Some feature rough, heavy surfaces, while others are intensely smooth. If you think about the elements that often appear in B&W landscape photos – cliffs, rocks, grass, trees, mountains, and oceans, along with human-made objects like piers, jetties, and old barns – you’ll notice that they all have distinct textures. Texture (and contrast between textures) looks great, too. In black and white, however, that’s not an option, and it becomes all about the tones. While color photographers may pursue scenes without tonal contrast, they can rely on changes in color to differentiate key elements. Tones don’t separate out, key elements fade into one another, and the composition loses impact. The alternative – low tonal contrast scenes, where the entire shot is covered with, say, midtones – tends to look very mushy and flat. Take the photo below as an example the jetties are dark and the sky is much lighter. Tonal contrast describes variations in brightness between different parts of the image. The answers will teach you a lot about black and white photography and will help you understand which elements and scenes really lend themselves to a monochrome treatment. When you look at the work of B&W landscape shooters, ask yourself: What makes their black and white landscape photos so powerful? What light do they use? What photographic techniques (e.g., long exposure) do they employ? How do they approach composition? Some names to search for include Cole Thompson, Rob Dweck, Arnaud Bertrande, Thibault Roland, Joel Tjintjelaar, and Nathan Wirth. You might also check out Harry Callahan (if you’re interested in more intimate landscape shots) as well as Wynn Bullock (who captured wonderfully atmospheric photos).Īlso, look at what modern-day photographers are doing on Instagram and 500px. I recommend starting with Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, who shot predominantly in black and white and whose work is closely aligned with contemporary landscape aesthetics. Do what you can to see in black and white so that you quickly recognize eye-catching geometry, impressive textures, and more.įor example, this photo works well in black and white because of the tonal contrast between the twin waterfalls and the dark rocks, not to mention the balanced geometry (two twin rectangles of light on an all-black background): When you approach a scene, try to ignore interesting colors. In other words, instead of just chasing great light, you need to learn to look for the building blocks of photographic composition: leading lines, shapes, patterns, tonal contrast, and texture. And unless you can really master this technical skill, you’ll struggle to produce compelling images. Yes, light matters, but composition matters, too. Without color, you can’t rely on pure color and light you have to captivate the viewer by creating strong compositions. (That’s why so many color landscape shots are taken during the golden hour or just after sunset.)īut black and white landscape photography is very, very different. In fact, to capture good color landscape photos, you often need to just find a dramatic scene and photograph it in beautiful light. When shooting in color, you can rely on the strength of bright greens, stunning yellows, and smoldering reds to create drama and interest. So if you’re ready to capture black and white shots like the pros, then let’s get started! 1.
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