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What do I mean by a recipe for Black and White photography?
Fujifilm photographers should be familiar with the concept of recipes already. For everybody else, it is a combination of in-camera settings that allows, among other things, to recreate the effects of old analogue films. Something that Fujifilm is very passionate about, having created some of the most spectacular colour films in the good old years.
Frankly, I don't know if this is available with other camera brands as well: it's been a while since I used a camera different from a Fuji or my iPhone. But for every photographer out there, I hope it is because it's a fantastic feature to have. And definitely a reason why I chose to shoot with Fujifilm.
Fuji X Weekly is probably the best resource to start baking these recipes into your photography (see what I've done here?). I can't think of another person as committed to finding the most accurate recipes as Ritchie. His blog is a must-read.
My recipe for Black and White photography is based on one he published in his blog a while ago. I also tried several others, but I think this captures the essence of old film photography exceptionally well.
The Video
And here it is, in full splendour, in my latest video!
It's kind of a Behind The Scenes of my previous Black Lives Matter video, where I used this exact recipe for black-and-white photography.
And here's the direct link, in case the embed doesn't work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mORCKlDnuVA
If you try this recipe yourself, let me know!
Want to try Black and White?
If you want to quickly turn your images into beautiful, dramatic black-and-white photos, I happen to have the perfect solution for you!
Have a look at my NOIR Presets Pack, tested against pretty much every camera brand out there! No, seriously: I asked many friends and colleagues to send me their RAW files to ensure these presets would be bulletproof.
Something I do every time because I would never deliver something of poor quality.
I did a lot of testing while developing these Lightroom presets, and I use them myself when I don't already shoot with the recipe for black-and-white photography I just described. For example, they were used in the photos for the Oxford and Ripley galleries. But also for my Street Photographer of the Year award-winning image (also available to purchase as print).
Grab them from the store!
NOIR — Premium Presets for Lightroom and Camera RAW
12 presets for Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop Camera Raw specifically designed to give your photos a professional Black and White look.
Streamline your editing process with a consistent, professional base in just one click.
- The exact presets I used for my photos exhibited around the world
- Adobe Lightroom, Lightroom Classic (desktop and mobile) and Photoshop Camera Raw compatible
- For Lightroom Version 7.3 and above (.XMP support)
- Includes easy installation guide
- Read the story behind these presets in my blog post here
I'm not sure if there is interest for a series of black-and-white LUTs for streaming. I assume you would rather show yourself in colour, so I made a Fujifilm LUTs pack for OBS, but let me know if you would like these presets to be used for streaming as well.
Thanks for your support! Till next time!
