Black and White Photography
Written by Abin Alex and Anu Joseph.
Abstract
Black and white photography removes colour so that light, shape, texture and tone carry the picture. Each colour becomes a grey, and the grey depends on how bright that colour is, with green counting most and blue least. This guide explains why to shoot without colour, how colours turn into greys, the effect of coloured filters, and the choice between in-camera monochrome and later conversion. It also covers tone and contrast, toning and duotone, and black and white in cinematography. It advises keeping the colour file, since colour can be removed later but not restored.
Keywords: black and white photography; monochrome; colour filters; tone; contrast
Why shoot in black and white?
Short answer. Without colour the viewer sees light, shape, texture and tone more clearly. Black and white puts the attention on the structure of the picture.
- Colour can distract. Remove it and the eye reads the lines, the shapes and the light.
- Black and white suits strong light, texture, patterns, faces and moments where the mood matters more than the colour.
- It can hide a messy colour scheme, but it does not hide weak light. A flat grey picture is still flat.
- It is a way to learn. Judging an image in tones, without colour, trains the eye to see light.
- The first photographs were black and white, so the look also carries history (Peres, 2013).
A busy street with clashing signs works better in black and white. The viewer sees the faces and the light, not the competing colours.
A film in black and white can be a choice of style. The cinematographer lights for tone and shape, since colour will not separate the actors from the set.
Cham tipAsk what the picture is about. If it is light, shape or mood, try black and white.
Cham taskConvert one colour portrait to black and white and write what you gain and lose.
Check yourself: What does black and white put forward?
Light, shape, texture and tone.
How does a colour become a grey?
Short answer. Each colour becomes a grey of about the same brightness. In video standards the grey is a weighted sum of red, green and blue, with green counting most and blue least (ITU-R, 2015).
- The weights in the Rec. 709 standard are about 0.21 for red, 0.72 for green and 0.07 for blue (ITU-R, 2015).
- So a green and a blue of equal strength turn into very different greys. The green is much lighter.
- Two colours with very different hues can turn into almost the same grey. The picture then looks flat in black and white.
- Check this early. Desaturate a copy of a colour picture to see which colours will merge.
- Different software uses different weights. You can change them with the black and white mix sliders in editing software.
A red flower against green leaves can turn into one flat grey. Raise the red slider in the black and white mix and lower the green slider to pull them apart.
A colourist working on a black and white grade starts from the colour picture. The mix of the channels is the first creative choice.
Cham tipBefore you shoot, ask if the main colours will become different greys. If not, change the light or the angle.
Cham taskDesaturate three colour pictures. Note the pairs of colours that merge.
Check yourself: Which colour counts most in a grey conversion?
Green.
What do coloured filters do in black and white?
Short answer. A coloured filter lightens its own colour and darkens the opposite colour. A red filter darkens a blue sky, an orange filter lightens skin and a green filter lightens leaves (Adams, 1981).
- The filter passes light of its own colour and holds back light of other colours. In black and white its own colour goes lighter and the opposite goes darker (Adams, 1981).
- Yellow darkens a blue sky a little and shows the clouds.
- Orange darkens the sky more and brightens warm skin tones.
- Red darkens a blue sky strongly and gives a dramatic look. Skin goes pale and blemishes fade.
- Green lightens leaves and darkens red lips and skin.
- Digital cameras have this as a filter effect in the Monochrome style, and editing software has it in the black and white mix (Canon Inc., n.d.). A glass filter must be on the lens when you shoot.
| Filter | Sky | Skin and warm colours | Foliage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow | Slightly darker | Little change | Slightly lighter |
| Orange | Darker | Lighter | Little change |
| Red | Much darker | Pale | Darker |
| Green | Lighter | Darker lips and skin | Lighter |
Table 1. How common filters change tones in black and white (Adams, 1981).
For a dramatic sky with clouds choose a red filter effect. For a gentle portrait choose orange or none.
A cinematographer may put a coloured filter on the lens of a black and white camera to darken the sky or separate clothes from the set.
Cham tipChoose the filter by the colour you want to darken. That colour is its opposite.
Cham taskShoot a landscape with a blue sky with no filter, then an orange and a red effect. Compare the skies.
Check yourself: What does a red filter do to a blue sky in black and white?
It makes it much darker.
Should I shoot monochrome in the camera or convert later?
Short answer. Shoot RAW in colour when you can and convert later, so the colour data is kept. Use the in-camera Monochrome style as a viewing aid.
- If you shoot RAW and convert later, you can choose the filter effect, the contrast and the grey mix after the shoot.
- The in-camera Monochrome style gives a black and white JPEG and preview. On many cameras the RAW file keeps its colour, but check your manual.
- Each maker has its own name. Canon has a Monochrome Picture Style (Canon Inc., n.d.), Nikon has a Monochrome Picture Control (Nikon Corporation, n.d.), Sony has the BW Creative Look (Sony Corporation, n.d.), and Fujifilm has Acros and Monochrome Film Simulations (Fujifilm Corporation, n.d.).
- A black and white JPEG cannot get its colour back. Shoot RAW and JPEG together if you want both.
- In editing software use the black and white mix. It has a slider for each colour range, so you can lighten or darken each colour on its own.
- Add contrast after the conversion. A picture that looks soft in black and white often needs more contrast than the colour version.
Set the camera to Monochrome with RAW and JPEG. You see black and white while shooting, and you still have colour for later.
A monitor LUT shows black and white to the DOP while the camera records colour. The final grade makes the finished look.
Cham tipKeep the colour file. You can always remove colour later, but you cannot add it back.
Cham taskShoot a scene in RAW and JPEG with Monochrome on. Convert the RAW file with two different mixes.
Check yourself: Why keep a colour RAW file?
Colour can be removed later, but a black and white file cannot get it back.
How do I control tone and contrast?
Short answer. In black and white, tone is everything. Use the range from deep black to clean white, place the important parts in the middle tones and use light to separate them. Ansel Adams’ zone system describes this range (Adams, 1981).
- A strong black and white picture usually has a true black, a clean white and rich tones between them. Check it with the histogram.
- Light direction decides texture. Side light shows surface detail. Flat front light hides it.
- Separate the subject from the background by tone, such as a light face against a dark wall.
- The zone system divides the range into numbered zones, from pure black to pure white, each one stop apart (Adams, 1981). See the dynamic range guide.
- Expose for the highlights and check the histogram, because lost highlights cannot be recovered.
Photograph a face with window light from the side. The shadow side holds the shape and the pale side holds the detail.
A DOP uses light and shadow to separate an actor from the background when colour cannot do it.
Cham tipSeparate things by tone, since you have no colour to do it.
Cham taskTake one scene with strong light. Convert it and check that there is both a black and a white.
Check yourself: What separates a subject from the background in black and white?
Tone, the difference in light and dark.
What are toning and duotone?
Short answer. Toning adds a single colour to a black and white picture, for example sepia or blue. Duotone prints a grey picture with two inks to give a richer tone.
- Sepia gives a warm brown and blue gives a cool tone. Cameras with a Monochrome style often offer a few toning options (Canon Inc., n.d.).
- Duotone is a Photoshop mode that prints a grayscale picture with one to four inks.
- Keep the toning light. A strong colour turns a black and white picture into a coloured one.
- For print, a black and white file needs the right paper. Matte and gloss papers give different blacks.
- Check the picture on a calibrated screen and in print before you deliver.
A light sepia tone suits an old family portrait. Keep the whites clean so the picture still looks black and white.
A film may use a tinted black and white for a flashback, so the audience feels the time change without a caption.
Cham tipTone with a light hand. If it looks coloured, it is too much.
Cham taskTone one picture in sepia at three strengths. Choose the one that still reads as black and white.
Check yourself: What is toning?
Adding a single colour to a black and white picture.
How do cinematographers shoot black and white?
Short answer. Cinematographers shoot black and white on monochrome stock or on a colour camera and remove the colour in the grade. They use light, coloured filters and the grade to control tone.
- Plan the colours of costume and set so that they turn into different greys, not the same one.
- Light for shape and separation. With no colour, light must separate the actor from the set.
- Coloured filters on the lens, or the channel mix in the grade, change how the colours turn to grey.
- Many modern black and white films are shot in colour and converted in the grade. This keeps all the choices open.
- Test the costume, makeup and set on camera in black and white before the shoot. Colours that look different to the eye can match in grey.
If you shoot video as well as photographs, shoot in colour and convert later. Test the costumes first, as you would in a film.
A costume and makeup test on camera in black and white shows quickly which colours merge, so changes can be made before the shoot day.
Cham tipTest before you shoot. A colour that looks different to your eye can turn into the same grey.
Cham taskPlan a one-minute black and white scene. List the costumes and sets and predict the grey of each.
Check yourself: Why test costumes for black and white?
Different colours can turn into the same grey and look flat.
Questions beginners ask
Why do some colours look the same in black and white?
Different colours can have the same brightness, and a black and white picture shows only brightness. A red and a green can turn into the same grey.
Which filter darkens a blue sky in black and white?
A red filter darkens it strongly. Orange darkens it moderately and yellow slightly.
Should I shoot RAW for black and white?
Yes. RAW keeps the colour, so you can set the grey mix and filter effects later.
What is the zone system?
Ansel Adams’ method of dividing the tone range into zones, from pure black to pure white, each one stop apart, to plan exposure and development.
How do I make a black and white picture more dramatic?
Raise the contrast, use side light, darken the sky with a red or orange filter effect and keep a true black and a clean white.
What is toning in black and white photography?
Adding a single colour, such as sepia or blue, to a black and white picture.
References
- Adams, A. (1981) The Negative. Boston: New York Graphic Society.
- Canon Inc. (n.d.) Picture Style: Monochrome. Canon Global. global.canon/en/imaging/picturestyle/style/monochrome.html (Accessed 31 October 2026).
- Fujifilm Corporation (n.d.) Film Simulation. FUJIFILM X Series. fujifilm-x.com/ro-ro/?p=10589 (Accessed 31 October 2026).
- ITU-R (2015) Recommendation ITU-R BT.709-6: Parameter values for the HDTV standards for production and international programme exchange. Geneva: International Telecommunication Union.
- Nikon Corporation (n.d.) Picture Controls. D850 Digitutor. imaging.nikon.com/support/digitutor/d850/functions/picturecontrol.html (Accessed 31 October 2026).
- Peres, M.R. (ed.) (2013) The Focal Encyclopedia of Photography. 4th edn. Abingdon: Focal Press.
- Sony Corporation (n.d.) Creative Look (still image/movie). Help Guide, Interchangeable Lens Digital Camera. helpguide.sony.net/ilc/2430/v1/en/contents/0411B_creative_look.html (Accessed 31 October 2026).
How to cite this guide. Alex, A., & Joseph, A. (2026). Black and white photography: A guide for photographers and cinematographers. Creative Hut Academy. https://creativehut.org/library/black-and-white-photography/
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