Beyond Colour: The Art of Black and White Photography.

What Is Black and White Photography?

Shooting in Black and White: RAW vs. JPEG

While some cameras offer a monochrome shooting mode, the key to mastering black and white photography lies in shooting in RAW format. Even if your camera is set to display images in black and white, the RAW file retains all the original color data—giving you the flexibility to fine-tune contrast, texture, and tone during post-processing.

Some photographers choose to shoot in RAW + JPEG. This allows them to view their shots in monochrome when using Lightroom, while preserving the full-color RAW file for editing. Others prefer to shoot only in Raw and use a program like Photo Mechanic. You can quickly cull images in black and white, just as you saw them in the field. However, when you open the RAW file in Photoshop, it appears in color, ready for detailed post-processing.

These workflows offer the best of both worlds: you can view the emotion and structure of your image in black and white during review, while preserving the depth and flexibility of the RAW file for editing.

Understanding Contrast, Shadows, and Composition

Black And White for Tribal Portraiture

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2 Responses

  1. Wonderful advice, Mackay Africa. Thank you for always being so generous with your photographic advice. My skill level has definitely improved with your advice!

  2. Very well said and easy to understand. Thank you for this valuable information. Your images always inspire me.

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