I’ve been a landscape photographer for many years now, but the beauty of monochrome photography has always impressed me in a big way. It conveys so many things – it’s simple, elegant, conveys moodiness, sophistication and I love the way it captures the urban landscape. So, I took on a project producing a series of architectural abstracts for a large art company in North America. As far as home and office décor goes – black is definitely back.  And now I’m hooked on black and white photography. Photography isn’t just about making photographs; it’s about choosing a life of curiosity, exploration, and wonder, immersing yourself in the world around you. So, with this in mind, I want to share with you my adventure into monochrome abstract photography.

Tip #1: Shoot in RAW

I like to shoot my photos in RAW color and then bring them into Photoshop to create my black and white images. By shooting in RAW color, you’ll be able to have more image data to work with later for both color and monochrome photos. This photo was taken with a 70-200mm lens; in AV mode; at f/18 with a ISO setting of 800; 1/125 sec.

Tip #2: Visualize in black and white, look for lines, shadows, and shapes.

Monochrome photography works best when you have a strong primary element in the image, one that captures and holds attention. I find myself constantly searching for shapes and patterns, capturing the light in such a way as to bring a new realm into my photo images. This photo was taken with a 70-200mm lens; in AV mode; at f/13 with an ISO setting of 640; 1/200 sec.

Tip #3: Give your photo the Nik Silver Efex Pro 3 Effect

I love the new Nik filter Collection by DxO. The new Nik Silver Efex Pro 3 plug-in is a black-and-white conversion tool that produces a wonderful array of black and white effects without much fuss. You can either use the selection of presets or manually tune your images in a variety of ways. I use the Silver Efex Pro 3 as a Photoshop plug-in, but you can also use it as a standalone app. It doesn’t support Raw files, so I generally use Photoshop Camera Raw to tweak the images before applying any other filters to the image. This photo was taken with a 24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/10 with a ISO setting of 400; 1/80 sec.

Tip #4: Look for contrast & tonal range

In my experience, the best black and white photos usually have a nice highlight and shadow near black. This increases the contrast to give the image a bit of punch to it. Also try to capture a scene with a wide variety of tones. This photo was taken with a 16-35mm lens; in AV mode; at f/10 with an ISO setting of 160; 1/30 sec.

Tip #5: Watch for texture, lines & angles

Textures, lines, and angles increase drama in monochrome photography. Try to get good side light when looking to accentuate textures. A compelling subject with great texture and details makes for a great black and white image.  This photo was taken with a 24-105mm lens; in AV mode; at f/16 with an ISO setting of 100; 1/100 sec.

Tip #6: B&W photo is all about good lighting

Monochrome photography is all about utilizing differing amounts of light instead of different colors to capture and represent images. I like to shoot at sunrise or sunset to capture natural lighting at the right angle. The entire image is recorded and represented by differing amounts of light instead of different hues. Monochrome images represent subjects in varying shades of neutral gray. This photo was taken with a Canon S110 point & shoot camera lying on the floor; at f/2 with a ISO setting of 640; 1/30 sec.

Tip #7: Shoot in HDR

I’ve also started experimenting with the Nik HDR filters which adds a nice element. HDR is great for black and white photography because it exaggerates the dynamic range and edges. This photo was taken with an EF-16-35mm lens; in AV mode; at f/14 with a ISO setting of 100; 1/50 sec.

CONCLUSION

Practice taking photos with these tips and eventually you’ll find yourself naturally applying those that fit your composition style. Do you have any questions? If so, feel free to ask them in the comments section of our website.

We hope you enjoyed our abstract monochrome tips and will stay in touch with us.

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