I have a special love for editing pictures in color and black and white. Each look has its unique pros, and it’s personal richness. Sometimes, I go through phases when it has to be all color, and let the color shine gloriously. Then, I remember the quiet beauty of black and white.
I’ve used countless presets in search of the perfect black and white edit that makes my soul sing. Lilyblue, Pretty Presets, VSCO. All great looks, all different, yet I never quite was satisfied. I finally said ‘Oh, bag it! Let’s create a preset’ simply converted an image in Lightroom to black and white, and began playing around. I tweaked the contrast, highlights, played with the color tones, and for the final touch, gave it a slight touch of matte, and I’m in love.
So many things need to be considered before converting an image to black and white. First off, lighting is key. Lighting must be achieved well, or it just won’t work. I think of the location of the image, the subject, is it up close or a far away shot, etc. Sometimes, a picture just speaks to be only shown in color, and other times, the picture will be kind and allow me to covert it to black and white, and it will look great. It’s such an interesting, creative process.
So, if you can’t find the look your searching for in your editing world, go create a preset. Play around, name it something ridiculously wonderful that will help you remember the joy of discovering it that day, and keep taking pictures:)