Black-and-White Photography: Images in Monochrome

Expand your inner creativity with black-and-white photography.

Story and photos by Chris Collard

My first camera was a Kodak 110 Instamatic, received for selling magazine subscriptions for a school fundraiser. It didn’t have a flash, zoom lens or any adjustments; simply point, press the button, and hope for the best. Color film was more expensive at the time, so I opted for black-and-white film (give me a break! I was only 9 years old).

My financial predicament was not a deterrent, however, because while pouring through the pages of National Geographic, I realized that the masters of monochrome could create images of unparalleled beauty. They understood how to work with tonal qualities of a scene, how shadows played on a subject, how to manage contrast and how to capture rich textures in the natural world. In the darkroom, they painstakingly experimented under the enlarger, working with a variety of techniques to render their prints into works of art.

An Original Art Form

If we traveled back in time, we’d discover that black-and-white is the original art form, with its seeds sown long before the dawn of the Dark Ages. Some of the earliest cave paintings, dating back 30,000 years, were sketched with ash from a fire or the end of a smoldering branch. They depicted humans on the hunt, the prey they pursued and the weapons used to bring them down.

Although we loosely refer to black-and-white photography as “monochrome” or “grayscale,” the final product comprises gray tones that lie between white (the absence of color) and black (consisting of the primary colors, red, blue and yellow, combined). The color spectrum was absent from consumer photography for nearly 100 years, until Eastman Kodak introduced 35mm Kodachrome in 1936. It required a steep learning curve; the cost was rather dear; and it didn’t hit the mainstream until the 1960s. Nevertheless, renowned photographers such as Ansel Adams dismissed this new format, instead focusing on mastering methods of presenting the natural world in black, white and infinite shades of gray.

Texture, Contrast and Patterns

My first words of advice are to head into the field with monochrome in your mental “tool bag.” That is, as you are assessing a particular scene, think about what frames contain the texture and tonal qualities that might render a compelling black-and-white photo.

As you look through my selection for this “Viewfinder,” you’ll note that each subject embraces the epoch of time eternal: the chiseled wrinkles of an elder’s skin, weathered wood panels on a miner’s cabin, sandstone sculpted by wind and water. I personally wouldn’t find interest in a black-and-white photo of a modern skyscraper … but, photograph Mesa Arch in Utah’s Canyonlands National Park in monochrome, and you have my attention. Nevertheless, this is only my vision; and, as you expand your inner creativity, you’ll develop your own style. Black-and-white photography is not limited to any one genre.

I look for patterns, defined lines or shapes that dissect a frame into its various elements. They might be vertical, horizontal, a convex polygon—anything. The purpose is to draw the viewer’s eyes across the scene, enticing them to explore further.

Texture is also a key element. After all, who doesn’t love the weathered grain of barnwood? Once you’ve captured the image, work with it in the digital darkroom to make local adjustments to contrast, clarity and sharpness. You’ll be surprised how the fissured grain pops from the image.

TIP: Subjects with texture and patterns are good choices for monochrome conversions.

‘Dodge’ and ‘Burn’

Ansel Adams experimented with “dodging” (lightening) and “burning” (darkening) elements of a print. He did this under an enlarger by waving carefully cut cardboard over certain areas, but we have the luxury of sophisticated computer software. If we don’t like the result, we simply back up and try again.

My tools of the trade are Adobe products—Photoshop, Lightroom and Bridge—which I regularly use to highlight or subdue portions of an image—in both color and black-and-white photography.

The examples below are of a potter I met in the High Atlas, Morocco. While I loved the ocher tones of the original color version, I wondered what it would look like in black-and-white. The straight conversion needed help, because it didn’t highlight the subject as the focal point. By burning the background and gently dodging specular highlights, I was able to separate him from his surroundings, drawing the viewer’s eye to the detail of his skin, as well as his weathered hands working the clay, and increase the scene’s perceived depth-of-field.

TIP: The dodge-and-burn technique can be used to highlight or darken areas of an image. 

Shoot-out at High Noon

The “magic hours”—the 30 minutes that bookend sunrise and sunset—are ideal for capturing vivid color.

Others might put their cameras away at midday, but using monochrome reveals a new realm of opportunity for those who want to keep shooting. Contrast from the harsh shadows created at midday can add dimension. Vivid colors that lose their luster as the sun hits high noon become a creative canvas in the digital darkroom. But, be warned, my friends: This won’t make up for a poorly composed or exposed image.

Working with the black-and-white “color” mixer slide bars, you’ll find that even in monochrome, you can drastically change the appearance. Sliding the blue bar to the left will darken a blue sky. Moving it to the far right will make it appear nearly white. Pretty cool, eh?

Having said this, I suggest you keep an eye on the histogram. Make sure the blacks (left side) and whites (right side) are tapering down to near nil and that the middle 90 percent looks like the back of a camel; that is, a predominant hump somewhere on the X-axis. If the camel’s hump butts up against either side, there’ll be little or no detail in those portions of the frame.

TIP: Rendering an image in black and white can compensate for difficult lighting. 

RAW vs. JPEG

I’m often asked if you should shoot in .jpg or RAW format. By all means, shoot in RAW and in the largest file size available. The reason is that when working in RAW, adjustments won’t permanently affect the file. They’re merely a set of instructions on how the photograph should be displayed in a program that recognizes them. When you’re happy with the look, the image then needs to be exported to your chosen format (.jpg or TIFF) for publication or sharing.

Tip: Shoot in your camera’s largest file setting and in RAW format.

‘Schindler’s Effect’

Playing with a combination of the color mixer, brush and saturation tools, you can isolate a specific area. Steven Spielberg did a remarkable job of this with the little girl wearing a red coat in the movie, Schindler’s List, but you can do it in the digital darkroom. Experiment via Lightroom or Bridge, desaturating areas you want to be monochrome and leaving the subject alone. I like the effect, but I use it sparingly. (You can also accomplish this in Photoshop using layer masks, but that’s a topic for another “Viewfinder.”)

TIP: Working with brush and desaturation tools can isolate the subject from its surroundings.

Final Frame

That 9-year-old kid (me) eventually secured a paper route and moved up to color film and a 35mm camera. Nevertheless, as I developed my photographic skills, I didn’t forget the lessons learned by observing the masters. Black-and-white photography, as is the case with any creative pursuit, is about personal style. I was wearing a grungy safari hat and “pockety” cargo pants long before it became “overland vogue”—but that’s just my style. Pick yours, embrace it, experiment in the digital darkroom, and share with friends. If they say, “That should be in National Geographic!” you’ve learned well, young grasshopper.