Photo How To

How about this for a fun weekend photo assignment: Get up early, grab your gear, and head into town for a bit of black-and-white street photography. The quick video below provides five helpful tips, and all the inspiration you need, to give this a go.

Aaron Nace is a Chicago-based pro, and in this four-minute tutorial you’ll watch him capture striking images downtown in the Windy City, while demonstrating how you can shoot some stunning black-and-white photos of your own.

Nace was lucky to have a dramatic foggy day to shoot in B&W, and he begins the tutorial by explaining how to simplify hectic city scenes full of pedestrians. He does this by isolating architectural elements, carefully choosing the angles from which he shoots, and moving in tight to eliminate clutter.

Another technique Nace employs is to use reflections from glass and mirrored surfaces as compositional elements, and as a means for creating interesting contrast between highlights and shadows on cloudy days when contrast is limited. He also demonstrates how leading lines can draw a viewer into a photograph, and direct attention to what you consider to be the most important element in the image.

As Nace says, “Shooting in black and white is an art form of its own.” So watch the video, pay attention to his simple tips, and hope for fog over the weekend.

There’s more helpful advice on the PHLEARN YouTube channel. And be sure to look at our earlier tutorial, with some very helpful tips for shooting black-and-white landscape photographs.