It may seem a bit ironic to talk about using color to improve your black and white photography, but understanding the process will take your images to the next level.
Before I knew anything about photography or editing, especially using software like Photoshop or Lightroom, I always thought black and white simply meant no color in an image. I don’t know or understand the intricacies of highlights, shadows, or mids, or appreciate the importance of using contrast and texture to create more impact in black and white images. Of course, I’ve come a long way since then and enjoy going out and working with conditions that I know will benefit black and white images. But how can we use color to improve our black and white photography?
In this great video by Adrian from aows, he shows you how to use natural colors from your original images to enhance all the important aspects of black and white photography. For many beginners, they can simply set their camera to black and white, or go into their favorite post-production software and click the automatic black and white button. All is well and good, but you will lose control if you do it that way. In this video, Adrian shows you exactly how to target specific colors of an image to really add contrast and impact. He walks you through some examples from his trip to Norway, and when you see this in action, you’ll be much better equipped to improve your own black and white photography.
