P#10 Q5: What Are Some Great Tips for Taking Black and White Photography of Babies?

It's All Black and White

Carrie Sandoval: Yes. I am a total black and white photography junkie! I adore black and white. I think I've become known for my black-and-whites. That's why you don't see much color on my website. I just think it's clean -- it's classic.

There's a well-known quote that sums it up, in my opinion, perfectly. The quote is, "If you're photographing in color, you show the colors of their clothes. If you choose black and white, you will show the color of their soul."

Audri Lanford: Oooh!

Carrie Sandoval: I know. Pretty deep!

Audri Lanford: I love it!

Carrie Sandoval: That's how I feel. I know everyone has their own opinion.

When I'm staring at a color photograph, I find myself commenting on the beautiful colors. Don't get me wrong. I love color photography as well. But with black and white, I can stare at it forever. I can stare at it longer and see into their eyes and into their soul. The quote just totally puts it together for me.

Audri Lanford: I love that.

Carrie Sandoval: I also know that in many, many of my newborn images, the babies are sleeping so their eyes are closed. To me, that just signifies their deep sense of comfort and peace.

Audri Lanford: How about some tips about taking great black and white photos of those babies?

Carrie Sandoval: Again, it goes back to the light. I highly recommend rotating your subject and making sure the baby's head is closest to the light source - the window, for instance. I'm always using a window for my light source.

If you have the shadow placement just right, the black and white will just fall into place. The shadows are what will give you the good tonal range.

I like high contrast, too. That's just a curves boost when using Photoshop.

In Summary

It seems that black and white photography is the way to go if you want to capture not just the image of a baby, but the soul as well. The quote Carrie refers to may very well explain why her black and white photography of babies seems to capture the true essence of everything a newborn is.