When talking about macro photography, most people don’t think of black and white macro photography as the first thing. However, there are a lot of subjects that look great in black and white when shot up close. Furthermore, with a few tips and tricks, you can make a lot of things look great in black and white.
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Tip 1: Find Tonal Contrast
Tonal contrast is important when converting an image to black and white. The same is true when it comes to macro images. If you can include both shadows and highlights in your image, using the full color range of the histogram, chances are it can turn out to be a great black and white macro photo. So pay attention to where you have the shadow in the frame and how it balances out the highlights. So if you have a dark subject, look for a brighter background or environment.
Tip 2: Use natural light
Use soft natural light in macro photography will get you a great look, even if you remove the color by converting it to a black and white image. Soft light allows you to use the entire tonal range as mentioned above from light to dark, without missing tones in the middle. chart. Use front light to get an even and well-lit subject, and use side light for a more dramatic look. You get the best natural light by shooting during the golden hours when the sun rises or sets, creating a nice soft light for your macro shots.
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Tip 3: Capture textures
Black and white macros are ideal for rendering your subject’s textures. In macro photography, you are close enough to make that happen. By using side lighting you can enhance the texture because small shadows will appear in the small cracks or pockets in the surface texture.
Tip 4: Use a complementary color background for great BW contrast
Use color theory beneficial to you. By choosing a background with a color that complements your subject, you can create contrast in your black and white macro photography. For example, if you find a red beetle, try to position to get a green background to get the best contrast in the black and white image.
Tip 5: Simplify the layout
Too many elements in the frame will confuse viewers when they look at your black and white macro shot. Because you remove color from your image, there’s a good chance you’ll have elements with the same gray tone, which can make it harder to tell apart. So simplifying the number of elements in your black and white macro image can really make a difference in the final result.
Tip 6: Focus on details
One way to simplify composition is to focus only on a particularly interesting part of the subject. If you decide to go very close and focus only on a part of your subject, you need to make sure that your composition still includes a wide tonal range or contrast, otherwise your black and white photos will look flat and sharp. not eye-catching.
Tip 7: Use negative space to your advantage
If your composition allows, you can add more emphasis to your main subject by allowing the background to blur using a shallow depth of field, or include a non-busy background with more space for the subject. your.
Tip 8: Post-Processing: Dodge & Burn for Tone Contrast
When you get the macro image out of the camera and into the computer, decide on an image to process and convert to a black and white image. When processing images, you can enhance the way color converted to black and white. But your work doesn’t stop there.
Focus a little more on dodge and burn than usual, to help give the image depth. There’s not just one bright object on a dark or black background. Instead, make sure to shape the subject with subtle shadows and highlights to slightly emphasize the way the light wraps around your subject. More contrast isn’t always great, and you should aim for the best contrast by seeing where you need it and where you don’t.
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Tip 9: Black and white is no substitute for taking great photos
Think about what makes a great macro photo. The same rules apply to creating black and white macro images. However, the tips above are especially important for black and white macro photography.
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Epilogue
Hopefully these tips will allow you to take great black and white macro photos, no matter if you like to shoot insects or flowers or other macro photography subjects. Many of the tips presented are important for any type of black and white photography. However, they may need a few more tries to look great in macro shots. However, try and wear your best macro lens and test these tips in action.
Hey, I’m Peter. I am the owner and editor of Photography-RAW. I guarantee that you will get the best articles on photography. Personally, I prefer landscape, nature and macro photography.
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