🖤 Seeing in Monochrome: Shooting Black & White in a Digital World

Black and white photography isn’t just a stylistic choice—it’s a way of seeing. It strips away distraction, distils emotion, and invites the viewer into a quieter, more intentional space. But in the digital age, the question arises: should you shoot in monochrome straight from the camera, or capture in colour and convert later?

The answer, like most things in photography, depends on your intent.

🎯 Option 1: Shooting in B&W In-Camera

Most digital cameras offer a monochrome picture style or profile. When activated, your LCD or EVF displays the scene in black and white, helping you compose with tonal contrast in mind.

Pros:

• Immediate feedback on light, shadow, and form

• Encourages intentional composition and restraint

• Useful for training the eye to see in grayscale

Cons:

• JPEG-only shooters lose flexibility—no colour data to recover

• RAW files still retain colour unless using a monochrome-only sensor (e.g., Leica M10 Monochrom)

• It can feel limiting if the scene later calls for colour nuance

For photographers who value discipline and want to commit to a monochrome mindset, this approach can be creatively liberating. It’s especially powerful when paired with legacy lenses that render with character rather than clinical precision.

🧪 Option 2: Shooting in Colour and Converting in Lightroom

This is the most flexible method. You shoot in RAW, preserving full colour data, and convert to black and white during post-processing.

Pros:

• Maximum control over tonal mapping, contrast, and colour channel mixing

• Ability to revisit and reinterpret the image later

• Ideal for archival work and teaching moments

Cons:

• Requires restraint—easy to over-process or second-guess

• May dilute the original intent if monochrome wasn’t envisioned at capture

For storytellers and educators, this method allows you to demonstrate how tonal decisions shape emotional impact. Lightroom’s B&W Mix panel lets you adjust luminance by color channel—turning a blue sky darker, or lifting skin tones gently. It’s not just editing—it’s sculpting.

🧘‍♂️ The Philosophy Behind the Choice

Shooting in monochrome isn’t about nostalgia—it’s about clarity. It forces you to ask: what matters in this frame? Texture? Gesture? Light? Whether you commit in-camera or convert later, the key is to shoot with intent. Know why you’re choosing black and white. Let it serve the story, not the aesthetic.

For me, monochrome is a practice of enoughness. It’s a way to honour form over flourish, presence over perfection.

🧭 Enoughness: A Definition Worth Living

In a culture that rewards accumulation, speed, and spectacle, enoughness is a quiet refusal. It’s the practice of recognising sufficiency—not as scarcity, but as clarity. It’s not about settling. It’s about choosing.

Enoughness asks: What do I truly need to show up with care? What tools, time, or attention are enough to honour the moment? What happens when I stop chasing more and start trusting what’s already here?

📷 In Creative Practice

For photographers, enoughness might mean:

• Carrying one lens instead of five

• Choosing a camera for its character, not its specs

• Printing fewer images, but sequencing them with intention

It’s not anti-gear. It’s pro-vision. It’s the belief that restraint can sharpen creativity, and that limitations—when chosen—can become liberating.