Digital Photography - People In Black & White

People photographs in Black and white are often the best and most visually pleasing. If you’re using digital set the camera to black and white mode, which is the easiest, or you can add the black and white look in digital editing software via converting selected photos to grey scale mode. (Believe me, it’s a lot easier to simply change the settings on your camera if you can.)

Why is it so popular and appealing? What does it offer the viewer?

Black and white people photography offers you something that standard colour does not. A good black and white people photo can really create a positive and gentle feeling of that person. They become more appealing, and easier to look at that sometimes colour. We can see another side of someone’s personality with black and white photography. The enhancement of grayscale in a lures us into a natural focus on peoples good energy, and if two people, their relationship to one another.

People look fantastic in black and white and you don’t need colour to create a great photograph. The absence of colour gives the photo of your person more impact. Rather than purely noticing skin colour we tend to look at the shape and tone and depth of the face so much more. We tend to look at the detail. It’s like we are forced to notice another side of things, such as form. And when you notice form a lot more, it gives you a different feeling and impression about the subject. Black & white photographs have an enduring, timeless quality – and that's why the medium is so fascinating.

Inside every colour digital image there's a black & white masterpiece

With their timeless and classic look, black and white pictures of people work very well. Let's take a look at ways you can create your own black and white masterpieces. You will notice in many magazines it seems that all the classy photographs are in black and white. Black and White....In fact there is a magazine called exactly that, “Black And White” you can find information about it online at http://www.bandwmag.com.

It is exclusively black and white photography. If you are serious about black and white photography I suggest you buy a copy of this magazine and look at it from a technical and artistic point of view. Black and white often allows more scope for creativity than colour.

Strong visual impressions and emotional intensities can be enhanced by black and white photography. Sometimes no matter what you do to a subject, whether it is lighting alteration or composition, black and white just turns out better than colour.

Because black and white photography reduces everything to shades of grey, the attention of the viewer is drawn more to the underlying structure of tone, shape, texture, line and form, rather than the surface structure of the content. We tend to notice form in a stronger visual sense.

I recommend for every colour picture you take, quickly flip the settings to black-and-white and practice this way. It's a great way to get creative quickly and to look at an alternative light, a new black and white reality.

For a start, take some close-up shots in black and white of simple objects, such as the watch. But don't limit yourself - also try people. Black and white shots of people can be fabulous.

Try close-up shots of someone in your family, or even your self. At times when I needed a subject with which to practice and no one else was around, I simply pointed the camera at myself; although I don’t love taking photos of myself it was useful practice.

Best wishes,
Amy Renfrey

Click here to learn about how to get sensational photos with your digital camera.