The Art of Black & White Photography: Cemhan Biricik

Stripping Away the Obvious

Color seduces. A sunset tricks you into thinking the photo is good just because the sky is orange. Black and white removes that crutch. What remains? Light, shadow, form, and emotion. Nothing else.

After my skull fracture in 2007, the way I perceived contrast changed permanently. Shadows became deeper, highlights became brighter. Black and white photography became my natural language — a way to translate what my altered vision sees into images others can feel. This experience shaped my entire photography philosophy.

Seeing in Monochrome

The hardest part of black and white photography is learning to see without color. Here is how I trained my eye:

• Squint. When you squint at a scene, colors fade and you see tonal values — where the lights and darks fall. If the tonal contrast is weak, the scene will not work in B&W.
• Look for texture. Rough stone, weathered skin, wet pavement, fabric folds — texture becomes the star without color to compete.
• Find strong shapes. Geometric shadows, silhouettes, leading lines — these elements carry monochrome images.
• Use your camera's B&W preview. Set your EVF or LCD to monochrome while shooting RAW. You see in black and white but capture in color.

The Conversion Process

It Starts in Camera

I expose for highlights in B&W work. Blown highlights in monochrome are unforgivable — there is no color data to distract from the loss. I would rather have deep shadows that I can lift than white voids with no detail.

In Post-Processing

I never just desaturate. That produces flat, lifeless monochrome. Instead:

1. Use the HSL channel mixer — control how each color translates to gray. Red lips can become light or dark depending on the mood you want.
2. Push contrast selectively — I use luminosity masks to add contrast where the eye should go.
3. Add subtle grain — not noise, but film-like grain that adds texture and nostalgia.
4. Dodge and burn locally — the way Ansel Adams did in the darkroom. Guide the viewer's eye with light.

When to Choose Black and White

Not every photo belongs in monochrome. I convert to B&W when:

• The colors in the scene are distracting or ugly — mixed artificial lighting, cluttered backgrounds
• The emotional weight demands it — grief, solitude, intensity
• The composition is geometric — strong lines, patterns, shadows
• The subject has incredible texture — weathered hands, old buildings, tree bark
• I want timelessness — B&W removes temporal cues. A well-shot monochrome image could be from any era.

Some of my most recognized portfolio pieces and award-winning photos are in black and white. It strips the ego from the photographer and puts the subject first.