6 Reasons to Shoot and Edit Black and White Wedding Photos

Black and White Photography Tutorial

DVLOP

Aug 14

2024

Tutorials

Photo by Party of Two

We often use words like "classic" and "timeless" when describing black and white photography, and for good reason. When we capture and edit a black and white photo with purpose and intention, we isolate the moment and take it out of the context of time. As a result, we’re left only with the subjects and the action or emotions that make the moment special. Regardless of how old or new the black and white photo is, it will take on a “classic” quality. Wedding photography offers a perfect opportunity for showcasing some of life’s most important memories in this way, in the timeless spectrum of black and white. In this article, we’re going to cover six reasons you should consider adding black and white wedding photos to your workflow.

The black and white images in this article are provided by the photographers at Wedding Maps and used with their permission.

Black and White Lightroom Presets

To achieve professional black and white photo editing effects, we recommend using one or more of the DVLOP and Visual Flow presets and tools. Here are some great black and white preset options:

1. Minimize Distractions with Black and White Wedding Photos

Photo by Elizabeth Victoria Photography

Unless your clients specifically request otherwise, the majority of wedding photos that you shoot and deliver will be in color. That said, there are times when black and white edits can make the image more impactful by minimizing distractions that color can introduce. As beautiful as colors are, they compete for our attention. Instead, the absence of color allows viewers to focus more closely on the subjects and the emotions they’re conveying within the frame.

2. Emphasize Contrast and Drama

Photo by Sam Savat

In addition to allowing viewers to focus more on emotions, black and white wedding photos also allow us to pay closer attention to the interplay of light and shadows. These contrasting elements make up the main ingredients to photography, after all. We can begin to see how the shadows add depth to our portraits and influence the overall mood of our pictures. Wedding photos include a range of styles, from candid to editorial, and we can use black and white editing to emphasize our stylistic choices and heighten the drama present in our imagery.

3. Highlight Compositional Choices

Photo by Andreas Pollock

Nearly, or perhaps equally, as important as the details we can see, are those we can’t. As an art form built on a well-balanced presentation of contrast between light and shadows, black and white photography presents unique opportunities to showcase wedding couples in their environment.

Photo by Frank Balzan

While you can capture silhouettes or leave plenty of negative space when shooting in color, the effect is amplified when showcased in black and white.

Photo by SMJ Photography

Or what about going heavy on the shadows in the space between the couple to emphasize your subjects over all else in the frame, even if they’re standing apart?

4. Make the Moment Timeless or “Classic”

Photo by Party of Two

Many trends come and go in photography, whether it’s a mock-filmic look or overly detailed HDR photograph. Black and white photos fall outside the realm of trends and always carry that “classic” appeal.

Photo by Kevin Heslin

Look for moments that correspond with this vibe, such as a warm embrace or a couple posed in front of an epic backdrop, and create your own classic black and white wedding portraits.

5. Minimize the Effect of Mixed Lighting

Photo by Courtland Photography

We’ve mentioned how distracting colors can be, and sometimes this has to do with the ambient lighting in a scene. If you have natural light pouring in through the windows and mixing it up with the warm tungsten lights overhead, you can end up with mixed lighting in your photos that can leave you feeling uneasy with the final shot. Oftentimes, if you learn to use flash photography, you can fix this in-camera and eliminate the woes associated with mixed lighting. Other times, when the shot is great but the lighting isn’t, give it a black and white edit to get the focus back on your subjects.

6. Add Variety for Blog and Photo Album Spreads

Photo by Mauricio Ureña Photography

They say that variety is the spice of life, and there are times when a set of black and white photos are just what the dish (or in this case a blog or album spread) needs to take it from ordinary to extraordinary. A well-placed collection of black and white images can influence a viewer to pause and slow their scrolling or page turning to reflect more heavily on the special moments they’re taking in. Some photographers include a black and white version of every color photo they deliver while others pick and choose which moments best deserve the unsaturated treatment. How you handle it is up to you, but including black and white wedding photos in your collection will add variety to the set and make for nice spreads to grab the viewer’s attention.

7. Bonus: Avoid These Mistakes

Here’s a brief overview of mistakes you’ll want to avoid when shooting and editing black and white wedding photos.

Don’t go too heavy or too light with contrast. Instead, try to maintain balance with plenty of gray tones and lean into the highlights or shadows more or less based on what each individual image needs.
Make sure to shoot RAW files in order to maximize dynamic range and allow yourself more creative freedom in post-production.
Don’t expect a black and white edit to magically fix a weak photo. If the image isn’t great to begin with, it’s probably best to leave it out of your deliverables no matter how you edit it.
Don’t live in a black and white bubble. Take time to review black and white photography from other photographers. Turn to the masters or look to contemporaries and note what you like and dislike about the art you’re seeing. Whose work is more impactful and why?

Conclusion & More Inspiration

We hope that you found these tips and reasons to shoot and edit black and white wedding photos helpful. Shooting or editing in black and white offers a unique and timeless way to capture the essence of a couple's special day. By minimizing distractions, emphasizing contrast and drama, highlighting compositional choices, and making moments feel classic, black and white images can create a powerful connection between the viewer and the emotions captured in the frame.

Here are some additional black and white wedding photos for your inspiration.