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Colorado Adventure and Editorial Photographer

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Seeing in Black and White

December 22, 2020 • processing

During our online Creative Camera Class, we spent one day discussing black and white imagery.  Converting to black and white has benefits.  First, without the bias of color, you are forced to look for other graphic qualities like texture, shape and form.  Portraits become very raw, and it is easier to have a direct connection to the subject.  And if you wonder if a vintage look would work for your image, BW will give you the answer.

Here is a quick tip to consider during your editing in Lightroom.  One shortcut key I really like is the ‘V’ key.  Hit the ‘V’ key and your image is quickly converted to a black and white image.  Now reexamine your image in BW and see if there are qualities you might edit differently.  Shadows, highlights, contrast, texture, pattern and shape all look different in BW.  Next, hit the ‘V’ key again to return to color.  Now continue your editing in color, but with a new appreciation of graphic qualities in your image.  I frequently do this technique with my color landscape images to see if it changes how I edit my shot.  And sometime I find I might even like BW better than the color version!

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