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.
You may want to take a look at our related posts
- (Really) Stunning Pictures and Photos
- 35 Fantastic HDR Pictures
- (Really) Stunning Desktop Wallpapers
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.
Alin Ciortea
Alin Ciortea presents examples of modern street photography. In black and white, of course.
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.
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.
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.
Aneta Kowalczyk
Aneta Kowalczyk specializes in 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.
Nick Brandt
Nick Brandt is a renown animal photographer which has become famous with his book of photographs, “On This Earth”, which was published in October 2005.
Gary Winogrand
Taking a shot just at the right moment.
Larry Louie
Woman Of Tibet. Realism at its best. Awarded with International Photography Awards in 2007.
Gabriele Caretti
Tour Eiffel: extraordinary contrast and perspective. Strong, clean and very precise shot.
Ghost Town Charm
Excellent lighting.
Ansel Adams
One of the most famous contemporary black and white photographers. Classic!
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.
Top 10 Wired.com Reader Black-and-White Photos
Ten extraordinary black and white photographs sent to the Wired.com editorial by its readers.
Michele Clement
Artistic yet beautiful and extremely powerful shot. Michele Clement is the winner of Black & White Spider Awards 2007 in category “Outstanding Achievement”.
Snyder Alison
This photo has been taken in South Crillon Glacier, Washburn.
Abbas
Iranian film director Abbas Kiarostami on the hills surrounding the captital, where his film “Taste of Cherry”, which was co-awarded the Golden Palm in Cannes 1997, was shot.
Patrick Figaj
Ceremony.
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.”
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.
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]
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”.
Roy Mckeown
Snowy Sheep.
Van Shnooken Raggen
Two Warehouses.
Rodney Smith
Rodney Smith has his own understanding of professional black-and-white-photography. Unusual, abstract and surrealistic works.
Drole Deciel
Smiley.
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.
Scott Bush
Berk-plage – France. What a sky! A really strange squadron: octopussy, teddy bear and skates.
Pedro Meyer
Pedro Meyer shows the life of people across the globe. This photo was taken in Rio De Janeiro.
Mitch Dobrowner
Mitch Dobrowner is famous due to his Earth photos.
Robertino Nikolic
lighting plays with geometry. Or geometry plays with lighting? The winner of the Black & White Spider Awards 2007.
Matthias Just
747.
Unknown
Capturing the right moment at the right point of time.
Bert (Quasebart)
Perfect timing, perfect lighting. A dreamy shot.
Hughes Leglise-Bataille
That’s a quite unusual perspective for a photograph.
Santosh Korthiwada
“No peeping please!” Very powerful, emotional and somehow sad photo.
Rui Palha
Rui Palha photographs simple people in simple situations. Result: extraordinary photos of simple things surrounding our life.
Watanabe
Straws.
Lauren
Two Tree Hill. The composition looks very surreal, yet powerful and beautiful.
G. Diaz Deleon
Ventana XIV. Geometric minimalism at its best.
Maurizio Polese
Escape. Unusual angle, unusual perspective.
Jana Stolzer
Nameless.
Vega Omer
Struggling to survive.
Ezra Caldwell
Dog snout. Sometimes the moments from our life are the most valuable moments we should enjoy and keep in mind.
Last Click
Classics in Lego
An illustrative summary of iconic pictures with their pairs of Balakov’s Lego figure pictures which are reconstucting famous moments in the history of mankind.
Mark Daniel Owen
I heart you. Do you see what we see?
Sources and Resources
- Tribute to Masters of Photography
- Black and White 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
- Netdiver Photography
- The Art of Black and White Photography (Hard Cover)
- Ten Truly Inspiring Photographers
- Key Ingredients to Black and White Photography
- Masters of Photography Flickr
haema
September 24th, 2010 1:12 amlife seems but clearer when the colours are removed…
haema
September 24th, 2010 1:17 amLife seems but clearer when the colours are removed… Exceptional shots
CPinedo
September 24th, 2010 9:55 amImpressive works…Thanks for to share
matt86_now
September 26th, 2010 12:27 amwow beautiful i enjoyed n really felt it truly a work of a genius n amazing lighting
Robert
October 8th, 2010 8:12 amWhether or not one likes black and white photography this collection is extremely good. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, or so I have always understood.
It does seem a great pity though that many, whether for or against, have to use four letter words when expressing themselves. In doing so they simply show ignorance of the use of language, and a lack of good manners.
Emo
October 10th, 2010 1:05 amI really think so too=P I have been browsing around the internet for some time today, and its really hard to find anything interesting to read on blogs=) Maybe its because there are too much of them around =) But your website actually keeps catching my attention=P Great posts, and kawai design ^__^. Ill be sure to give it more visits now :P
Arie Lanson
October 14th, 2010 8:40 amThese are incredible pictures that inspire me to be a better photographer than I am right now. Thanks for making this website so freakin awesome!!!!
whiterabbit
November 3rd, 2010 12:20 amniceee…love it! :)
allaroundart
November 8th, 2010 2:52 pmImpresionante!
Raman la parerea mea ca arta alb negru este pur si simplu uimitoare
All Around Art
The Dude
December 8th, 2010 8:38 amI wonder if Elrith took counceling
knecht
December 22nd, 2010 12:51 am“Birds” is not a photo. It’s a Photomanipulation.
here is the link to the author’s page
http://madsky.deviantart.com/art/The-End-19108599
ADARSH.VG
December 31st, 2010 6:48 amwow……. Really amuzing photos…… i like it….
Cary Fuller
January 1st, 2011 9:39 pmAwesome
Vanessa
January 1st, 2011 11:37 pmI’m still a newbie and I love color photography, but glad there is the option to explore both, still, I would so much like to explore digital black & white photography more. There is just something about it. Many times color doesn’t do it and some photos after being captured in color I render them in black and white and am amazed. Street photography scenes though still great in color are really so at home in B&W. There photos are simply beautiful and some really touched my heart.
Joy
January 13th, 2011 5:18 pmWow. These photographs are amazing, and are just freakin beautiful. I’m so glad I kept the url of this page as a bookmark :) and damn, if you don’t like these pictures you are REALLY living under a rock.
josh roza
January 21st, 2011 2:37 pmbringing to reality, signs of the earth and culture i agree time is well worth taking pictures of
letty
January 22nd, 2011 8:25 amI love black and white photography everytime I take a picture I always convert it to black and white and add contrast.Because iv’e got blue eyes black hair and I’m really pale, I think it just looks better with shadows and contrast.TBH.
eve
January 31st, 2011 5:03 ami think black n white phtography is simply beautiful
WOW- it makes things seem so different as compared to colour………..
like living with the unknown:-)
Treadmill Traci
February 24th, 2011 10:07 amI love the photo of the Eiffel Tower. Phenomenal shot!
Thomaz Otero
February 26th, 2011 7:56 pmElrith… you need to get laid babe??? (big time)
Umar
March 3rd, 2011 10:37 pmreally,
all these are very fantastic
i love these
dada
March 11th, 2011 8:33 amawlful pics needs help
Fernando Barão
March 19th, 2011 2:37 pmWonderful pictures. A really inspiration!!!
farid
March 24th, 2011 10:06 amhi
these are gerat.
farah
March 26th, 2011 1:42 amreally nice pictures are this ……… i dont have any word for praise u its amazing
thank you…….
bree
March 26th, 2011 2:23 amI love black and white photography, it takes away the distractions of the colour and focuses on the true beauty shown through the raw emotions.
Look at Sally Mann’s photo and the caption, ‘emotional and beautiful’, this kind of impact wouldn’t be capable is it was a colour photo.
Yes there are some amazing colour photographs out there but none are capable of capturing the same emotions as some of these works.
These are amazing!
EmmaRose.
April 8th, 2011 7:10 amBeautiful, everything’s so clear… almost as if being captured within a dream.
Nijole
April 9th, 2011 6:41 amGreat.Thank you for divide
Brittany Danielle
April 11th, 2011 9:18 amEVERYONE who is arguing about the beauty of life and color and or black and white pics get over it these are extravigent photos but everyone has different views on life it’s not just the way you see it
Ty Berndt
April 15th, 2011 7:52 amWow these pictures bring joy to me, and then some just make me wonder. I love to take photography, and these just gave me some good ideas.
pavan
April 16th, 2011 7:30 pmamazig pictures.
goenawan monoharto
April 19th, 2011 9:06 pmapapun namanya, potret Black & White yang memakai film (kamera analog) tetap yang terbaik. tak bisa dikalahkan oleh foto yang diambil dengan kamera digital
AGA
April 20th, 2011 2:38 pmAmazing!!!
/o/
Ella1983
April 26th, 2011 7:33 pmAs always.
Picture perfect memories.
A single photo itself narrates a long story of life. I have seen lots of beautiful places during my Travel and Tourism courses but I’ve never seen such lovely places the way your photos possess.
elham
April 29th, 2011 1:28 amtanks
all these are very fantastic
the beauty of these photos
Sapam Nandiker
May 17th, 2011 7:06 amThe B&W pictures are worth more than million words.
hardikgdihora
May 19th, 2011 3:31 amyeah uppy very nice intrestng and funy photos i like it.
Chlei Von
May 19th, 2011 5:48 pmwow.. what a inspiring shots they leave..
sunanda haldar
May 26th, 2011 9:28 amI m SPEECHLESS. the world u see in whtever angle is just beauuutiful, every moment sharig meanings of human histry. I just fall in LOVE wth life4 once again nd in PHOTOGRAPHY 4 D 1ST TIME.
Fight For Maria
June 8th, 2011 4:36 amvery good photos. :)
I was wondering, You know the one with the cornfield?
im in a band, and we would really like it to be the background of our album cover?
its all up to you tho. kind regards. Tom xx
Katia
June 9th, 2011 4:09 pmThe “birds” image is by this guy and it is a manip, not a photograph.
http://madsky.deviantart.com/gallery/?offset=72#/dbdkaf
Vanilene de Aro
June 21st, 2011 11:10 pmVery nice, I think I’m going back to my photography hobby one of these days…:D
Mulugeta Ayene
June 30th, 2011 1:09 ami love all B&C pic thank you
cheese
July 4th, 2011 4:56 pmi love cheese
syamalarao
July 7th, 2011 6:02 amis very good pic s ok
Frederik Benny
July 11th, 2011 7:56 pmSo amazing!!
Rafal Maleszyk Fine Art Black and White Photography
July 13th, 2011 1:18 pmThose are very nice photos. A lot of masterpieces, whoever thinks those photos are not worth to be called art is insane, just try to take some yourself and discover for yourself how hard black and white photography is.
Fine Art Black and White Photographer
la fleur noir
July 13th, 2011 1:58 pmmes vriment qulle photo franchment super
Second To Succeed
July 15th, 2011 3:27 pmHi. I thought I would ask a form of a question reguarding Toni Frissell’s picture of the women in the lake. As soon as I saw this picture I knew it had to be used right away. Second to Succeed is my new formed jazz/punk band and it would be an honor to in future cases be able to use this photo for an album. It’s great art and it sends a message of a life that looks as though its about to be given up until a last minute decision comes to mind, that decision is the second chance in life, its the second to succeed.
hannah
July 19th, 2011 4:14 pmThese pics are really cool!! Photography is such a wonderful way to express yourself and black and white helps you becuase you have to look dep inside the picture.
quiet
August 3rd, 2011 8:56 pmthey are wonderful! such beauty
Nauzykaja
August 5th, 2011 4:02 amWith regard to “Birds” – Photographer is known – photo itself is a photomanipulation. You may find shot in question under following link: http://browse.deviantart.com/?qh=§ion=&global=1&q=the+end+madsky#/dbdkaf
(gallery itself: http://madsky.deviantart.com/ )
and his homepage: http://www.fotokritik.com/kullanici/madsky
nashy
August 17th, 2011 9:58 amjust ican say about this pictures are amazing and i love it so much because i love this 2 colors (blak and white) :D
thank you …..:)
nashy
August 17th, 2011 10:10 amjust ican say about this pictures are amazing and i love it so much because i love this 2 colors (blak and white) :D and i think Tour Eiffel picture the best (thats my mind anyone)
thank you….:D
liza
September 11th, 2011 6:14 amI love this photographs
gmj
September 14th, 2011 1:11 pmblack & white shots look great, i also love black & white and nature , so i created a blog those who loves black & white gmjangamaly.blogspot.com
SRIKUMAR
September 22nd, 2011 12:12 amblack and white the two colors are the real colors of earth start with white and ends with black. great picture
qqT
September 27th, 2011 5:03 pmThis is why i love taking pictres.
Loridoll
September 29th, 2011 2:18 pmI recently bought an antique book and inside of it I found a black & white picture of what looks like a caucasian middle aged gentleman in Japan wearing a komono. The back captions read, “Kawakura, Japan August 1930…Does he look sick?” I found this photograph quite intriguing considering the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor occurred not long after this picture was taken….just wondering if there is anyone out there that is interested in this picture, and can possibly tell me more about it??
emy
October 3rd, 2011 7:38 pmspectacular.. really good work guys..it not just about how this photos are amazing in its colour or its subject..but also how smart to inspire us…& yaa black and white are the real colours
zailey fox
October 6th, 2011 2:18 pmkeep it real dude
Gite
October 15th, 2011 12:54 pmYou couldnt be more factual
Duncan Cunningham-reid
October 23rd, 2011 3:45 pmWow,there are some grat photographers out there!.Thanx for sharing flickr.com/photos/davidboily
Efe
October 27th, 2011 3:45 pmReally nice photos mate :) I am also an amateur black & white photographer. will be happy to have your comments . http://bnwp.blogspot.com
Chino Hill
November 1st, 2011 11:58 amHey, i don’t know what other people think, but thank you so much for sharing those pictures with me. I think your a wonderfull artist. And your images are so powerfull and moving.
I’m not much of a photogropher but i stil lwanna say well done and i hope your proud of them because they’re amazing
Chino
xxxx
Ernesto Sarmiento
November 4th, 2011 1:51 pmUn verdadero talento fotografico , realmente exelente
j t white
November 4th, 2011 6:50 pmI love B&W photos. The ones above are great. Could someone help me find a photo I saw in a book 15 years ago. It was a white church in a valley sun lit by a break in the clouds. I thought it was Adams but cannot find it in any of his books. I remember reading the photographer saw it, jumped out of his car, put on red filter, took one photo, than cloud closed up… Thanks
sihem
November 8th, 2011 5:38 amJ’aime le noire et le blanc
sin
November 14th, 2011 3:45 amthe unknown photographer that captured the man jumping on top of the car, is iranian. i can tell by car number.
maryam
November 27th, 2011 8:14 ami like your photo. very nice
nousheen riaz
December 4th, 2011 11:35 pmsuperb……
miliano
December 10th, 2011 3:26 pmthanks for theas biautifull pictures…
Pravakar Kafle
December 12th, 2011 12:57 amAll pics are asom and very nice and meaning full to. I am lovin it to see.
Princess
December 16th, 2011 1:42 pmThat was a frankly great blog post.
Bella
December 16th, 2011 4:22 pmThis black and white photography is amazing!
Anny
December 19th, 2011 11:17 amStunning! Super! Adorable! These photos are very very impressive and I like them very much. Many thanks for the author
Tracey
December 29th, 2011 9:57 amI Love B&W photography. They capture the realness of life in whatever scenario which is portrayed. All these photos brought all different emotions and told many different stories which is credited to each individual who gave us these pictures. Inspiring, gracious and unique. Thank you.
kenneth
February 14th, 2012 11:09 amWow I work with the youth in south Africa, and some of your images hit home, apart for the beautifully ones there are those that make you think, you have a wonderful gift God bless, pastor K
Sedric
March 9th, 2012 7:58 pmThese are some great pictures. I enjoyed looking at them and I am even more excited about becoming a photographter.
Savannah
March 20th, 2012 11:32 amCool! it’s simply mind blowing, breathtaking, and very captivating. I love all the B&W photos here. thanks I ♥ B&W. :D
Inam
June 14th, 2012 9:14 pmi love b&w photograpy
ishantha .w
February 8th, 2013 12:47 pmi’m interesting black and white photos
Ruslan Botsyurko
February 24th, 2013 10:51 pmThe “Birds” picture is by an Argentine photographer Horacio Coppola ;)
Kim Welsh
March 5th, 2013 10:19 pmWhat an amazing collection of black and whites. Some of these I just sat and stared at for awhile. Thanks for pulling these together. Nice job.
shubhechchha budhathoki
March 14th, 2013 7:25 pmblack and white never looked so colorful before
Ramon M. Lindsey
March 19th, 2013 1:43 pmReally amazing work done. I love the Candy Cigarette image very much.
Jerry
May 5th, 2013 1:59 amBlack and white film photography is an artform unto itself. From the capture of the image to the darkroom, these photographers prove themselves true masters of the art. May they always be with us to dig through the apparent and the superficial.
minoo
June 7th, 2013 9:17 pmNice