In classes and conferences, I’m often asked about settings for making black and white portraits. The question goes something like this, “I’m sure it’s different for every picture, but can you tell us how to make black and whites?” The answer is, “Yes, and, actually, it’s not different for every
There’s a simple tool for making your black and white portraits look great with little or no retouching. It’s called a color filter. We often retouch things like pimples and redness or uneven skin tones, and these things can take a lot of time on each portrait. But when you
Simplifying a photograph by making it in black and white allows you to create a completely different photograph, and it’s really fun. Crafting your black and whites requires that you take control of the color. Colors converted to black and white are represented by tones–shades of black, white, and grey–and
Possibly the greatest feature of mirrorless cameras is that they can show you exactly how your picture will appear before you press the shutter (see this column). You should leverage this unique ability to truly see the world in black and white. Set the camera to Monochrome mode, choose the
Mirrorless cameras’ greatest advantage is the fact that there is no separation between what the sensor records and what you see in the viewfinder. Seeing exactly what your picture will look like before you even press the shutter button is an incredibly powerful way to shoot. Personally, I now shoot
