Visual Wilderness
  • Get Started
  • Shop
    • SPECIAL OFFERS
    • STREAMING SERVICE
    • Browse by Topic
    • Learn To Shoot
    • Post Processing
    • Online Classes
    • eBooks
    • Landscape Photography Guide
  • Blog
    • Blog
    • Guest Photographers
  • About
  • My Account
    • My Account
  • Search
  • Menu Menu
  • 0Shopping Cart
Black and white conversion

A Little Black and White Magic Please?

February 4, 2015/in Post Processing/by Denis Grenier

Converting pictures to black and white is rewarding… some pictures just scream for black and white conversion. However, it’s initially rather difficult to foresee how good a picture may look once converted to black and white.

Finding Good Candidates for Black and White Conversion

When looking at a picture in Adobe Lightroom, I often click on the black and white conversion option in the develop module. This helps me appreciate the potential of the picture. If I like what I see in Lightroom, I then use a more specialized tool such as Silver eFex Pro 2 (part of the Google/Nik Collection) for the conversion.

Long Exposure Conversion to Black and White

Black and white conversion

Long exposure conversion to Black and White are rewarding

I really like this first picture of the Terrebonne, QC watermill and its dam. What looks like a picture taken at night is in fact taken after sunrise. The sun was directly facing the right side of the building and the building’s left side was in shadow. The sky and water were mostly blue. Using a yellow filter, I darkened the sky and water to achieve this result. When I shot the image, I used a 30-second exposure and a neutral density filter. The water and sky are devoid of detail which directs attention to the sharp and nicely lit watermill.

When the sky and water take a large portion of the frame, long (30 seconds) and very long (multiples minutes) exposures generally produce great images for black and white conversion.

Black and White Conversion Enhances Texture

Black and white conversion

Black and white enhances textures.

This second image of a St. Petersburg cathedral is one of my favorite black and white conversions for other reasons. Although this image is very nice in color, the textures and details are more visible in the black and white version.  The sun was already high in the sky so there was plenty of light; however, the fine details may have been lost with even the slightest camera movement. A sturdy tripod helped ensure that all small details were preserved at the time of capture.

In the unconverted version of the same picture, texture is less apparent.  In Silver Efex Pro 2, I used the tint and intensity slider in the color filter section to make sure the texture displayed bold and crisp.

Creating an Older Look Through Black and White Conversion

Black and white conversion

Black and White create a mood.

I took this third picture on Mauna Kea with Varina Patel during the most recent photo workshop in Hawaii.  Unfortunately for Jay Patel and Patrick Cassidy, a ranger had ordered them back to the visitor center.

I positioned my tripod so the telescope would be facing the Milky Way. The silvery clouds below the horizon created a strange perspective. The color version of this picture is very nice however, in black and white, it looks older… we are accustomed to seeing old Milky Way photos in black and white.

As you can see, there are multiple reasons you may consider converting a picture to black and white: to create a mood, to enhance textures, or simply to reduce the distractions that are associated with colors. Two of the above photos were displayed at a local photography exhibition. The process of selecting, post-processing, printing, and showcasing my work is important for my personal growth. I would encourage you to do the same.

Please tell me about your own black and white conversions. Tell me the why, the how, and more importantly where I can view your work.  You can count on my honest feedback… I really enjoy looking at the creativity of photographers.

About Author Denis Grenier

I really love being outdoor hiking and taking pictures. I care about our planet and would like my picture to help influence others to take care of it. My passion in photography is showing its beauty to the largest audience possible.

Website | Facebook| Google+| Twitter

NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY NEWSLETTER

Join 45,000+ Nature Photographers and get the free eBooks, free creativity course & discount codes right in your inbox.

loader

Note: We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.

Blog | Shop | About

 Email Policy  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms

INFOCUS NEWSLETTER

Join 45,000+ other photographers and get the Free eBooks, Free Creativity Course & Discount Codes right in your inbox.


loader

Note: We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.

All Rights Reserved, © Copyright Visual Wilderness

Interview with Chamira YoungPhotography Tips for Cloudless Skies
Scroll to top

This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies.

OK

Cookie and Privacy Settings



How we use cookies

We may request cookies to be set on your device. We use cookies to let us know when you visit our websites, how you interact with us, to enrich your user experience, and to customize your relationship with our website.

Click on the different category headings to find out more. You can also change some of your preferences. Note that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience on our websites and the services we are able to offer.

Essential Website Cookies

These cookies are strictly necessary to provide you with services available through our website and to use some of its features.

Because these cookies are strictly necessary to deliver the website, refusing them will have impact how our site functions. You always can block or delete cookies by changing your browser settings and force blocking all cookies on this website. But this will always prompt you to accept/refuse cookies when revisiting our site.

We fully respect if you want to refuse cookies but to avoid asking you again and again kindly allow us to store a cookie for that. You are free to opt out any time or opt in for other cookies to get a better experience. If you refuse cookies we will remove all set cookies in our domain.

We provide you with a list of stored cookies on your computer in our domain so you can check what we stored. Due to security reasons we are not able to show or modify cookies from other domains. You can check these in your browser security settings.

Other external services

We also use different external services like Google Webfonts, Google Maps, and external Video providers. Since these providers may collect personal data like your IP address we allow you to block them here. Please be aware that this might heavily reduce the functionality and appearance of our site. Changes will take effect once you reload the page.

Google Webfont Settings:

Google Map Settings:

Google reCaptcha Settings:

Vimeo and Youtube video embeds:

Privacy Policy

You can read about our cookies and privacy settings in detail on our Privacy Policy Page.

Privacy Policy
Learn More
NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY NEWSLETTERJoin 45,000+ Nature Photographers

Unlock Your Photography Potential! Get Free Webinars, Tips, eBooks, and More Delivered Straight to Your Inbox! 📸✨

We never share your email address with anyone. More Info.

Enter your email address