Beautiful Black and White Photography
If you’ve been following Smashing Magazine for a while, you know that almost all posts from the Monday Inspiration series are pretty colorful and eye-catching. This post is an exception. Compared to colorful designs where catchy colors help the design to stand out, in black-and-white designs the ability to stand out depends only on its ability to communicate rather than on its appealing visual presentation.
Indeed, beautiful black and white photography doesn’t attract with its play of colors. Here close attention to composition, lighting, perspective and the context it is shot in are important. Hence, before considering the photos presented below please prepare some patience and time. This post presents some truly excellent examples of beautiful black-and-white photography.
Notice: this post isn’t supposed to showcase the best black-and-white-photos of world’s best photographers; please see it as a modest attempt to inspire designers for experimenting with black and white instead of using a variety of vibrant colors all the time. Hopefully, everybody will find something interesting and unusual for herself or himself.
Further Reading on SmashingMag: #
- (Really) Stunning Pictures and Photos
- 35 Fantastic HDR Pictures
- 35 Brilliant Examples of Rain Photography
- Breaking Out Of The Box: Design Inspiration
All photos belong to the respective owners.
Beautiful Black-And-White-Photography #
Toni Frissell #
In her legendary photos Toni Frissell impresses with a strong trend toward surrealism or realism. The photo presented below, although in black and white, is both extremely sharp and clear. To achieve such level of clarity in black and white is extremely hard.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/535b071f-a943-404b-a4ee-fcc19646f9cf/52.jpg)
Alin Ciortea #
Alin Ciortea presents examples of modern street photography. In black and white, of course.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/a6faae92-48ef-4c68-b43b-5193c058d1fc/67.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/84b0a740-99bb-4efd-8f8c-dc2916580488/67-2.jpg)
Birds #
Unfortunately, the photographer is unknown. The photo seems to be taken at exact the right moment from exactly the right angle with a perfect lighting. Black and white can be powerful as well.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/668ab318-efd6-4c59-be98-1bfc59db61bf/76.jpg)
Sally Mann #
This photo, titled Candy Cigarette, not just displays something, it tells a story. It is both emotional and beautiful. This is what the originality of black-and-white-photography is all about.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/f13d2595-f83b-4330-bf3f-7edc411502d7/69.jpg)
Larry Towell #
This shot was taken in El Salvador. Child with star mask during “Day Of The Dead”. Other child in background rolls tire for repair in garage where he works at an adult’s job. The photo is full of tiredness and stubbornness. Simple motif conveying strong emotions.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/17080b43-b22b-4ca5-8d27-5adee7ddaf40/comp.jpg)
Aneta Kowalczyk #
Aneta Kowalczyk makes portrait photography. Some of her photos are provoking, some are strange and some are extremely beautiful. The example below displays the beautiful side of black and white photography.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/183452a8-2518-450c-a550-f79f06036fd0/2.jpg)
Gary Winogrand #
Taking a shot just at the right moment.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/834ba544-99d7-403f-aece-285d735ecc80/40.jpg)
Larry Louie #
Woman Of Tibet. Realism at its best. Awarded with International Photography Awards in 2007.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/20315d26-e562-401d-8fb8-bcd33d341290/555.jpg)
Gabriele Caretti #
Tour Eiffel: extraordinary contrast and perspective. Strong, clean and very precise shot.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/4e729932-7d16-4a4d-9fc8-4a8f28e74aec/70.jpg)
Ghost Town Charm #
Excellent lighting.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/3a94234f-b3b5-4228-9ef8-cb229fd7ade1/58.jpg)
Ansel Adams #
One of the most famous contemporary black and white photographers. Classic!
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/fa839a9c-e789-469b-bcdd-76b90386a0fe/adams.jpg)
Maurizio Polese #
Polese’s works pay close attention to small, tiny details. The tones are perfects and compositions are beautiful which is why the photos are presented in this post. Notice the sharp contrast and the lighting at the first image below and the sharp pathway leading to the light in the second one.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/d95feaff-eb64-4f1c-abdf-3e05b8d264c9/61-2.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/1a9f1c87-165d-4f4a-8e37-7c107ca9d97f/61.jpg)
Top 10 Wired Reader Black-and-White Photos #
Ten extraordinary black and white photographs sent to the Wired.com editorial by its readers.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9dd2980f-17f7-4bf4-8efc-134bee46bedd/75-4.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/950d4d51-a6ed-47f0-9b4b-354f0cd2412f/75-5.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/8f69d7f7-1e7c-4d1b-82fe-b20d7c82424b/75-2.jpg)
Michele Clement #
Artistic yet beautiful and extremely powerful shot. Michele Clement is the winner of Black & White Spider Awards 2007 in category “Outstanding Achievement”.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/6e654189-654c-46cf-90d5-1f1593b346fb/12.jpg)
Snyder Alison #
This photo has been taken in South Crillon Glacier, Washburn.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/4bc8f86e-e5ef-4d91-a439-5a9dd9f7de77/45.jpg)
Abbas #
Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami on the hills surrounding the capital, where his film “Taste of Cherry”, which was co-awarded the Golden Palm in Cannes 1997, was shot.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/bc237c07-d782-4357-b972-eebd7bb459c3/comp2.jpg)
Patrick Figaj #
Ceremony.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/4e2892d2-d9af-4a88-92f3-bc013c1a3d18/4.jpg)
Jack Radcliffe #
Alison’s life in black and white photos. The significance of these pictures emerges in retrospect. “When my daughter Alison was born, in the tradition of a new parent, I began to photograph her, initially in a separate and private body of work. However, in the process of documenting Alison’s growth, I developed a passionate interest in human relationships and capturing intimate moments in the lives of family and friends.”
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/3206838b-92f5-4ca2-823c-7ca5f7fcce54/3.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/4a3625df-4aed-4745-a212-94f468252848/3-1.jpg)
Arndt Laude #
Alignment. Sometiems all it takes is to be at the right place in the right moment and take a shot under the right angle. That’s what happened here.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/54b55be6-92dc-422a-bddc-cfb03bb0294a/17.jpg)
Ralph Gibson #
Staircase is an example of Gibson’s high-contrast, minimalist black and white compositions have influenced a generation of photographers. By isolating the essential elements of a scene, his pictures show a style that is unique and immediately recognizable. [via]
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/41ebc7c7-c9f6-471c-bab1-8f746b98823b/44.jpg)
Elliott Erwitt #
Erwitt, an advertising and journalistic photographer known for his black and white candid shots of ironic and absurd situations within everyday settings — the master of the “indecisive moment”.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/a11f9140-a78d-4f2b-bd30-515165cd1030/43.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/d53b6b1b-89c3-495b-abce-16ad9823f392/43-2.jpg)
Roy Mckeown #
Snowy Sheep.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/88ab4661-db07-4248-a1ba-c98054b70eb1/65.jpg)
Adam Hinton #
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/c6ad2462-b89b-4894-b9cd-a5d45e7614ef/13.jpg)
Van Shnooken Raggen #
Two Warehouses.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/49537e9b-9594-4a7a-9ce8-e2d0675ac234/27.jpg)
Drole Deciel #
Smiley.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/357db32b-0b3a-4825-88d0-d27f94870ce6/48.jpg)
Shazeen Samad #
Simple yet excellent composition. This photo manages not just to show something, but to capture a moment of life in all its beauty and vividness.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/e0bc2aed-05ef-432b-a97a-67b18a844fac/60.jpg)
Scott Bush #
Berk-plage - France. What a sky! A really strange squadron: octopus, teddy bear and skates.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/dede9b31-05ed-4598-bff5-1e0608d5c3c2/47.jpg)
Pedro Meyer #
Pedro Meyer shows the life of people across the globe. This photo was taken in Rio De Janeiro.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/20a888a7-8e3c-4433-b9ab-bb2e6b538235/19.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9511b39f-744c-445d-b592-6e31cf83bb9a/19-2.jpg)
Mitch Dobrowner #
Mitch Dobrowner is famous due to his Earth photos.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/6f200881-185e-4d8b-86a5-506f9588f0ed/57.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/f12bb3d6-6778-4de0-b5ff-47f254eddb1b/57-2.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/75d4bbfa-6f78-4ae0-b41f-372b941f06e6/57-3.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/a44a7069-3d2c-4681-bbe4-d578b5ef04c3/57-4.jpg)
Robertino Nikolic #
lighting plays with geometry. Or geometry plays with lighting? The winner of the Black & White Spider Awards 2007.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/26c62c8b-6ea1-465c-b737-a56f0d41817a/15.jpg)
Unknown #
Capturing the right moment at the right point of time.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/e6004d86-9ff7-48b6-922e-6650aa438d7e/74-333x250.jpg)
Bert (Quasebart) #
Perfect timing, perfect lighting. A dreamy shot.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/97bdb9b2-db35-4d58-b14f-f6c413edb223/51.jpg)
Hughes Leglise-Bataille #
That’s a quite unusual perspective for a photograph.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/0ae6b33d-fb6b-4e09-afb3-ef51ff85f3ad/24.jpg)
Santosh Korthiwada #
“No peeping please!” Very powerful, emotional and somehow sad photo.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/48b13ff1-287e-4c89-a0d2-f4e47e08fabc/26.jpg)
Rui Palha #
Rui Palha photographs simple people in simple situations. Result: extraordinary photos of simple things surrounding our life.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/e192fcff-24df-4284-8462-d91ba2f5dd08/rui1.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/c9ab2abb-8402-49c5-90a7-376cf95aa546/rui3.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/5733b23f-ccb5-4fd3-abae-9cca00087e23/rui2.jpg)
Watanabe #
Straws.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9e70818b-680c-4964-a992-fc06ec3331be/38.jpg)
Lauren #
Two Tree Hill. The composition looks very surreal, yet powerful and beautiful.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/6b2699b8-0fdb-4e4c-9b59-627b6599b66c/49.jpg)
G. Diaz Deleon #
Ventana XIV. Geometric minimalism at its best.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/820916ae-b952-4030-a17e-7298c02f1920/50.jpg)
Maurizio Polese #
Escape. Unusual angle, unusual perspective.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/6a7c10c4-252f-4a0a-91c6-f2168f48a5b3/62.jpg)
Jana Stolzer #
Nameless.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/18619be6-90ef-47dc-a5bd-6a7c00aec32a/63.jpg)
Vega Omer #
Struggling to survive.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/aa46b56e-7bab-4bac-9b3e-9f42fff86be3/66.jpg)
Ezra Caldwell #
Dog snout. Sometimes the moments from our life are the most valuable moments we should enjoy and keep in mind.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/16bb7df3-715a-4b84-a751-e39456094603/77.jpg)
Last Click #
Crossing Lines #
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/9b2297a3-2d38-41d0-8267-5cb71807d928/78.jpg)
Classics in Lego #
An illustrative summary of iconic pictures with their pairs of Balakov’s Lego figure pictures which are reconstructing famous moments in the history of mankind.
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/828504f3-5bd6-4bae-b436-f8a6c367a0d1/79.jpg)
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/537ceab5-e94e-46c8-98f2-74f92907f839/79-2.jpg)
Mark Daniel Owen #
I heart you. Do you see what we see?
![Black and White Photography](https://archive.smashing.media/assets/344dbf88-fdf9-42bb-adb4-46f01eedd629/c44c7241-f17e-4a36-963b-9eaf4761e1ca/34.jpg)
Sources and Resources #
- Tribute to Masters of Photography
- B/W Photo Gallery
- 1000 B&W Flickr Pool
- Decisive Moments: Classics in B&W
- The Blanco y Negro - Black and White Flickr Pool
- Noir & Blanc
- Blue and White Excellence Moments
- The Art of Black and White (Hard Cover)
- Ten Truly Inspiring Photographers
- Key Ingredients to B/W Photography
— Comments 393
Amazing! Im First ^^
splendid and i'm the second one to comment ^^