I am really interested in black and white photography (mainly portraits) and would love to get tips on how to make my shots better (ie. lighting, ect). I will be doing them indoors and I don't have any professional equipment.
well im not professional with black and white but i think black and white pictures look really cool with an interesting light source or when the composition is really simple:)
I was taught many years ago that a 'true' black and white image had a spot of pure white and pure black in it somewhere... dunno if its true, but I do try and do that now, lol.
I agree with Laney too, good lighting or simple is great.
Freida thats a great tip!
I try to choose pictures that have good contrast to make black and white...cheating i know fiddling with the pic later...maybe i should try taking the pic in b&w, i might get better pics that way, ie a pure white bit and a pure black bit instead of lots of grey.
Look for contrasts would be my tip. I'm a big fan of B&W photography, and I have posted more than my fair share of monochrome pictures (including portraits). Here's a few of mine that I hope you don't mind me sharing. What you'll see is that there are lots of contrast in these pictures, and good lighting certainly helps in the quest to get good black and white photos. I used post-processing too to increase the highlights:
i agree - lighting is key! play with lots of different angles, i.e from behind, side on, light behind the camera. alot of my favourite portraits were done with house lights like the ones you have on your bedside table! it doesnt need to be complicated to be effective! alot of the big and best photographers from the past were known for only using 1 main light and the rest natural lighting!
good luck!!
Vikdaddy, those are some great shots in B&W! I love B&W photography as well, and I agree with making sure you are taking a shot with a lot of contrast in the first place. And if your camera has the option, then try taking pictures in B&W, and not just processing them afterward. That way you can see right after taking the picture if what you thought would make a good B&W worked or didn't, and then you can fix accordingly while you are still there taking pictures.
Personally I don't advise setting your camera to black and white, it's better to take it in colour and convert it to black and white on the computer (using Photoshop if you can, since it has great black and white conversion options and gradient mapping).
I find keeping a good chunk white, a good chunk black and a bit of tonal grey adds a lot of interest. I'm into high contrast black and whites like the ones Vikdaddy posted. Playing with highlights/shadows/midtones in photoshop helps you achieve this as well. I also like using the lighten shadows/darken highlights option to restore some lost details in overly dark/light areas.
Simplicity is also a good rule of thumb in black and white (and a lot of photography in general :P). Finding simple shapes with great contrast is a great start.
Tweets ahoy!
Join the Group
Pin With Me
I agree with Laney too, good lighting or simple is great.
I try to choose pictures that have good contrast to make black and white...cheating i know fiddling with the pic later...maybe i should try taking the pic in b&w, i might get better pics that way, ie a pure white bit and a pure black bit instead of lots of grey.
good luck!!
I find keeping a good chunk white, a good chunk black and a bit of tonal grey adds a lot of interest. I'm into high contrast black and whites like the ones Vikdaddy posted. Playing with highlights/shadows/midtones in photoshop helps you achieve this as well. I also like using the lighten shadows/darken highlights option to restore some lost details in overly dark/light areas.
Simplicity is also a good rule of thumb in black and white (and a lot of photography in general :P). Finding simple shapes with great contrast is a great start.