NO. 6 – WORK WITH SIMPLE AND BOLD FRAMING
Take a minimalist approach and create images that really catch the eye
“When you convert colour images to black and white, do it with conviction,” says Lee Frost. “The clue is in the name. Don’t be scared of pure whites and true blacks. Boost contrast, add impact and drama, otherwise you’ll end up with grey, dull and boring images, and there are enough of those in existence already.”
When it comes to high-quality black and white photography, it pays to focus on the details, remove distractions and go for something that is almost abstract through the precision of composition and framing. This can be done in a number of ways. First of all, try isolating an area of a scene that is particularly interesting visually and base your composition solely around that. If you can make it so specific that doing so almost results in an abstracted result, so much the better. Pay attention to the colour palette and get to know how individual hues convert to black and white, as some work together in a much more interesting way than others once transformed to monochrome.
Another alternative option is to use a square crop. “Sometimes the simplest things can make a difference, and one of those is cropping your images to a square,” explains Lee Frost. “The square format is balanced and calm, so it immediately changes the dynamic of the shot. Square photographs also seem more artistic; no idea why – they just do! Try it if you’re not convinced.” Of course, this is partly an editing consideration – more on this in the next tip.