I’ve always loved black and white photography, and I hope this selection offers you some inspiration.
Not every photo works well in black and white — some images are all about the colour and should be left alone. But when colour isn’t essential to the composition, it can be distracting, and converting to black and white can help re create your original vision for the photo.
I’ve found that black and white tends to work best when the composition is built around strong, graphic shapes — whether natural or man-made. By removing colour, it’s the structure, contrast, and form that carry the image.
And for the technical out there. Every photo here was converted using the same unique technique in Lightroom Classic. It starts by completely destroying the image – dropping the exposure by four stops – then carefully rebuilding it, section by section, using masks and simple adjustments.
The result is a moody, atmospheric look that feels sculpted from shadow and light. If you’re curious about the process, the full editing video is embedded below.
Create your own Black and White photographs…
Every black and white photo in this gallery page was created using the same unique technique.
And it starts by completely ‘destroying’ the image.
I then rebuild it from scratch, bringing the photo back to life, piece by piece, using really simple tools in Lightroom Classic.
The result? Moody, soft, dramatic images.
It’s a method I’ve never seen anyone else use — but I use it for every black and white conversion I make.
Curious? The full editing video is right here, so you can see how it’s done, step by step.