Have you ever wondered why Zebras are black and white while all other animals are in color? I don't know either. With image editing software it is possible to get colors to pop and to bring the best out of the color in your images. However, we should not forget about black and white. The software for working with black and white is just as advanced. One can make amazing black and white images with digital. They can often be as dramatic as color.

          Learn to see in black and white. Black and white is all about contrast. Why try to enhance color where there is not much color when such an image is often ideal for black and white? Let's look at some examples:

          In this landscape there was not much color. The Sage brush in the foreground was a boring gray with a hint of a green tint. The mountain is grayish rock. The trees in the distance had some dark green but it did not really show itself because of the light. The sky was gray. When a photographer is confronted with such a scene one almost don't want to shoot because this shot just does not offer much in color. Let us not forget that there is such a thing as black and white. So purposefully, thinking of black and white I shot this shot. It did not look as dramatic as it appears here. That is the beauty of black and white, you don't need much other than contrast. In post processing you just push the contrast in the sky to bring out the detail and drama in the clouds.

          Remember to try to find a foreground element to draw the viewer into the image. I walked around and found this little footpath. In post processing it is easy to just lighten the footpath a bit.

          Once again I had a scene with almost no color to speak of. Seeing a black and white opportunity I shot this image. Selecting the sky / clouds the photographer simply boosts the contrast and the shot comes to life. Now I only needed a canoe in the right spot.

          Give black and white a try. For a black and white image to work there has to be a good range of blacks and whites. Look for scenes that have dark objects AND light parts. Please don't think that the middle of the day offers loads of contrast. The light still cannot be too harsh, especially if you plan to still add a lot of contrast in post processing. Have fun with your black and whites.

          Happy "seeing" black and white