Black & White Photography The Art of Making Great Black & White Photos

To make a photograph it's best, you need to explore the options to get the best look. I almost always make all shots in color. Then convert to black and white if the shot looks good in black and white. That way you always have a color copy. It's much harder to recolor a photo than take the color out if you ever want a color print of the shot. I do take shots in black and white sometimes with my phone camera. It is beneficial to see the shot in black and white many times. It helps you learn to see shadows and tones in the shot different from when you see only in color. It also makes texture pop out of the shot in a way you can't see in color.Most people like to see photos in color most of the time. It's the way most of us see everything. That is a good thing but it can take away from some important things we should see. There are situations where black and white is better. In high contrast photos black and white can be much more interesting. Making a shot black and white can also take a so so shot and make it great. Black and white photographs are very simplistic. Taking out the color changes the focus. The focus goes from the color to the composition and the creativity of the shot. Color can distract from the shot. It can take the focus away from the subject, which is something you don't want to do. Look at the shot in color. What do you think it will look like without color? Do you think it may look better without color. Desaturate the shot and see what it looks like. There are many ways to take out the color, but to look the best you need to do a few more things than desaturate only. We will get into that more later. Why should you take photos in black and White?There can be many subtle tone differences you can't get in a color photo.Black and white can bring out your creativity more than with color.You see light different in black and white than you do in color.Black and white brings out and emphasises emotion in the shot. Black and white highlights form, patterns and negative space.Without color, you see the interaction of the lines in the shot, to bring out the shapes and forms.Flat light also has more options to make a shot interesting. Most flat light shots are boring.Black and white photos can be much more dramatic.Bringing out texture is much easier in black and white photography.Learning to shoot well in black and white will make you a better photographer when shooting in color. Shooting black and white makes you focus more on the composition.Color will not distract from the creativity or the emotion of the shot.You can create a certain mood in the shot you can't do in color.In this book I will give you tips on how to take the best black and white shots you can. I will show you how to use black and white to change the mood of the shot and create the emotion you want to portray. I have taken hundreds of thousands of photos over the past 40 years. Many have been black and white. I have studied photography in practice and photography school many years ago. Practice is the best way to learn. Learn by using your eyes and the tools you have to make the best shots you can.Take time and search black and white photos online. Look at the variety of shots. Look to see what type of look you prefer. Do you like high key, dramatic, middle shades of gray, infrared, or do you like it with a tint to the shot? Look at Ansel Adams photography. Look at other great black and white shots and see how the photographer sees the light. Look at how they compose the shot to create the shot they want.If you haven't tried black and white. Check it out and see what you can do. It's easy to make great shots if you learn what to look at.