Perfecting the art of monochrome

All the tips and tricks to help you hone your skills in black-and-white photography.

Editing plays a major role in achieving the right colour combination.

Shadow, shape, structure and lighting are crucial.

In the previous part of this column, I spoke about the magic of black-and-white photographs, and as promised, in this part, I will share tips and tricks to create the magic. Which camera do you need? What settings should you shoot in? How do you edit the photo?

See in monochrome: Observe your environment in black and white. Observe the lighting, shadows and contrast, texture and expression keenly. Black-and-white is an imagination-driven endeavour.

Camera: Essentially you can shoot in black-and-white in any camera that you already have. There is no special equipment required, although there are cameras that capture only in black-and-white and monochrome mode. But do you need that? No. Whether you own a DSLR or a mobile phone camera, it can do the trick.

Know the mode: Creativity is unlimited but not all photos look great in black-and-white. So knowing why you are choosing it over colour is important. Does the subject and object require a black-and-white treatment? Knowing the right mode for the subject is the key. Since you are stripping an image of its colour, strong composition is vital. And once you have established your reasoning, go for the kill.

Lighting: Essential ingredients that create a magical picture are shadows, shape and texture, composition, and most importantly, lighting. Choosing the right lighting with appropriate high key and low key is essential. Also, focus on emotions when shooting portraits. These elements, when used creatively in composition, will add value to the image. Composition is essentially ensuring a strong structure, balance and order in the image.

Conversion: Most photographers prefer to shoot in colour and then convert the image to black-and-white. This gives the photographer more options and flexibility during the editing process. If you shoot in black-and-white and change your mind later, it’s very hard to add colour to the image.

Editing: Since most of the photos are shot in colour and converted to black-and-white, editing plays a major role in achieving that perfect shot. Photo editing software like Photoshop and Lightroom offer plenty of options to convert the colour image to black-and-white. They enable you to toggle the colour channel mixer (red, blue, green) and greyscale channel. Adjust the levels and see the effect on the image. For example, if you want the sky to be darker, toggle the blue channel and see what happens.

Experiment: Try long exposure in black-and-white. The movement of the clouds or water and lighting creates a dramatic effect in black-and-white as it adds mystery to the photo. Apart from that, try different angles. Unique angles make the picture more intriguing. Black-and-white images have a timeless quality, which can provoke different emotions and responses from your viewers.

Be inspired: The best of the photographers started their career making black-and-white pictures. Browse through the images created by photographers like Raghu Rai, Ansal Adams, Vivian Maier, Sebastião Salgado, Helen Levitt or find your favourite photographer’s work. Even with the limitation of having only black-and-white rolls, they created a fantastic body of work.

Black-and-white is a challenging genre. There is more to it than slapping a filter to an image. It tests your creativity and visualisation skills to achieve that elusive picture-perfect image.

It has a life of its own and a message of its own and worth all the efforts in honing your skills. You will end up putting more conscious thought into how a photo appears and experience the beautiful world of black, white and greys.

Lenscraft is a monthly column on all things photography — tips, tricks and everything in between.

The writer is a photojournalist who tells stories with his pictures. Find his pictures on Twitter and Instagram @pushkarv