Something that makes me cringe a little is the needless use of black and white conversion, often paired with a ‘colour-pop’. Monochrome photography is an art form in itself, and not something to fall back on if your image doesn’t look arty enough. With this is mind, I thought I’d run through how I go about creating my black and white images.

Cameras capture images in colour, although most models have the function of capturing in black and white. I leave this well alone, as I prefer to have the control that comes with converting to black and white in post-processing. However, when I am taking photographs I will have in mind whether or not it will be a monochrome image. There are a few things I pay attention to:

• Contrast – If the image is low in contrast, the monochrome conversion will be all greys, and nothing will stand out. Look for areas of shadow and highlights, or a sharp change in texture and form.
• Shapes and Lines – A lot of striking black and white imagery is simple and bold, so try and remove anything unnecessary from the frame.
• Composition – As a follow on from the previous two, how is your eye led through the image. By this I mean, what captures your attention first, and how does your attention move through the image. Lines lead attention from one place to another, sharp contrasts will grab attention.

Seeing in black and white takes practice, and a lot of trial and error, but it’s worth the time. A few other tips:

• Always shoot in RAW, you will have much more data to work with in post-processing with uncompressed images.
• Keep a low ISO to avoid too much noise. Unless of course that’s what you’re going for, which is another option.
• Try a few long exposures – whether it be capturing people in movement, or smoothing out choppy waters.
• Don’t use the “Desaturate” button in Photoshop! Use a Black and White Adjustment layer, where you can have fine control over how the colours in the image translate to black and white. Alternatively, use software like Silver Efex Pro 2, which gives even more detailed control over the process.

All that said, sometimes you will be processing an image and you just won’t be happy with it. This happened to me the other day, with a picture of a Black Swan.

There’s nothing really wrong with this image, but I was not happy with it at all. I left it alone for a while and then came back and asked myself what I didn’t like about it. It was the colour of the water, which for me seemed sickly and detracted from the tranquility that the graceful curve of the swan projected. So I converted it to black and white using Silver Efex Pro 2, and was much happier with the outcome.

This works as a black and white image because of the contrast between the subject and background, and the graphic curve of the swans neck, mirrored in its reflection.

So, learn to see in black and white, but also stay open to the possibility that images you might not expect to look good without colour will.