Over the years we’ve discussed why some photographs are more compelling when converted to b&w and how some processing methods are more complicated than others. And this holds true for landscape scenes, portrait photos, nature images, and other popular genres.

Today’s Lightroom Classic tutorial from photographer Julieanne Kost reveals what to look for before converting color images to monochrome, and then she demonstrates several techniques for converting color to b&w with precision and control. You’ll also learn how easy it is to complete the task of creating a vintage look in the process.

Kost begins In Lightroom’s Basic panel and explains how the Saturation slider can be used to quickly strip all color from a photo. She then notes that “Lightroom has several other tools that will allow us to convert our images with a lot more control. She then proceeds to explain how they work and which option may be best depending upon the specific photo at hand.

The first approach involves using one of Lightroom’s several B&W Presets. These include specific options for portraits, as well as adding B&W Styles. You can hover your cursor over any of these presets to see a preview of what to expect before deciding to applying it. There’s also an icon on the panel that enables you to see the different adjustments that were made. This particular feature can be toggled on or off.

Kost moves on to creating manual monochrome conversions that ignore presets altogether. This approach provides maximum control because it allows you to make important decisions while adjusting an image for the specific effect that you desire. You can opt for soft and moody, compelling high contrast, along with a number other powerful effects.

This process begins by changing the Lightroom profile to Adobe Monochrome for a standard look. You can explore  a variety of other b&w profiles within Lightroom’s Profile Browser where you’ll find options for more or less Contrast and controlling Dynamic Range by lifting or lowering the blacks.

There are even Profiles for emulating the effect that occurs when adding color filters to the front of a lens. And there’s a straightforward method for refining the look according to your taste by making a few simple adjustments.

The video concludes with a step-by-step demonstration of giving your b&w conversion an interesting vintage look that really sets it apart. Sometimes this means adding a vignette, while other techniques involve customizing Saturation and Luminance values to impart a strong vintage appearance.

Kost is an acknowledged expert in all thing Adobe, and we encourage you to visit her instructional YouTube channel where you’ll find helpful videos on just about any post-processing technique imaginable.

We also suggest checking out a related tutorial we featured recently with another image-editing specialist who explains why your b&w photographs are disappointing and how to bring them to life in Lightroom or Adobe Camera Raw (ACR).

It’s been a while since we featured a boudoir photography tutorial and this 10-minute lesson takes a different approach than the high-contrast b&w techniques we’ve shared in the past. Today you’ll learn how to shoot alluring color indoor portraits with available light.

Instructor Brent McCoy specializes in riské imagery without expensive studio equipment, and all you need for this effective technique is a willing model and a room in your home with windows that provide soft, flattering light.

McCoy illustrates his available light methods by shooting three different looks of a beautiful model with simple equipment—all of which rely upon wide aperture settings to capture as much light as possible, with shallow depth of field to accentuate his subject and separate her from the background.

In the first scenario McCoy poses his subject sitting atop the back of a couch and encourages her to position her body “nice and tall” while moving in close to get tighter and tighter shots.  He tells the model how to position her legs and asks her to turn her face in the direction of light streaming through a large window on the left side of the frame.

For look #2 McCoy has the model stand directly in front of the window and slowly move toward his camera position while striking several provocative poses and he clicks away. Then McCoy changes his vantage point to her side and captures some very nice close up profile shots with a completely different appearance

The final setup in the session occurs in the bedroom where there’s another large widow that illuminates the scene with indirect light while he experiments with several poses on the bed. As McCoy directs the model you’ll see why he asks her to slightly exaggerate each pose—some of which are standing while others are sitting or reclining.

You also learn how simple encouragement and compliments make a model more relaxed as she becomes increasingly confident as the shoot progresses. There’s much more to learn about getting started in Boudoir photography with simple equipment on McCoy’s instructional YouTube channel.

And if you want images that are as pristine as possible be sure to watch the tutorial we featured recently with another pro who demonstrates a safe way to clean a camera’s sensor so that your photographs are free from dust spots and other unsightly artifacts.

This hands-on review covers everything you need to know about the Nikon Z 35mm f/1.4, a budget prime lens for Nikon’s Z mirrorless system. It’s a combination of a well-loved focal length and a very bright maximum aperture, and I’m sure it’s caught the eye of travel, event, and documentary photographers already. But how does it perform?

The World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) launched ‘Together in Travel’ at its 2024 Global Summit in Perth, Western Australia, a unique initiative aimed at providing support and resources to small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within the global Travel & Tourism sector.