The Timeless Look of Black and White Photography

Camera settings for black-and-white photos

With digital cameras, you have three choices for getting black-and-white shots:

Shoot in black-and-white: Check your camera's manual to see if you can shoot directly in monochrome. This lets you view the photo on your camera's LCD screen in black and white, so you can see exactly what you're shooting.

Convert color photos into black and white in your camera: For many cameras, you can do this in the camera menu. Select "Modify Color," then "black and white." This creates a copy of an existing photo, so you'll have both versions.

Print in black and white: You can print black and white photos from those taken in color by using the Grayscale setting, available in your printer preferences menu.

All of these methods work well. However, if your goal is to create larger black-and-white prints, shooting in black and white will yield the best results.

Explore contrast

Contrast—the difference between the light and dark areas in a photo—is an essential part of black-and-white photography. There are three levels of contrast that you can experiment with when you shoot:

High contrast means striking white and black tones, with minimal gray. It can heighten tension or add drama to photos. Look for bright light and shadows to shoot in high contrast.

Normal contrast provides the most "realistic" presentation of an image, where some things in the photo are light or white, some are dark or black, and some are in-between, or gray.
Contrasts that are strong in color, such as red against green, look about equal in black and white, making for normal contrast.

Low contrast keeps tones mostly in the mid-range, so there are lots of grays.
Atmospheric weather, such as fog, is perfect for shooting low contrast black-and-white photos.

Add drama and emotion to portraits

Removing color from pictures lets you focus on the emotions of the people and not the vibrant colors, instead. Emotional occasions, such as weddings, are ideal opportunities to shoot black and white. And don't forget group shots—black and white shots mean that clashing clothing isn't a problem.

Black and white shot ideas

Black-and-white lets you focus on other elements of a photo, such as texture. Texture and patterns: Try shooting interesting textures and lines, or patterns in nature. Details that are barely noticeable in color become more prominent and poetic. Portraits: Baby pictures, wedding photos, family portraits—candid or posed—gain a classic quality when shot in black and white. Landscapes: From the mountains to your backyard, outdoor shots look magnificent in black and white.

Add artistic effects

Many cameras have an innovative feature that allows you to add stunning effects to your photos. Like Antique and Watercolor. Also think about adding simple and artistic photo borders. Or even change color tints of your photos.