Simple tips to take better monochrome pictures. All pictures shot on RICOH GR II, with ERIC KIM MONOCHROME preset:

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1. Shoot with a flash during the day

Shooting with a flash during the day will darken the background and simplify the scene. I shot this in program (p) mode with RICOH GR II, with the tiny pop-up flash. This helped bring out the details in the flowers.

2. Negative space

Give your photo some negative breathing space, to allow your subjects to move through the frame.

3. Space out your subjects or elements in the scene

Note the negative space between each of the tree trunks.

4. Gritty textures

Photograph gritty textures and look for faces in them!

5. Diagonal composition

Start with a simple white background, and put in an arm or a visual element, and make it diagonal!

6. Shoot with a flash against the sky

If your subject is in the shade, experiment using a flash and when shooting against the sky. You can create a cool surreal look, like this plant against the sky (juxtaposed with a skyscraper).

7. Simple triangle composition

Look for triangle elements and shoot them!

Also note how great the RAW Ricoh photos look with ERIC KIM MONOCHROME preset:

8. Fibonacci spiral

Look for Fibonacci spirals, especially with nature like nautilus shells.

9. Tilt your camera

To make a dynamic diagonal composition, all you gotta do is tilt your camera!

10. Minus exposure compensation

Shoot surreal photos from a low angle, and use minus exposure compensation to make more mysterious photos.

And often if you shoot a lot, you’ll get lucky with “the cherry on top” in the background!

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11. Keep it simple

Making simple photos is hard. What we should strive towards is to make simple and elegant compositions.

Silhouette your subjects:

12. Silhouette/outline of your subjects

If you obscure the faces of your subjects, the photos will look more surreal and interesting!

13. Arrows

Simple idea: just photograph arrows!

14. Look for eyes

Even in buildings!

15. Epic light

If you see good light shining off surfaces, shoot it!

And try to compose your scenes with a balanced and elegant composition:

16. Shadows

Look for simple lines and shadows.

Keep it simple, natural, and look for “beauty in the mundane”:

17. Experiment

Experiment shooting with a flash through a window, and try to get all the visual elements (circle, triangle, lines) to balance:

18. Fill the frame with fun and action!

Photograph action, movement, hand gestures:

19. Epic landscapes

Get really high up and shoot epic landscapes. My favorite is Sapa, Vietnam for the mist, clouds, and views:

And try to get people in the road:

A simple segmentation of the composition:

20. Layers

Get simple layers with multiple subjects:

Use black space to block out distracting elements.

21. Photograph surreal faces (masks)

Shot with a flash of a Korean face mask:

22. Photograph things in motion

Don’t just photograph static things. Photograph moving things too!

23. Spooky buildings at night

Try to capture emotion and mood in buildings, like a spooky feeling:

24. Aim your camera downwards toward the street

Generally if you want to simplify your compositions, aim your camera downwards to have less clutter on top of the frame:

25. Shoot thy selfie

Honor thy selfie by shooting yourself. Experiment with a flash and different reflective surfaces.

Or do a personal documentary, by shooting yourself in hotel rooms or other places, and also include your loved ones in the pictures.

Just experiment and have fun with it:

Or you can always have your loved ones to shoot you, like this portrait of me by Cindy:

Conclusion

Make photos you enjoy looking at, and photos which convey your own emotion, mood, and soul with others:

And when in doubt, remember our #streettogs motto:

JUST SHOOT IT.

ERIC