Project52 Week 3

Continuing my 2025 Project52 series, the theme for week 3 is black and white. After my struggles in week 2, read on to see how I get on in week 3. This week, I’ll also talk a little bit about my process when approaching these weekly themes. If you want to join in with these challenges, you can sign up and join the challenge here.

Black & White Photography

If you’ve browsed through my portfolio galleries, you’ll know that I don’t do a lot of black and white photography. It’s an area I need to practice more. Black and white photography presents a different challenge. It strips back the image making the elements of a good photograph even more important. Things like composition and light are even more important with black and white photography, combine these with things like simple shapes, shadow and texture, and you have the makings of a great black and white image.

While preparing for this challenge, I found many websites with tips for shooting black and white images. The list on the right is a compilation from multiple sources. These seem to be considered the top ten tips for shooting black and white images.

While I agree with most of these, visualise in black and white is the one I struggle with most. If you’re like me, you can always set your camera to monochrome. On most modern cameras, this will convert the image in the view finder or on the LCD to black and white.

Top 10 Tips for shooting black & white images

  • Focus on Light and Contrast
  • Emphasize Texture and Patterns
  • Compose with Shapes and Forms
  • Visualise in Black and White
  • Shoot in RAW and Post-Process Thoughtfully

This also works in the iPhone camera app. I find this helps me when looking for subjects that will make good black and white images. However, seeing in black and white is a valuable skill that I need to practice.

My Process for the Weekly Challenge

The weekly themes are announced on a Monday. I start off by doing some research online. This research consists of two things. Firstly, I search for articles that provide tips and advice covering the type or style of photography for the theme. Secondly, I look for subject matter inspiration. I do this by searching the theme on popular image sites (Flickr, 500px, Instagram etc).

When I find images I like, I try to identify what I like about them. I start out looking for a common style or subject. I then think about how I could create a similar image. think about the subject or locations available to me and formulate and idea for my own image. It is important to note that I do not try to directly copy or recreate an image I’ve already seen. I always try to create something unique, albeit using a style or subject that appeals to me.

I personally feel that there is no creativity in just recreating something that has already been done. While it does have benefits when learning a new technique and developing your skills, it will stifle your creativity.

My Project52 Week 3 Image

While the image for week 2 was a struggle, this one presented itself to me. Leaving the house early one morning, I needed to defrost my car. The frost had been particularly bad overnight, so it took a while to thaw out the windscreen. While waiting for it to defrost, I noticed the ice formation around the badge on the bonnet.

I had plenty of time to grab my iPhone and take the image. While the detail in the image is good, I would’ve liked more time to take another shot with my full frame camera to see just how much detail I could draw out.

I processed the image in LightRoom, adjusting the highlights and shadows and boosting contrast. I also raised the highlights and deepened the black to increase the overall tonal range. A touch of texture and little clarity drew out some more detail in the image. Finally, I used a square crop, and a vignette was added to draw the eye to the centre of the image.

Project52 Week 3 Conclusions

I’m pleased with the image I got this week, but I think it could be better. I also didn’t look for other images once I had this one in the bag. This is annoying because it’s something I’ve done well for the last couple of weeks. Continuing to use the whole week to look for additional images for the challenge. Perhaps it could be the fact that I’ve had limited free time this week. It is something I’ll need to pay attention to in the coming weeks.

Do you shoot in black and white much? Do you have any tips to share or any advice? If you do, please let me know in a comment down below. You can also leave a comment about my Project52 week 3 image and any suggestions you might have on how to improve it.

Thanks for stopping by. Take it easy.

Andy Signature