Some handy tips for digital Black and white Photography

1. Always shoot in raw if possible as this gives you more control when you convert the image in applications like Photoshop.
2. Shoot in Colour if you cannot shoot in Raw as photo editor applications are more powerful than in camera conversions. Remember that you shoot in Black and White if you shoot in raw, as although the image on the camera’s LCD display is Black and White, the colour information is still contained in the raw file.
3. Always shoot in the lowest ISO possible, as the conversion to Black and White creates noise, and the higher the ISO the more noise. It is always easier to add noise to an image than it is to remove it.
4. Convert the image to 16 bit before converting the image to Black and White.
5. Shooting in poor light can produce good Black and White images, thus gloomy days are ideal to Black and White.
6. Composition is key, look for tone, shapes patterns and textures as points of interest in your images.
7. Contrast can provide interest for Black and white image, tonal variances are important and can add interest to the subject.