How To See In Black and White

Back in my college days ( almost thirty-five years ago) I was known by my instructors and my classmates alike for having the ability to 'see in black and white' through the camera viewfinder before the shutter was clicked.

What does this mean?

Simply put, I was able to see the features and elements of a black and white photograph while looking at the subject or scene in color.

Often times a photographer has to look at an image on the negative / digital file to determine if it will work as a black and white.

When you remove the color from a photo, magic can happen. A person’s expression is suddenly imbued with more meaning. A cool composition becomes more bold, more dramatic.

Here's what I find to be the key Ingredients for Black and White Images:

1. Look for Contrast: Everything in black and white photography is about contrast.

2. Wait for the right light: prominent shadows work best.

3. Shapes and Patterns: strong composition.

4. Landscapes: look for ‘active skies'.

5. People: strong expression. Removing color brings the focus to the subject and their emotion.

6. The power of Red: If there’s an object in your frame that pulls attention away from your subject due to it’s bright color, converting to b&w can help to bring the focus back where you want it.

6.5. One more quick tip of my own style for those wanting to try black and white: Tell a story. Document a moment in time.


In the dark room ( this was back in the film days ) my classmates would comment how I had a certain vision for what I was looking for with each image that I made. Little did I know back then how I was perfecting my craft for the digital age.

In other words, though film has a dynamic range more narrow than digital, many colleagues and art consultants today can't tell the difference between my film images and my digital images.

What does dynamic range mean?

The WIKI answer:

"Photographers use "dynamic range" for the luminance range of a scene being photographed, or the limits of luminance range that a given digital camera or film can capture, or the opacity range of developed film images, or the "reflectance range" of images on photographic papers."

To give you an example, here is a gallery of images which I consider to be classic black and white, often known as monochrome.

Click the link to take a peek:

Signature Monochrome Photography by Frank J Casella



Enjoy your day!

Frank J Casella
Photographer



Did you enjoy this article? Sign up for my newsletters here! For DAILY inspiration, goodness and hope right to your inbox - Free!