Mastering Monochrome mode

Shooting in black and white is ideal when you want to direct the viewer's attention to a key element in your image. Sometimes colour can be distracting but black and white allows the focus to be placed on key details within the frame. This could be anything from the lines and patterns in a piece of architecture to a beautiful emotion portrayed in a portrait.

It's easy to start creating beautiful black and white images with Emma's three key tips:

1. Adjust the picture style to a monochrome preset

When you're composing your image try to capture detail in both the shadows and the highlights. In doing so, you'll create a beautiful tonal range throughout your image. If however you find your images are looking a little bit flat, you can customise the monochrome picture style to increase the contrast.

2. Set your camera to capture in RAW and JPEG

By having the RAW file as a backup, you'll be able to capture the best of both worlds, should you also like to see your incredible black and white image as a color reproduction.

3. When composing pay special attention to the light

In high-contrast situations, you'll often find that the shadows create an interesting sense of direction or patterns and textures within the frame. Pay attention to the details when you're out and about looking for locations to shoot.