BLACK AND WHITE NATURE PHOTOGRAPHY

Images in colour are the mainstay of today’s photography sphere. Though a well established and popular practice, colour images may distract or interfere with the viewer’s ability to see the true textures, lines, patterns, and contrasts within an image. 

Often with wildlife and nature, we find our subjects surrounded by lush green foliage and blue sky backgrounds. Many photographers who shoot colour photos tend to over saturate these areas. Such images become unrealistic and unnatural.

Shift the Attention Away From Colours

However, with black and white images we take the attention away from those possibly over-saturated colours and draw it back to the subject of the image. Colourful images may tell a story, while black and white can reveal a more emotional portrait of the wildlife image itself.

Colour may show the actuality of a scene, black and white is a perception of the captured reality. Black and white can and often do add drama to your wildlife and nature images, that colour will often mask from the viewer.

It is important to note that not every image will make suitable black and white pictures as mentioned above. Some black and white pictures of animals, especially some birds, will require colour to make that great impact. If ‘colour’ is the purpose of an image –  say, for instance, your subject is a colourful bird, like the Golden Weaver or Crimson Breasted Bushshike then black and white may not work particularly well for these types of colourful subjects. 

Rule of Thumb Maybe?

Some photographers are of the opinion that an image lacking colour is a good candidate for black and white conversion, however, even very colourful images may be hiding a dramatic black and white image.

Black and White Nature Photography Portfolio

In many of these black and white images, my approach and hopefully what shows through in this portfolio of black and white photography is to try and show wildlife and nature as fine art or shall we say in an artistic way. In this portfolio, you will see black and white photographs of wild animals in Africa mainly, as well as black and white landscape photographs.