Make ‘boring’ mono images a thing of the past
and discover your inner artist
T
here are more photographers creating
black and white images now than
ever before. Producing good results is
also easier than before thanks mainly
to the convenience that digital imaging has
introduced. There’s no need to stay up all night
in your blacked-out bathroom, elbow-deep in
smelly chemicals – just turn on your computer,
open Silver Efex Pro and away you go!
So why is it that so many digitally generated
black and white images are, for want of a
better word, boring? As soon as you removecolour from an image, it ceases to be realistic,
which basically means you can throw caution
to the wind and let your creative hair down.
There’s no need to follow any so-called rules,
no need to stick with convention. You have
carte blanche to let your imagination run
riot. Yet many of us seem to be afraid to try
anything remotely artistic – until now that is!
It’s time to turn over a new creative leaf and
find the artist lurking deep inside you. Over the
next few pages, we will explain how you can
do this.There are many ways to turn an average
black and white image into a monochrome
masterpiece, from the way you compose the
shot and the light you shoot in, to the way you
expose the image and ultimately how you edit
it. There are also many shooting techniques to
consider, from intentional camera movement
and recording motion to creative use of depth
of field, defocusing and the digital equivalent
of traditional analogue techniques, such
as pinhole and toy camera photography.
Remember to experiment to find your style.