Contrast for good black & whites
Friday, September 9, 2011 at 9:00AM
When specifically looking to make a good black and white image, I look for areas of high contrast. Especially areas with some very dark darks and very light lights...but not so much that you can't see the detail.
The photo above is actually a stairwell inside the gift shop at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings in CO. The bright sun was hitting the dimly lit stairs creating the pattern you see. I took this with my Holga using 400 speed black and white film.
Obviously, most people will take the photo digitally and in color. Depending on what editing software you use, there's probably an grayscale setting. Tweaking the light and dark settings will help bring out contrast and give you a nice black & white image.
But, the process starts with capturing the right image. Look for contrast, lights, darks and detail.