bobgreen Loc: Maryland

I'm appreciating black and white photography more and more . I have never shot monochrome ( I believe that's the correct term). I'd greatly appreciate suggestions , hints, and guidance from this very experienced group. I know it isn't as simple as removing color from photographs. I'm curious if using in-camera settings is the way to go. By the way, I shoot with a Nikon D7100.

Thanks!

SS319

If you look in the bag of a monochrome photographer, you will invariably see a kit with many, many single colored and graduated color filters to control the relationship between colors. these filters are necessary whether applied in camera, in your RAW converter, or in Paintshop Pro or Photoshop. I believe I would continue to shoot in RAW and then you can adjust your filter pack in RAW or post to obtain the balance you are looking for. A lot of the technique of B&W is selection of paper hardness as well The difference between matt, lustre, gloss, pearl, or metallic is more important in B&W than it is in color photography.

One example: Shoot your girlfriend (we won't tell your wife) with her bright red sweater and lipstick to match and use a red filter and you will find her green eyes are very dark and her lipstick and sweater are a shade of white - not very flattering - do it in the camera body and it will be hard to recover.

johnlandon Loc: Rangpur, Bangladesh

Is Black and White concept can be helpful for product photography?

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

I believe in-camera settings is the way to go. By the way, I’m shooting 35mm Adox CMS 20 II and 120 Ilford Pan F.

Leicaflex Loc: Cymru

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Yes, johnlandon, monochrome can be useful for some product, food, travel and fashion photography.

Linda From Maine Loc: Yakima, Washington

If using a digital camera, shoot in raw and edit the color file using b&w software, such as Nik Silver Efex. There are many tutorials, books and tips on b&w processing.

To see in black and white - to shoot a subject or scene specifically for b&w conversion, is just as hard as refining the editing. Black and white photography is much more than just removal of color. Read books and articles that talk about shooting for texture, form, lines, contrasts, light & shadow.

Find inspiration from own Ian Barber:
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?usernum=13173

https://www.ianbarberphotography.co.uk/

As mentioned above re filters, if you decide to shoot b&w jpg's check your camera's style settings for the "color filter" options: applying the in-camera red filter will make a blue sky much darker. Using the green virtual filter will lighten trees and grass. There may be other choices re contrast etc. Ideally, though: shoot a raw file of a pre-visualized monochrome composition, then complete your vision in a robust editor

via the lens Loc: Northern California, near Yosemite NP

One option, especially in the beginning in order to "see" in BW, is to shoot RAW and JPEG BW. However, using the RAW and converting it to BW will give you the most leeway in developing. The jpeg will let you look at the composition on the back of your camera so that you can study what you are doing and see if the shot works out for you. Seeing in BW is different than seeing in colors, it is more about tonal quality in some ways. I would not think you would need to continue to do this, however, after a couple of BW shooting sessions.

srt101fan

Could you please elaborate on why you think in-camera settings for b&w are better. Seems like some here advocate shooting RAW and converting to b&w in PP.

RWR Loc: La Mesa, CA

The camera’s shutter is more accurate than removing and quickly replacing the lens cap.

Joe Blow

1) Shoot RAW, in color. That allows processing in post. Forget colored filters, the only filter you may want to use is a Circular Polarizer (CP) filter or maybe a neutral density (ND) filter.

Color is all the various light wave frequencies reflected. In B&W you remove those various light waves and just use the intensity. In post, when you convert a color photo to B&W, you are just removing the various light wave frequency intensity and keeping the light intensity.

With film, the red wave lengths were usually harder to capture chemically. So most B&W photographers would add a red filter to reduce the green and blue wave lengths. (That is also why red lights were used in B&W dark rooms.) Film also used a lot of other filters to reduce ultra-violet, haze, etc. That is not required with digital photography. Digital sensors catch all wave lengths equally and the camera processor removes unwanted UV, etc.

2) Shoot simple. Since B&W can't use color to differentiate elements in your photo, each element must stand on its own. Use as few elements as possible and make each stand out. B&W is much more favorable to textures, lines, silhouettes, and side lighting.

3) I suggest searching the internet on shooting B&W. There are hundreds of people smarter than I offering ideas with samples. There is no one trick to B&W with all others being wrong. Many things I think wouldn't work, someone else will make it work. Get ideas from others and try to make them work your way. Experiment and play in post.

Good luck and show us what you've done.

JohnSwanda Loc: San Francisco

If you use in camera settings to shoot monochrome, or shoot monochrome with filters on the lens, you give up the ability to decide later which filter is best. For instance, filters to darken the sky in order of strength are yellow, orange, and red. If you choose one, you may realize after it is shot that one of the others would be better. Shooting RAW and converting to B&W in post processing allows you to keep all your options open. And that isn't as easy as removing the color (desaturate). There are numerous ways to do the B&W conversion in various image editors which you could Google.

srt101fan

I assume you are responding to the OP but you answered my question as well. Thank you for that!

Joe Blow

Here are some samples posted by tommystrat showing what I mean by keeping it simple.
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-509893-1.html

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

No, do not do it in-camera, you'll be limited to jpegs. Shoot in raw and convert in post, were the full latitude will be available to you!