Black & white wedding photos

With the millions of color images flowing daily from digital compact cameras, good black and white images are in more demand than ever.

Most digital camera users think that getting a b&w picture is a simple matter of converting a color one.

They should understand that a good b&w image starts before clicking the shutter with careful use of lighting and proper composition which are different from the ones used in color photography.

Proper black and white images draw their impact from shadows, lighting contrasts and tones, not from color.

BW images are very well suited for available light photography and during the wedding there are plenty of opportunities:

- in the church, during the religious service, the actual atmosphere will be recorded much better by available light.

- also, during the formal photography session, black and white images may be used for a timeless look of the portraits.

- if the light level in the reception hall is acceptable, some interesting shots can be done in black and white during dancing.

Black and white looks best for available light portraits, but the chance of taking available light pictures during the reception is up to the level of lights.

Another well known form of monochrome photos are sepia images.