Nature Photography How To

Landscape and travel scenes can be particularly striking when captured in black and white. Some photographers set their camera to monochrome so they can see the effect on the LCD screen, while others prefer to shoot in color and make the conversion during the editing process.

Whatever approach you take, the results you achieve will be significantly better by following the advice in the video below from adventure/travel photographer Toma Bonciu. The Romanian pro offers 12 powerful tips for capturing eye-popping b&w photos, illustrated with his dramatic imagery.

Bonciu has strong thoughts on b&w photography, insisting that, “Whenever you want to present a photo as a b&w image, the b&w version should be better than the color version.” While displaying his images and explaining his techniques, you’ll see why Bonciu says that images captured with long exposures are particularly compelling in b&w.

When shooting in monochrome Bonciu pays close attention to differences in contrast between light and dark areas of a scene (“the more contrast the better”), takes a cautious approach to different textures, and is careful to eliminate elements that may distract the viewer.

In general terms, when making b&w images, Bonciu says it’s extremely important to have a clear separation between the main subject and the secondary elements in a scene. In fact, that’s often the first thing he ponders when composing a shot.

With these basic considerations out of the way, Bonciu launches into his 12 specific tips, each of which is easy to comprehend thanks to the beautiful imagery he presents. While much of his advice is specific to landscape photography, there are a few techniques that are applicable to just about any b&w images you shoot.

After watching the video, be sure to visit Bonciu’s YouTube channel for more outdoor photography tips. And take a look at the tutorial we posted recently, in which another pro explains a common shutter speed mistake to avoid when shooting landscape photographs.