5 Tips for beautiful black and white landscapes.

We see most landscapes photographed in color. Wonderful of course! And I'm usually also guilty of that. But sometimes, very suddenly there is the urge to create a beautiful landscape in black and white. And how do you proceed? Are you observing the same as when you just start to take photos in color?

The answer to this is not very simple YES or NO. Because it's a bit of both.

Of course you watch what you see, of course you have to determine your composition. But ... you have to learn to look without color. And that is difficult! That requires practice! And these tips can help with that.

Here 5 tips to get you started.

1.) Photograph in RAW if you have that option!

Why? Very simple, at the moment you shoot in JPEG, and also in black and white, then at the moment you press the shutter button you have discarded 2/3 of all the information that you probably would have liked afterwards. In RAW you have and keep the most control over the image, and how you want it to eventually look.

2.) Visualize in Black and White.

You don't have colors in a black and white photograph to catch your attention, but you also don't have any colors to hide the small beauty flaws of your photo. In black and white, all attention goes directly to the image, to the shapes, lines, shadows and textures. To make the best possible use of it, it is important that you have already seen your image in black and white beforehand. Right, so learn to look without color. Forget about all the colors you see and focus on those shapes, lines, shadows and textures.

3.) Take a good look at the picture BEFORE you take the picture.

Not everything is equally suitable for black / white photography. A clear blue sky without clouds is of course delicious, but for photography totally uninteresting, and certainly in black and white it does not look inviting anymore. Do you have a stormy sky ... that can be a party for your black and white photo!

4.) Look for Contrasts and Tones.

Black / White photography! The name says it all. Both should really be present in your photo to make this photo a success. A famous American landscape photographer Ansel Adams developed the zone system for this. Where Zone 0 stands for pure black and Zone 10 for pure white. In the program Nik Efex Pro you can find this zone system under the "histogram". This allows you to see exactly whether, and so year where every tone of the zone system is present in your photo.

5.) Make sure your Composition is perfect.

That is always important with photography, but in a black and white photo it is even more important. Again for the simple reason that there is no color available to divert attention. So use the lines, shapes and textures that can guide the eye of a viewer through a photo. And take into account the fact that in the Western world from the top left to the bottom is looked down. Our eyes scan a picture and the brain automatically adds a part of it. This is a knowledge you must always keep in mind when you take a photo.

Of course there are many more tips to give. But in my opinion these are the tips that are most useful to you when you start with black and white photography.

I hope you all enjoy it, and would like to see some of the results. So come on with those pictures!