Black and White Macro - Top Tips: How to get the best out of monochrome macro photography
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- Опубликовано: 31 май 2024
- In this video I share with you my top tips to get the most out of your black and white macro photos.
Any questions, or comments? Please ask below.
0:00 - Intro
0:59 - First shots of the day
1:27 - Tonal contrast
5:16 - Tonal contrast photos
5:49 - Simple compositions
7:36 - Simple compositions photos
8:07 - High key
9:02 - High Key photos
9:30 - Low key
10:57 - Low key photos
11:15 - Patterns and textures
12:16 - Patterns and textures photos
12:15 - Seed pods and dead flowers
13:07 - Seed pods and dead flowers photos
13:48 - The art of black and white macro photography 
Хобби
Great video mate & awesome tips with a wide array of beautiful shots! I’ve always been drawn to patterns & textures myself & black & white shots certainly have something special about them. Composition & technical approach becomes more important as you can’t hide behind colours as well haha. 🙌👏👏👍👍👍
Thanks 🙏 much appreciated. Totally agree with you about colours and textures. 👍 Your macro work is excellent, so I appreciate the praise.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide likewise Scott! You always do a great job with sharing your thought process in detail. Cheers
Your photos are wonderful.
Using external artificial lighting makes the picture as apposed to using natural light. Best to use continuous lighting then Flash as it works differently.
Oh and btw, using B&W brings out the natural shadows as apposed to color.
You are right Scott.
Thanks for watching.
BW PHOTOGRAPHY means imaging in greyscale in a colorful world, which is not easy. Awesome! An excellent job has been done thanks for sharing have a nice day. Beyond imagination collection.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
A wealth of valuable information here. Some really great photos!
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
Great share, implying a unique vision to see the colourful world.
Thank you for your nice comment and for watching.
Hey Scott....Would love to a video about B&W Macro photography indoors, especially High Key shots. (Setup, Settings, Etc.) Thanks, Bob
Hi Bob. Thanks for the suggestion. I rarely ever do any photography indoors. It's all about being outside in nature for me. I will be putting out another macro video soon and I have now started including settings with my videos. But if you are interested in indoors macro I would recommend checking out Stewart Wood who makes a lot of indoors macro vids. Thanks for watching.
Great informative lesson. Thank you WOTWS!
Extraordinary. No exaggerated saturations and colors. Definitely more impressive. This idea is great. Thanks.
Thank you for your nice comment and for watching.
Fantastic video and tips. Glad you popped into my suggested feed👍👍
Hi Mark. I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
Great, i like your style of presentation. Wish you always good light!
Much appreciated. Thanks for watching.
Great presentation and a whole new way of macro photography. I really appreciate your clear, to the point explainations. Your photos are awesome and inspiring. I want more so I have subscribed and look forward to learning from you and immersing in some of your excellent, and refreshing philosophy. Thanks.
Awesome, welcome to the channel. Thanks for subbing and watching.
Light bulb moment. Great explanations Thankyou
I'm pleased it was useful. Thanks for watching.
Great vlog mate, takes me back 40 years to the black and white days. Grevillea flower in B&W is a favourite of mine. Thanks for the inspiration, I might jus have a go again. Happy Xmas to all
Hi Philip. Cheers, glad you liked it. I do enjoy a bit of black and white. Merry Christmas to you too, and thanks for watching.
nicely presented, i think i will will look at more of your work.
I'm glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching.
Photos are amazing!
Thank you so much.
I would never have thought to photograph macro in black and white, but I love the effect and will be giving it a try.
Good stuff. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for watching.
Great info Scott.
Thank you.
great video and great photos!
Thank you.
Some great info and tips as always Scot, very much enjoying your vids. :)
Hi John. Much appreciated. Thanks for watching.
I think you are absolutely right. Where I've captured similar images in colour and monochrome, the monochrome holds my attention for longer because I'm drawn to the details revealed by the tones, rather than being distracted by the colours.
Hi Robert. Glad you agree. I do like to mix in a little black and white here and there. And I agree that monochrome helps hold the attention. Thanks for watching.
Wow I love it. I enjoy bnw but macro looks marvelous. I learn so much from you so thank you very much.
Definitely worth doing. I love B&W in general, but B&W with macro is really nice to challenge yourself. Thanks for watching again Sarah.
Awesome video!!! Thanks !!!!!!
Glad you liked it. Thanks for watching.
Excellent. Old argentic years photographers know these tips espec. High and low Key and tonal contrast (we were using color filters for B&W shots to control tonal contrast). You are right to make this vidéo especially for young people who did not experiment argentic and believe that knowledge of the light and of the basics is not necessary because modern cameras can deal with everything
Thank you Stéphane. You are certainly right, and whilst all of this could be achieved in the computer, it is a much better method to visualise the final photo upfront. Thanks for watching.
Visualising upfront should be a must (Ansel Adams would have agreed !)
@@stephanedubarry8624 That’s the best comment I have read today! And I completely agree with you.
Well where do I start first time I’ve seen you on RUclips been watching it for a long time don’t get on here as much as I would like I have Covid at the minute so can’t do much else glad I found you excellent information open my eyes to black and white love macro photography never done black and white going to have a go I have subscribed look forward to seeing more of you thank you very much
Hi there Andy. Sorry to hear you've got Covid and I hope you're OK. I'm just getting over it myself. It really took away all my energy for a few weeks and because of it, yesterday was the first time I have managed to get out with my camera for about a month. I'm glad you enjoyed the video and hope you enjoy giving black and white macro a go once you're better. Take care and rest up.
Very nice work man
Thanks Alun
Congratulations
Thanks for this Scott. You’ve given me some really great ideas and explained the techniques for achieving them very well.
Happy to help. Thanks for watching.
Interesting video!
Thank you for watching.
Scott..I just stumbled across you for the first time and immediately subbed..great observations and your presentation and pics are top notch...thanks !
That’s very nice to hear. Thanks for watching and subbing.
Thank you, i remember the days of B&W and after watching your video I am going to shoot my old way except with digital.
Thanks Henry, good stuff - I'm glad to hear it.
Awesome tutorial with an abundance of tips. I'm glad I stumbled on your channel and will be subscribing and 👍.
Thank you so much for your nice comment, and for watching and subscribing.
Well done, bro. Really inspiring.
I really appreciate that, thanks for watching.
Great video Scott, looking forward to more of them.
Cheers Bob. Thanks for watching.
Scott, One thing I forgot to ask you was, Do you prefer cloudy days over sunny days when shooting B&W Macro? Thanks, Bob. (By the way, I also subscribed to your channel).
Thanks for subscribing Bob, much appreciated. Overcast days are definitely great for all kinds of macro, but you get much more contrast on bright days - which helps more with B&W. For colour macro the light is best on cloudy days, but there are often more insects about on sunny days. So it swings in roundabouts.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Thanks again Scott. I look forward to more videos. Definitely found yours to be very inspirational.
To think that I almost skipped this lovely video. Learned and chilled out at the same time, what more can I ask. Thanks, definitely going to try B&W macro and closeup photography and yet watching your video, now subscribed. Thanks once again.
Thank you, I'm glad you didn't skip it. Let me know how you get on with your B&W macro. Thanks for watching and subbing.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide I shall, I am shooting with a LUMIX S System L Mount camera, the kit lens is a 24-100 macro, a close focusser oppose to true macro 1:1, I have been practicing with the Nisi 2x filter (the magnifier!) screwed to the end of the lens with mixed success DoF being the issue downing macro this way, closing down doe help but it’s very shallow but I’m a determined one! I won’t flog a dead horse though so will probably end up investing in a true macro, the Sigma 105, it’s the only true and affordable, well, reasonably priced at least, L Mount macro lens, can’t afford the Leica!! Like most cameras these days the LUMIX system has a couple of B&W profile setting so will take your guidance and shoot in B&W for the tonal information and live view and to try and get it as close to the required exposure in camera for the reasons you mention. Thanks again. 👌
Good stuff. It's tough with magnifying filters. A good way to get into macro, but then once you've caught bug for it, you just want the real thing. The Sigma certainly has a good reputation, but I've never shot with it. The Laowa 100mm f2.8 is well worth considering too and I believe it is available for L mount. It might even be cheaper than the Sigma.
Very insightful video with some great captures! Really enjoyed it! Subscribed
Thanks you so much for your nice comment, I'm glad you found it useful. And thanks for watching and subscribing.
excellent video and plenty of food for thought! many thanks.
Thank you very much
What a fascinating video. This has given me loads of inspiration and ideas. I've only recently got into macro but I'll definitely be using your tips going forward. Thank you 😊 👍
Hi Barry. Glad it was interesting for you. Good luck with your B&W macro and thanks for watching.
gran video ! tengo un macro 90mm de tamron lo voy a intentar y te aviso del resultado
Saludos desde Cozumel Mexico
Hola Raymundo. Excelente elección de lentes. Buena suerte con tu fotografía macro en blanco y negro. Gracias por ver.
Awesome 😎
Thank you 😊
Some great b&w macro images there Scott. I think I will give it a go one time when I’m out shooting macro subjects. Thanks.
Thank you and good luck. Let me know how you get on.
thank you for your video, absolutely inspiring!
Thanks for watching - I’m glad you like it.
I have always enjoyed taking B&W pics, but surprisingly have never considered Macro B&W. You have piqued my interest in what to me will be a new style of photography to explore - Thank You!!
Excellent. I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for watching.
Hi Scott,
Your macro shots are soo amazing and plus your knowledge on macro is so depth and detailed. Mate those black and white shots are pure class! I have been watching this macro content videos on RUclips and no one has mentioned to shoot in black and white. You have inspired me ❤. This months my learning macro project is to shoot everything in black and white.
Hi. Glad you found it useful. Good luck with the B&W shots. Thanks for watching.
MICRO - PHOTOGRAPHY !
???
An excellent and insightful video. I'll be re-watching it a few times to make sure I catch everything. I recently got a dedicated macro lens and will definitely be trying out black and white macro.
Great stuff - good luck with the macro lens, and thanks for watching.
Could you go into more detail about your flash setup?
Cheers
Stephen
Hi Sandy. I've made a video all about that flash if it helps. ruclips.net/video/pHiOPdzA1g0/видео.html Thanks for watching.
great presentation - lots of good tips and ideas to practise - thank you ! my fave subject for monochrome is ferns - in all stages of life.
Thank you very much Doug. Yes, ferns are great in whatever form they come. Thanks for watching.
Great video Scott, really. But I am missing camera settings
Hi Heinz. Glad you like the video. I have since started publishing camera settings. Thanks for watching.
What a really clear video, and those images are absolutely amazing. My only request would be to add the info to the images, because as someone new to photography, I'm keen to know the aperture, ISO and speed for those stunning pictures. Really glad I came across this video.
Thank you. I’ve had a couple of people asking for the settings so I will start adding these in the near future. Thanks for watching.
Superb explanations and demonstrations, and of course, images. Macro and/or b/w photography is not really my thing, but I still thoroughly enjoyed your video as you explained things so clearly and I have learned a lot from it. Should I ever wish to try this kind of photography in the future I know I can refer back to this video when I need to. Thank you!
Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching.
You can try red color filters for bw picture of red flowers, colored filters can provide tonal contrast.
Nice idea
Great images/guide. Though I often find high-key monochrome with white background is too bright to be comfortable to look at
Thank you.
I LOVED this video and your B&W images! Do you do an in-depth black and white conversion, or do you let Lightroom or editing software convert for you? Or take as a monochrome image in camera?
Hi Susan. Thanks. I take the image as black and white in camera so that I can get an idea of what the final image will look like. But photo editing soft ware always converts the raw file as a colour photo, so the black and white image is for reference. I think I'll make a B&W photo editing video at some point. Thanks for watching.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Please make the B&W editing video! 😊
Thank you for your videos mate! Really enjoyable. What are the macro lights you use in this video? 🤔
Cheers. It's the Kuangren / Venus Optics twin macro flash KX-800. In my view it's the best twin macro flash available because it doesn't sit on the end of your lens like most. The articulating arms are entirely manoeuvrable to get the light in exactly the position that you want. Thanks for your question and for watching.
But with a color raw image you can convert to black and white with color channels that will allow you to separate colors of the raw image file into tones of the gray scale of the final monochrome image. If then taken in to Photoshop and separate two layers (one for highlights and another for shadows) in two different colors and then use the Blend-if option to do low saturation duo-tones images it works great. The advantage of working from a color file and not from a monochrome is that the raw file will allow you to convert color contrast in to brightness contrast with out a sacrifice of color data that could be useful or even necessary at some point of the process for a final image. the background control on both: high key and low key images can be taken a step further by having black or white backgrounds of paper, fabric or foam board that will make it easier on post production. The system to balance exposure from available light Vs Flash light is a key factor there in case of need for more tonal contrast control.
You can still do that because your camera saves the raw file with colour information anyway. But shooting in black and white allows you to visualise the tonal contrast much easier than shooting in colour.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Still if its just to visualize the image on the screen of the camera is not a reliable check. I trust more the istagram or just real good metering followed by good processing of the file that in my car includes making a full resolution monochrome version if needed. Two different workflows to do something.
I love this video. Have always preferred mono, and really trying hard with a recently purchased macro lens. Am inspired to try out mono macro. Your images are brilliant, and I am already looking at tonal contrasts in my garden, which isn't very colourful just now. When you import them to edit, do you change to mono before any editing, or edit them before changing to mono?
Thanks Marg. If starting with the colour raw file I would always change to mono first so that you can see what you're working towards. More often than not though, I start the editing in the camera manufacturer's editing software. If I took the photography using the black & white colour profile it automatically applies black and white to the photo. I then import it to Lightroom as a TIFF file and it stays in mono. I've recently made a video about colour profiles. Most of the photos in the video are wildlife rather than macro, but it still explains how the colour profiles work. ruclips.net/video/eWoGytzdGc4/видео.html Thanks for your question and for watching.
Awesome shots!
I don’t have a macro lens so I’m using a 12mm tube extender with an 85mm.
I just want to clarify the focal length of the lens you’re using? Would you also suggest that using and ND filter would be great?
Thank you, glad you liked the photos. They were all shot on the Sony 90mm macro lens. I wouldn't recommend an ND unless you want some motion blur in the picture. You would need to use a longer shutter speed with an ND filter, so unless your subject was perfectly still, it wouldn't be helpful.
Scott, I just watched your RUclips and it was amazing. I am curious if you print your own work and do you have a paper preferance?
Hi Steven. Thanks for watching and for your question. I do print quite a bit but only for my own purposes. I used to sell a few here and there but it was more hassle than it was worth. I’ve always used Brilliant photo paper and I’ve been very happy with it. I use two types: the museum satin matte - which has a beautiful cotton rag texture, and the supreme lustre - which is just glossy enough to make the colours vibrant but not so much that you get lots of light reflections when it’s hanging in a wall. Brilliant is a German brand of paper, but if you live here in the UK the easiest place to get it is from WEX.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide thanks for the quick response. I’m looking forward to your next RUclips video.
A new way of looking at my macro shots. What do you call the lighting system you are using? Not sure what to google. Thanks.
Hi. It’s the Kuangren Twin Macro Flash. I bought it from Laowa/Venus Optics. It’s a manual flash (no TTL) but it’s a more versatile macro flash than anything else on the market. Both sides have fully articulating arms to position however you want them. Both can have the flash power set independently of each other, eg if you want more light on one side than another. And it has a central articulating pilot light to help focussing in low light situations. About £250 ish and well worth the money. But it does consume power pretty quickly, so get some decent rechargeable AA batteries.
@@WalksOnTheWildSide Thank you so much for all the info. I really appreciate it.
I learned a lot from this, thank you. Could you please confirm the name of your twin flash and is it very heavy? I do want to give it a go
Thank you. It’s the Kuangren Twin Macro Flash KX800. Some independent camera shops stock it, but you can also get it from Venus Optics/Laowa. It’s not much heavier than a normal speed light flash - it maybe weighs about half a kg. Thanks for watching.
The problem with setting the camera to black and white is that its view of the world is modelled on everyman's view. Mine is quite different and my black and white photos don't look like what the camera shows. That fuschia would offer me no problems, and mostly I would have more contrast than you.
I shoot in colour and learn what I can do to my photographs to make photographs that I like.
I pictured him eating the wrong berry and then his face progressively puffing up through the video, but he fights through it.
🤣
First tip kinda sucks. First: if you're older than thirty, you've shot in film and know what to expect. Second: you should record in color to allow for greater lattitude in editing.
Who said I don’t record in colour (ie save it as a raw file)? I didn’t.