Rescue a colour shot with mono
Use a dose of black-and-white to mask distracting colours and give yourself options in hard light
■ Although you’re more likely to get better results if you choose your subjects with black-and-white in mind, it can also be a handy get-out-ofjail technique. There might be a strong colour in a scene that you can’t do much about – a red car in a landscape shot, for example, or a green door that draws the eye in a street scene. Going mono can reduce the impact of these potential distractions.
It’s a similar story when you’re shooting scenes that are largely a single colour, such as images of plants and trees. Sometimes the colour can almost be a barrier for the viewer to get past, but a black-and-white treatment allows the differences in shape, pattern and form to stand out.
Black-and-white can also enable you to take good photos in harsh light. It’s perfect for those midday moments when you’d ordinarily put your camera away. A strong level of contrast with black shadows is often more acceptable in a mono image than in a colour one. Fit a polariser to the lens and you can turn a blue sky inky-black, giving you a dramatic background for abstract architecture. Use a red digital filter and you’ll deepen the blue sky.