Before we look at what makes a good black and white photo let us first see why we want to create black and white photos. There are so many reasons why we would create a black and white over a colour image and here are just a few. It could be that we’re looking for a certain cool and modern minimalist style. We might be going for a traditional classic photography look. There might even be times when the colour is too overwhelming or awful that we feel the need to remove it. Whatever the reason we need to understand what makes a good black and white photo so that our images look amazing.

What can colour do that Black and white can’t?

Colour is a great mood changer. It can add a sense of mood into an image that black and white just can’t do. Just look at the terminology we use when talking about colour. Warm colours, cool colours. The colour in the image doesn’t have a temperature but our brains ascribe certain feelings to certain colours. Red equates to warmth, comfort, passion etc. Blue equates to cold, loneliness, distance.

Contrasting colours can also augment areas and help to lead the eye around an image. Have a look at these 2 images of the Bugatti car grill below. In the colour image the red logo is the most important feature that your eye is drawn to. In the black and white image our eye fights between the circular logo and the triangle one.

The red colour in the Bugatti grill is what your eye is drawn to

In the black and white version, the eye is drawn towards the teal logo shape

So how can we make our Black and White photos look awesome then?

We have a number of tools at our disposal. Using a combination of these can create a very powerful image. I have listed three of the most important ones below but there are a number of others you will discover yourself.

Shape

Our eyes are normally drawn to very clear shapes. Triangles have a particular power to attract our attention but any shape will still add to what makes a good black and white photo.

In the colour image of the Bugatti dashboard and steering wheel, you can see that your eye fights for attention between the steering wheel and the blue of the car body, but with the black and white image our eye just goes straight in to the most important shape that is the logo on the steering wheel.

On the Bugatti dashboard, your eye fights for attention between the blue body and the yellow wood

In this black and white version, the background blue doesn’t distract the eye from the dashboard and wheel and the logo shape is more obvious

Light verses dark

Where colour images use contrasting colours to differentiate areas in a photograph, in black and white photography we can use light and dark areas. Lighter areas with interesting contrast and shapes just scream out ‘look at me’. Darker areas and less detail tend to make the brain work too hard to see the detail so it automatically goes back to the lighter, easier to ‘read’ areas. A contrasting shape will grab the viewer’s attention as easily as a contrasting colour can.

The eye is drawn towards the lighter parts and doesn’t spend much time in the dark shadows

Texture

When we look at what makes a good black and white photo, one of the really important weapons we have in our armoury is texture. Texture is the one thing that can really give a black and white image punch. It gives the eye something to hold on to.

Texture is so much more apparent in black and white photos than in colour. Use it to your advantage.

You can see how the texture in the roof really jumps out in the image of the steam traction engine compared to the colour version.

The texture on the roof shows up beautifully on the black and white

The texture on the roof of the colour one is not as obvious

Whatever your reason to create an image in black and white over colour, be sure to make the image interesting. In colour photography we can control the viewer’s eyes and emotions with colour but in black and white photos we only have light to dark tones. Finding shapes in your image as well as textures and contrast will help you to lead the viewer’s eyes around your image. This will enable them to see the image as you envisaged it.

We photographed all the images in this post at the Aldham Steam Rally, UK.

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If like us you can’t photograph enough of mechanical vehicles, then this is the place for you.

A very English pass-time is to wander around a farmer’s field whilst grease and soot covered people display their beautiful, and often shiny, machines. The one we went to was Aldham Old Time Rally. However, the exhibitors move around, many of them week to week, over the course of the summer.

So what is it?

This is essentially an exhibition of a variety of steam and mechanical vehicles.

So what do you do there? What we love and that’s to take photographs. However some people are there for lesser reasons but we’re going to ignore them, and concentrate on the photography!

Train Handle Glow

Tips for photographing steam

The first thing about photographing a steam machine is obvious, but so often overlooked. You need to have steam in the photograph. Steam engines seem to have a life of their own breathing fire and smoke and this is what we want to capture in our photographs.

We both have different ways of shooting. Tim tends to create images by getting up as close as possible and photographing wide, usually with a 24 mm lens, but I tend to zoom right in using my 24-70 mm lens at the 70 mm end to get the compressed perspective that these short telephoto lengths do so beautifully. If there is anything with a flame we try and show the flame in the image as this is the heart of the engine.

Steam Rally traction engine close up

Brecon Beacon Railway

Very often, with a stationary object, you need to set up your image and then wait, with your finger poised until the appropriate steam cloud breathes into life!

Once in RAW, you can also augment the steam by using an adjustment brush and increase the lightness of the steam using Exposure, and really bring the steam to life by increasing micro-contrast by sliding the Clarity up to the right.

We’ve found that wherever we go, owners are so proud of their machines and if you strike up a conversation with them, they are often very happy for you to climb aboard and photograph their pride and joy enabling you to get photographs that the other photographers aren’t able to.

Steam rallies aren’t the only place to get your steam fix. Wales (UK) especially, has some beautiful steam railways where you can get up close and personal to your heart’s content of pipes, pistons and steam.

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