My son hasn’t been sleeping very well. In fact, it’s been about 4 days since I’ve had more than 3 hours of sleep in a row, so this feature is really appropriate since it’s been a while since I’ve been able to even see colors.

Black and White is George Clooney

While color is Christiano Ronaldo

Black and White is Scarlett Johansson

While color is Portia de Rossi

All are beautiful but for me, b/w images consistenty have more depth. They tell a very different story. Color, while visually dynamic, can be a distraction that takes you away from the emotion of the image.

I don’t know about you, but I always find myself looking at b/w images a little bit longer than their color counterparts. Good b/w images make me want to pour myself another cup of coffee and linger over the print for a few extra minutes. For me, it even goes beyond the romance of b/w. Really good b/w images possess a certain timelessness that I’m really drawn to and because of this I am trying to improve my b/w picture-making ability.

This post was not just an excuse for you to start your week off with a shirtless Ronaldo (you’re welcome!) this post is designed to pass along tips designed to take your black and white images to the next level. This is the first part of a 2-part series. In the follow up, we’ll talk about conversion techniques in Photoshop.

1. Shoot with a low ISO. The lower the ISO the less noisy or grainy your images will be. Great b/w images are tact-sharp and this is easier to acheive with as ISO setting of 100.

2. Shoot during overcast or gloomy days. We’ve talked about this before and you can check it out here. Early morning is one of my favorite times to shoot because the cloud cover provides a wonderful, even light that is perfect for portraits, especially b/w portraits.

3. Dress in simple solid colors. Patterns can distract from the subject of the photo. Typically, I want people looking at the face in my photo and not my KISS t-shirt.

4. Minimize the background. Again, backgrounds can distract. I am forever on a quest to capture timeless images. Backgrounds can very easily date an image.

5. Practice! Get out there and keep shooting! Becoming a better photographer for your family is a marathon, not a sprint. Since your’e not paying for film processing, you’ve got no excuse. Experiment with different settings and different perspectives.

What about you? What are some of your b/w tips?