list really goes on and on. Since you’re not using colors to add interest to your images, texture does an incredible job of adding interest for you!
Follow the light!!

Again, since there is no color to make your subject pop, finding creative lighting or light that showcases your subject is a key element to photographing black and white images.
Expose correctly.

There are certainly times when I have a backlit image with areas in the background that are a bit blown out or overexposed, however , when you are taking black and white images it’s even more crucial to be properly exposed. Facial details and other important details with a shades of gray that are only slightly darker or lighter than the next will not show up properly if your picture isn’t exposed correctly.
Try to get catchlights in your kid’s eyes.

Here are some tips for creating amazing catchlights. There won’t be color in your image to show off your subject’s eyes. If there is no light reflecting in them, they are likely to be dark, and lost.
Use a program like lightroom or an app like pictapgo or VSCO on your phone to convert your image to black and white, and add contrast and brightness as needed.

Any of these options make it insanely easy to convert your images to black and white. Side note; if you aren’t currently using lightroom to edit your pictures, you really should check it out. There is so much you can do to your pictures, and it is beyond user-friendly!

xoxo,
lorrin
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