Don’t get too anxious about whether black & white or color is the right approach. You can create both at the same time with your FUJIFILM X Series camera.
A black & white treatment can give a radically different look to a photo, which lets the viewer concentrate on things like patterns, textures, and shapes. But black & white is not always the correct choice; color is a valid option, too. And sometimes we don’t really know which approach works best until we get home and look at our pictures on the big screen.
© Bill Fortney
This is why it’s often best to hedge your bets and create color and black & white at the same time, so you have plenty of options. There are a few ways to do this:
The Film Simulation Mode Method
Flicking between color and mono is as simple as switching from a color Film Simulation mode (like PROVIA) to a black & white setting (like MONOCHROME or ACROS). Obviously, you can do this manually when you make the picture, and just photograph two different frames, but sometimes there is only one opportunity to capture that ‘moment’.
So, it’s a better idea to use your camera’s Film Simulation mode bracketing, which processes three JPEGs, each with a different Film Simulation mode, from the same shot.
To set this up:
- Set the camera’s drive mode to FILM SIMULATION BKT.
- Then, navigate to the SHOOTING SETTING > FILM SIMULATION BKT.
- Pick three Film Simulation modes, with at least one being black & white and one being color.
Now, as you photograph, the camera will create color and black & white JPEGs simultaneously.
The RAW Method
However, if you are keen on photographing RAW files, then you’re halfway to creating color and mono already. Since RAW files contain all of the sensor data that was recorded, you can easily generate black & white or color versions of the image in post-production from the same original RAF file. Software like Capture One Express (free to download) or Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop lets you pick a Film Simulation mode, so you can select ACROS or MONOCHROME for black & white. You can also tweak the highlight and shadow contrast of the image to exactly the right level.
Your Next Steps
- CHALLENGE Post your five best pictures to social media with the hashtag #MyFujifilmLegacy. You can also submit your work here for a chance to be featured on our social media channels.
- LEARN Download our booklet See the World in Black & White with FUJIFILM X Series
Header photo © David Kingham