Black and white portrait photography course

Lead: Color dominates almost all fields of vision. Why are black and white photos still so popular in photography? Because the power of classics can't be ignored! Here we will teach you how to look at the world with black and white eyes and shoot classic black and white portraits.

0 1 See the world in black and white and monochrome.

Many photographers like black and white tones very much, because there is no color, and people who appreciate photos will pay more attention to the composition and light in this photo. Seeing the black-and-white world means observing the light and structure of this world: observing how people and objects are illuminated by light, and finding out under what lighting effect and composition people or objects can stand out, or how people or objects blend into the environment.

Look for highlights and shadows

All colors are converted into gray shadows, so you should carefully consider how colors highlight the contrast effect of objects. For example, a lemon will stand out among a bunch of oranges, but how can it stand out if the color is removed? The answer is: we are looking for the contrast between highlights and shadows.

Find the contrast between the subject and the background.

03 brightness difference between subject and background

To conquer portraits, we must grasp two basic elements: subject and background. In color photos, people only need to find a blue background wall or a bunch of bright flowers to make people stand out from the background. But in black and white photography, it depends on the brightness of the subject and background. For example, your protagonist is standing in the shade of a tree with flowers in the sun as the background, which means that people are the foreground and flowers will be very bright as the background.

Obviously, if the subject is placed in the sun and the background flowers are placed in the shade, the effect of shooting at this time is that the background light will appear very dark. So there are more things to consider: at the same time, we should consider the distribution of light, the ratio of foreground and background in the picture, and how to solve the problems of highlights and shadows.

Keep a keen eye

There are several basic principles to keep in mind when shooting portraits, whether in color or black and white. First of all, the most important thing to pay attention to is the eyes of the characters, and always pay attention to whether the eyes of the characters are clear. Secondly, when shooting portraits with the trisection method, the eyes of the characters can be at the intersection of the trisection lines, so the composition is more conventional.

Shooting in black and white tones makes your baby's eyes look more vivid and agile.

Tip: How to set the camera to shoot in black and white tones?

Using the camera's monochrome mode to shoot can help you take black-and-white photos directly.

0 1 shooting in RAW format.

RAW format files can record color information completely, and cannot be changed without parameters. After fine-tuning, the color of the photo can still be maintained. After shooting, you can use Adobe Camera Raw or Lightroom for processing.

02 conversion monochrome mode

Most digital cameras have monochrome mode settings. In Nikon cameras, where is this setting? Set the best calibration? Under the menu, where is the Canon camera? Color style? You can find it in the menu. Your camera screen will directly show the effect of monochrome tone.

03 detailed settings

There are several fine-tuning options in monochrome settings that can improve the skin color of the subject. In addition to adjusting brightness and contrast, you can also find options for color filters. They act like filters superimposed on the front of the camera and will help you change the color and brightness of the scene.