1. You need to know which themes are most suitable for monochrome.
The first rule of photography is to pay attention to the surrounding environment. High-quality lens photos can be obtained through repeated experiments. To successfully shoot monochrome scenes, you need to practice and listen to the environment, which will tell you how to best convey the theme of the picture.
Natural monochrome exists in everyday environment. Look around, you will see the blue ocean against the light blue sky, or the red flowers against the bright orange light in the sunset. When you start trying to take natural monochrome images, your brain will subconsciously look for these patterns in the real world. For grayscale shooting, it is very useful to explore areas with dramatic lighting, unusual shapes, reflective surfaces and interesting textures. These details will be emphasized as much as possible in the picture. Because of the connection with the past, black and white images are usually associated with worn-out things or structures. In addition, portraits of old people with wrinkles, wrinkles and other signs of aging have more visual impact in black and white photos.
2. Monochrome silhouette looks good.
Silhouettes are very popular in photography. These images look simple, but their beauty lies in that they provide a story that anyone can fantasize about.
You only need a strong light source and an interesting object with recognizable shape to create an eye-catching outline. Because of the contrast, the outline is very prominent, emphasizing the shape of the object. Therefore, when looking at such an image, attention will first rush to the main object in the picture, and scenes such as sunset or silhouettes can be shot in monochrome, with good results.
3. always take photos in RAW format
Although RAW is a good technology for monochrome shooting, it can be applied to any style of photography. RAW format files are high-quality images and can be stored better than JPEG.
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Format shooting provides more choices for you to process images in post-processing and can ensure that you save as much information as possible in the file. Therefore, in order to create monochrome effects in post-production, it is particularly important to have RAW files.
Many cameras have built-in monochrome photography simulation when shooting in RAW format, so you can see the effect after editing the image. However, most photographers prefer post-processing (in Lightroom or
Photoshop) adjust the monochrome mode by yourself, but give priority to personal choice.
4. Use a slower shutter speed to shoot more complex monochrome images.
Exposing photos for a long time is very suitable for increasing enthusiasm by adding motion to monochrome images. Try using shutter speed and camera settings to create a powerful visual effect, not just relying on light. Moving elements such as running water, pedestrians, clouds and vegetation add drama to the image and can be captured in many ways.
5. Use filters to achieve amazing results.
Filters are a good way to test the visual effect of images and realize their monochrome potential. Such as a polarize or a graded ND.
Filters can be used to create a certain dramatic atmosphere in the whole image. Of course, you can also use color filters when shooting, because color filters are very useful for building monochrome photos.
Step 6: Compare and try.
Although you can't use different colors to enhance the appeal of monochrome images, you can choose a very good tool-contrast. Therefore, it is very important to emphasize the lines and shapes of objects to effectively convey their characteristics. One of the most reliable methods is to use contrast elements.
In order to attract the audience's attention, it is useful to stretch the histogram as much as possible and increase the contrast (brighten the highlights and darken the shadows), which adds visual weight to a certain area of the image.
7. Look for textures and patterns to increase interest in monochrome photography.
Color photos use bright colors to bring images to life, while monochrome photos use shadows, bright highlights, textures, lines and patterns to attract attention. For example, in the dark background of desolate streets, the messy lines and patterns of falling snow add depth elements.
8. Don't pay too much attention to color
Try not to pay too much attention to color when trying monochrome photography. An effective monochrome photo does not necessarily contain many elements with the same shadow. On the contrary, it is an image with as many different shadows of the same color as possible.
Every color has thousands of possible shades. A completely win-win monochrome strategy is to determine a single focus color, and its various tones are scattered among many elements of the picture. It doesn't matter if some elements slightly violate the monochromatic law.
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Whether you are a novice or an experienced photographer, the most important thing in shooting is patience and practice. Creating perfect monochrome photos is not an easy task, so don't expect to do it the first time, try to make practice perfect.