when a person thinks they have no options, they say, “it’s black & white”. but in photography, that couldn’t be further from the truth. not all black & white images are created equal! the name suggests that the image will contain true black and pure white – yet most simple conversion methods produce dull images made up of grey, grey and grey (i refuse to reference 50 shades, haha). To demonstrate this, here are some sample conversions:

(click this image for a larger-size popup)

some of these methods produce pleasing and dynamically rich images with impact and mood, while others deliver a muddy and tonally dull version which detracts from the subject and is visually boring. and some go a little overboard! lol

developing a pleasing black and white image from a colour original takes a measure of artistic skill to ensure the result has a good mix of tones and the treatment suits the subject matter. some images look their best with a strong contrasty mix, and others are enhanced with a soft blend across a narrow range of tones. a technically good colour image can be totally ruined by an inappropriate or unskilled conversion – which is why i provide complimentary hand-adjusted black & white versions of every digital image purchased, so that my clients’ images will always look their best whether they display a colour version or a monochrome one.

if you are a photographer or hobbyist and you are interested in learning how to improve your black & white image processing, feel free to enquire about my photoshop and lightroom tuition 🙂