Get great black & white street shots
Street photography is difficult enough as it is, without having to think about shooting in black & white (or converting images in software), so why bother? The answer, of course, is that most classic street and documentary photography was taken in black & white – think of masters of the craft, like Eugène Atget, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Vivian Maier, Daido Moriyama and many more. Sure, there is plenty of great colour street photography too, but there is something about the absence of colour that helps to focus the viewer’s attention on the subject and essential elements of the composition.
Successful mono street shooting is not just about losing the colour, however: you need to learn to think and see in black & white, taking account of texture, contrast, and, of course, the crucial interplay of light and shadow. In this feature we get tips from Brian Lloyd Duckett, a street photography workshop leader and the author of the best-selling 52 Assignments: Street Photography, published by Ammonite Press. Edmond Terakopian meanwhile is a regular AP contributor and former British Press Awards Photographer of the Year. See terakopian.com.
Think negative and positive
In this image by Brian Duckett, the large light
