Many believe that black and white photography is something archaic. However, black and white photography is considered one of the most interesting forms of art and more challenging than colour photography, and holds a special place in the hearts of many photographers. Black and white photography may have fallen into disfavour when colour photography entered the scene, but is once again becoming more and more popular. Its power and beauty is timeless, it has the ability to stop time and it can be turned into a real piece of artwork. If you interested in black and white photography read this article to learn what to consider when composing black and white photographs.

Black and white photography can seem dull next to the burst of colours emitted by colour photography, which creates a feeling of optimism and joy. Today, however, people are rediscovering the purity, beauty and power of black and white photography, which strips the image of the interpretive colours and has the ability to portray the timelessness, deep human emotions of pain, loss or despair.

Although the subject you are photographing is an important element of the picture, there are some other important factors to consider when shooting black and white photography. Basically, black and white photography is all about light and shadow. If you want to create stunning images, you need to learn to use these elements to compose your photos effectively and correctly. Experiment with the quality and intensity of light and try to take pictures of a subject at different times of the day and notice how light and shadow can affect the mood of the photo. For example, take a picture of a subject on a cloudy day, and then photograph the same subject on a bright day.

Respecting the tradition, Foto LARKO remains one of the last black and white photography shops left in Cyprus.


In making black and white pictures you can achieve a dramatic effect if you have as few elements as possible. For example, in black and white portraits, people come out better when they are dressed in simple, plain clothes with solid colors instead of prints. Also, the composition of black and white pictures relies heavily on lines and shapes to create interest. If you are photographing landscapes, buildings or still life, consider the shapes and shadows of the various objects and try to incorporate various shapes that create different types of lines such as curving, slanting or even strong straight lines which can have a dramatic effect and create an interesting composition.

Make sure the subject of your photo does not disappear into the background. You can reposition your subject so as to eliminate unwanted elements from the background, or you can try to take the picture from a different angle. Changing your perspective can also help you create more interesting results that suggest depth and mystery in everyday objects and make a picture tell a story.

Another important factor in black and white photography is the texture, which can add interest and give definition to a photo. For example, a worn stone with rough texture will look much more interesting than a smooth one, and a cobbled road will look more dramatic than an asphalt road.

Although colours are not represented in black and white photography, they are as important to black and white pictures as they are in colour pictures, because they affect the black gradient. For example, in colour pictures green and red create a strong contrast and look impressive next to one another; however, they will become indistinguishable in black and white photographs. So keep in mind that a black and white picture is a collection of black and white tones and that the more contrast that colours have in their grayscale values, the more interest they create.

Finally, both cameras with film and digital cameras are equally good for obtaining the original image; the difference will be made during the processing and the development of the image - the traditional black and white developing and printing film in a dark room is ideal to get the best and most properly (color) results - therefore, regardless of the type of camera you use to capture the image, it is a good idea to put the image into a digital processing program such as Photoshop, which has the tools that will allow you to manipulate the shades of the light and shadow. 

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