So, I decided to mess around with taking some black and white pictures of the family the other day. Been seeing a lot of color photos, obviously, they’re everywhere, but sometimes they just don’t hit the same way. I was thinking, you know, black and white just feels different, maybe a bit more serious or something, gets right to the feeling of the moment.
Getting Started
First thing I did was just think about why I wanted black and white. It wasn’t about being artsy or anything. It was more about capturing moods. You know how sometimes a color photo gets distracting? Like, someone’s wearing a super bright shirt and that’s all you see? I wanted to get rid of that. Focus on faces, expressions, the connections between people.
I didn’t really plan specific shots. Just decided to keep the camera handy during a regular afternoon when everyone was just hanging out. Told myself to look for moments, not poses. The real stuff.
The Actual Shooting
I grabbed my usual camera, nothing special. For some shots, I actually switched the camera setting directly to monochrome. It helps sometimes to see it in black and white right away through the viewfinder. Other times, I just shot in regular color knowing I could change it later on the computer. Gives you options, right?
What I really paid attention to was the light. Where was it coming from? How did it fall on faces? Strong light from a window creating deep shadows, that kind of thing. Black and white really lives on that contrast between the darks and lights. Without color, that’s what gives the picture its punch. I tried to keep the backgrounds simple too, so the people stood out. Didn’t want loads of clutter back there.
- Looked for natural light sources.
- Didn’t worry too much about perfect composition, focused on the moment.
- Tried to find interesting shadows and highlights.
- Kept backgrounds relatively clean.
Sorting and Finishing Up
Afterward, I put all the photos on my computer. Had quite a few to look through. Some were duds, obviously, always happens. I wasn’t looking for technical perfection. Instead, I picked the ones that had some kind of feeling. A shared glance, a kid’s concentrated frown while playing, my wife laughing.
For the ones I shot in color, I just used a basic photo editing program to convert them. Usually just a simple ‘convert to black and white’ button. Sometimes I’d play with the sliders a bit, maybe increase the contrast to make the darks darker and the lights lighter, make the expressions pop a bit more. Didn’t go crazy with editing, though. Just enough to enhance the feel I was going for.
How It Turned Out
Honestly, I’m pretty happy with them. They feel different from our usual snaps. More timeless, maybe? Stripping away the color really does make you look at the people and the emotions differently. It felt like a good exercise, made me think more about light and shadow instead of just pointing and shooting. Definitely gonna try doing this more often. It’s a simple thing, but changes the whole vibe.
