From a technical point of view skin tones in black and white are mellowed, while blotches, blemishes, and uneven shading become less noticeable.
Below is a how-to from the Tempo photography team on how you can take really cool pictures in black and white, and below are inspirations from three photographers: Hazza Bani Malek, Muhammad Osman Gul and Marlon Bautista.
1. Shoot in RAW
We know many readers can’t shoot in RAW because their camera doesn’t offer it or don’t shoot in RAW because they either don’t know how or don’t like to. Of course shooting in JPEG doesn’t stop you shooting in black and white – but if it’s an option, give RAW a chance and you might be surprised by what it offers you in post production.
2. Shoot in Colour
If your camera doesn’t allow you to shoot in RAW (or you choose not to) – shoot in colour and do your conversion to black and white later on your computer.
While most digital cameras offer you the option to shoot in black and white (and can produce some reasonable results) you have more control over your end results if you have the colour data to work with in your conversion on your computer
Note: There is an exception to shooting in colour and it’s when you’re taking note of point one above (shooting in RAW).When shooting in RAW and switching to black and white mode you see your results on the LCD in black and white but the camera actually records all of the information (including colour) – which is the best of both worlds! But if you’re shooting in JPEG – shoot in colour and do the conversion later.
3. Low ISO
Shoot with the lowest ISO possible. When it comes to black and white, the higher the ISO, the noise created by this becomes more obvious. If you’re after this “noise” (or grain) you can always add it later in your post production- but it’s harder to go the other way and take the noise out.
4. When to Shoot
It is preferable to shoot images for Black and White in low contrast situations. so a dark or cloudy day can be great time to shoot outdoors shots. Ironically these are the days that those who shoot only in color would yank at home about “poor lighting”. so next time you find yourself in a gloomy day- grab the opportunity to take some B&W shots.
5. Composition
Most of the general tips on how to compose or frame a good shot apply just as well to black and white photography as they do when shooting in color. However the main obvious difference is that you’re unable to use color to lead the eye into or around your shot. This means you have to train yourself to look at shapes, tones and textures in your frame as points of interest. Pay particularly attention to shadows and highlights which will become a feature of your shot.
HAZZA BANI MALEK
Engineering student
Title of the picture: Aliens are cool
Location: My room, Julphar, RAK
Subject: Me
Setting: Camera mounted on tripod, set to self-timer with a flash light, Lights off and pose.
Purpose of the shot: A friend was trippin on aliens and how they go for the kill. Aliens shouldn’t always be perceived as such, they should be cool. This photo was actually intended for him.
Camera model: NIKON D90, using Nikkor 18-105mm lens
F-stop/ Aperture: 3.5 at 18mm
ISO: 1250
Shutter speed: 1/15th of a sec.
Tip: Moderate lighting and seize the pose. Take a couple of shots and who knows one just might be the lucky shot. A flash light is used to create the “vignette” effect and make sure the subject is in focus. Post processing always does the trick. Add filter > grain, and pitch black demon eyes… voila!
MUHAMMAD OSMAN GUL
Economics student
Title of the picture: Winter-delight
Location: A friend’s villa in Bateen
Subject: Victoria Knechova
Setting: Roughly around 3 pm – was taken in the garden on 8th January, 2011
Purpose of the shot: A random click, since we were with a group of friends. I felt like experimenting. Camera model: Canon EOS-1000D (mounted on a BG- E5 battery grip) using 50mm portrait lens
F-Stop: 4.0
ISO: 1600 (since it was dark and was about to rain, so the light was not helping out much)
Shutter speed: 1/100th of a sec.
Tip: Focus on the subject. A 50mm portrait lens does not have zoom in/ zoom out option, so just focus on the subject, play around by blurring the background. Personally I like it when the background is totally blurred beyond recognition, and believe in having a symmetric approach towards my photography; it reduces/ eliminates the dead-space in the image.
MARLON BAUTISTA
Accountant and a wannabe photographer
Title of the picture: Killer Smile
Location: Zabeel Park, Dubai, UAE
Subject: Ashley Isabel
Setting: 9 am at the park using ambient light and a reflector.
Purpose of the shot: Eager to capture her beautiful smile…I grabbed my gear and took this shot.
Camera model: Canon 450D using 18 – 135mm lens
F-stop / Aperture: 5.6 ISO: 400
Shutter speed: 1/320 sec
Tip: On shooting outdoors, it is recommended to use a reflector to even out the sun power reflection against the model’s face.
What you need to know
Aperture: Controls the amount of light to be received through the lens opening. The higher the aperture number smaller the lens opening.
ISO: Light Sensitvity control
Shutter speed: Time for which the shutter is held open during the taking of a photograph. The longer the shutter speed the more light is recorded.
Our next topic is on “coloured” portrait shots. If you’d like to share your photos email them with details to ellaine@abudhabitempo.com
