Shooting Beautiful Black And White Landscapes

Last Updated on Mon, 06 Feb 2023 | Canon EOS Rebel T2i 550D

There is nothing as timeless as a beautiful black and white landscape photo. For many, it is the purest form of photography. The genre conjures up thoughts of Ansel Adams out in Yosemite Valley, capturing stunning monoliths with his 8x10 view camera. Well, just because you are shooting with a digital camera doesn't mean you can't create your own stunning photos using the power of the Monochrome picture style. (See the "Classic Black and White Portraits" section of Chapter 6 for instructions on setting up this feature.) Not only can you shoot in black and white, you can also apply built-in filters to lighten or darken different elements within your scene, as well as add contrast and definition.

The four filter colors are red, yellow, green, and orange. The most typically used filters in black and white photography are red and yellow. This is because the color of the filter will darken opposite colors and lighten similar colors. So if you want to darken a blue sky, you would use a yellow filter because blue is the opposite of yellow. To darken green foliage, you would use a red filter. Check out the series of shots in Figure 7.13 with different filters applied.

Monochrome Yellow Filter Sky

FIGURE 7.13

Adding color filter settings to the Monochrome picture style allows you to brighten or darken elements in your scene. The top right image has no filter applied to it. The bottom left has a green filter, and the bottom right has an orange filter.

FIGURE 7.13

Adding color filter settings to the Monochrome picture style allows you to brighten or darken elements in your scene. The top right image has no filter applied to it. The bottom left has a green filter, and the bottom right has an orange filter.

You can see that there is no real difference in contrast between the color and the black and white image with no filter. The green filter has the effect of darkening the skies slightly and giving a significantly lighter look to the vegetation. Using the orange filter makes the vegetation lighter but darkens the sky slightly. For this particular shot, I much prefer the look of the orange filter.

Other options in the Monochrome picture style enable you to adjust the sharpness, contrast, and even add some color toning to the final image. This information is also in the "Classic Black and White Portraits" section of Chapter 6. I like to have Sharpness set to 5 and Contrast set to 1 for my landscape images. This gives an overall look to the black and white image that is reminiscent of the classic black and white films. Experiment with the various settings to find the combination that is most pleasing to you.

Continue reading here: Tack Sharp

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Readers' Questions

  • eglantine brownlock
    How to take black and white photos on a canon 550d?
    1 year ago
    1. Set your camera to Manual shooting mode.
    2. Set your ISO to an appropriate number for the light conditions - you may need to experiment a bit depending on how much light you have.
    3. Set your aperture to an appropriate size for the photo you want to take - a higher number will mean a sharper photo and a wider aperture will increase the amount of light in your photo.
    4. Set your shutter speed to suit the available light as well.
    5. Set the white balance to "Monochromatic".
    6. Put your camera in Live View mode by pressing the "INFO" button.
    7. Set the style of the image to black and white. You can do this by accessing the "Picture Style" option in the menu and selecting "Monochrome".
    8. Lastly, take your photo.
    • patricia
      How to capture black and white images using a canon 350D Eos camera?
      1 year ago
      1. Set your camera to Manual exposure mode.
      2. Change the Image Quality setting to Monochrome.
      3. Set your White Balance to Custom and use the Color Temperature option in the menu to set the color temperature to 6500K.
      4. Adjust your exposure settings according to the scene.
      5. Capture your image and review the results in Playback mode.
      6. If necessary, fine-tune your exposure settings until you achieve the desired effect.
      • Segan
        How to shoot black and white on canon rebel t2i?
        1 year ago
        1. Set the camera to Manual Mode.
        2. Set the ISO to a low value, such as 100 or 200.
        3. Select the Picture Style tab and select Monochrome.
        4. Select the White Balance tab and select Custom White Balance.
        5. Set the color temperature to a low value, such as 2500K or 3200K.
        6. Select the Drive Mode tab and select Continuous shooting.
        7. Take the shots you need.
        8. Adjust the exposure settings as necessary to get the desired level of tonality.
        • Hugo
          How to do black & white & one colour in canon 550d?
          1 year ago
          • To do black and white and one color on your Canon 550D camera, you need to set the camera to the Creative Auto mode and use the filters in the Creative Filters settings.
          1. Select the Creative Auto mode from the camera’s mode selection dial.
          2. Press the Menu button and select the Creative Filters option.
          3. Select the black and white filter option.
          4. Press the right arrow to access the settings for the filter.
          5. Use the toggle button to select the one color option and then select the color you would like to be the only color in your image.
          6. Press the Set button to return to the filter selection screen.
          7. Select the Shoot/Set button to take the photo.
          • jared kelly
            How to color in monochrome for canon eos 550d?
            1 year ago
            • To color in monochrome for Canon EOS 550D, you need to first navigate to the Shooting Menu and select the Picture Style option. Once you have selected Picture Style, select Monochrome and then adjust the contrast and sharpness to your desired setting. Additionally, you can also adjust the color tones to further customize the image.
            • Barry Robertson
              How to take black and white photos with canon rebel t2i?
              1 year ago
              1. Set the camera to Manual Mode.
              2. Set the shooting mode to Aperture Priority (AV).
              3. Set the ISO to the lowest setting, typically ISO 100.
              4. Put the camera into Monochrome mode. This can be done in the Shooting Menu under Picture Style, or by pressing the INFO button repeatedly until you see a monochrome preview on the LCD screen.
              5. Set the aperture to whatever value you need to achieve the desired depth of field.
              6. Compose and shoot your image.
              7. Review the photo, making any adjustments to the aperture or ISO needed to achieve the desired look.
              • VERONICA
                Why is white color beautiful in photos?
                1 year ago
                • White color has a classic, timeless look that makes photos look bright and airy. It can also help to draw attention to the subject of the photo and create a sense of contrast. Additionally, white can reflect light in a pleasing way and balance the tones of the photo, creating a more pleasing overall appearance.
                • Kibra
                  How to take sharp b&w pictures with a canon t1i?
                  1 year ago
                  1. Set your camera to Aperture Priority mode (Av on the mode dial).
                  2. Set your ISO to 400-1600 for bright daylight or up to 3200 for lower light situations.
                  3. Metering Mode: Spot mode is often the best choice for black and white photography.
                  4. Camera Color Space: Switch to monochrome. This can be done by going into the Menu, then to the Color sub-menu. Select Monochrome, and choose your filter effect if you wish.
                  5. White balance: Set to Daylight or Custom.
                  6. Set your aperture to a larger size (f/11 or smaller).
                  7. Set your shutter speed to 1/125th of a second or faster to avoid camera shake.
                  8. Take the shot and review the image. Make sure your lighting and exposure looks correct, and adjust your settings as needed.
                  • yvonne
                    How do i brighten black and white photos on cannon 500d?
                    1 year ago
                    • To brighten a black and white photo on the Canon 500D, you will need to make use of the “Brightness” and “Contrast” sliders in the camera’s “Image Quality” settings. To access these settings, press the Menu button on the back of the camera and select the “Image Quality” option. There you will find the Brightness and Contrast settings, which you can adjust as necessary. You can also make use of Canon’s Digital Photo Professional software to make further adjustments to the photo.
                    • SARAH
                      How to shoot black and white portraits eos 550d canon?
                      1 year ago
                      1. Set your camera to shoot in RAW. This will allow you to make the most of your image and have the fullest range of tonal values to work with.
                      2. Choose a prime lens. Prime lenses will give you the sharpest image and maximum aperture for a beautiful blurred background.
                      3. Set your camera to shoot in black and white. You can do this in the menu settings or using your camera’s Picture Styles.
                      4. Choose your settings. Set your ISO to 400 or higher depending on the lighting, your aperture to f/2.8 or f/1.8 and your shutter speed to 1/200 or higher.
                      5. Add a reflector. Place the reflector in front of your subject to add light and contrast to their face.
                      6. Use a long-exposure. Experiments with long exposures and artificial lighting can yield amazing portrait results.
                      7. Look for harsh lighting. Harsh lighting will create strong shadows and contrast on your subject’s face, which looks great in black and white portraits.
                      8. Take lots of shots! Experiment with different angles and poses and take lots of photos. It’s always best to have a few backups when shooting black and white portraits.