Why and How I ONLY Shoot Black and White Jpegs
Why I Shoot Black & White
I’m 55, and I was lucky enough to grow up before digital took over. My first camera wasn’t anything fancy — it was a Polaroid LandRanger instant camera or something like that. Either way, it was a massive black plastic thing with a revolving flash cube. You’d press the button, manually pull out the photo paper, and the image would slowly appear right there in your hand. No endless takes — you only got eight shots in a pack. You either got it, or, more often than not, you didn’t. I think that’s where it all started — the idea that photography could be both immediate and permanent at the same time. Later came a better camera and the ritual of taking your film canisters to Boots for development — then waiting a few days for either excitement or disappointment. I saw film in its proper heyday, and I’ve still got boxes of my parents’, grandparents’, and my own black-and-white photos tucked away. I’ve looked through them more times than I can count. Those old prints still fascinate me — my father was no photographer; I think his philosophy was that if it stood still long enough, he’d snap it! But it’s a record of the times during the ’50s and ’60s and his military life. There’s an honesty to them that colour can’t always match. It’s all about light, tone, and shape. It strips everything back to what really matters. Even now, I still get lost in black-and-white photobooks — photographers from the past and present. Sometimes it’s just to pass the time with a drink at the end of the day, other times it’s to find new inspiration. Either way, it’s grounding. It reminds me why I fell in love with photography in the first place. Maybe it’s nostalgia, maybe it’s just the way I see the world now, but I’d say 99.5% of my images these days are monochrome. I can probably count my colour shots from the last two years on one hand.
Why JPEG, Not RAW- For Me.
Like so many other people, I love a bit of YouTube. It’s a handy resource — whether for light entertainment or for
learning something new — but it’s all too easy to get suckered into thinking that because someone told you a specific way of doing something, there’s no other way. “I only shoot RAW — it’s the only way to do it properly!” Well, for those people, I say this: I only shoot JPEG. And it’s not the only way — it’s my way. I’m not here to throw fuel on the long-running RAW vs JPEG debate; both have their uses. During my “Larry the Lamb” days of following the herd, I used to shoot RAW + JPEG and convert the colour image later, like a lot of people do. But for me, that defeated the point. I’d already set my live preview so my EVF and rear screen gave me black-and-white output — helping me visualise the image before pressing the shutter — yet I still ended up with a colour file to edit into black and white because I’d been led to believe the JPEG would be no good for editing. I was wrong — or at least, misled. Over time, we all tend to develop our own style. My goal was to get my JPEG images as close in-camera as I could to one of my edited shots, so I had a solid base to start from. And yes, it’s true — RAW files give you more data to work with. If your JPEG settings are miles out, the results can start doing weird and wonderful things once you start throwing sliders around — especially for colour shooters. (Tip: make sure your white balance is right before you start!) I’ve spent a lot of hours learning my camera — what each setting does and how it affects my images. Now I’m not sitting for hours later dragging sliders; just a few gentle nudges here and there, and I’m done. When I press the shutter, I’m committing to how the camera sees my world — my settings, my choices. I trust the camera to do its part because I’ve spent the time to make it behave how I want. My job is to see it right in the first place.
The Settings and Why They Matter
This is where the graft comes in — how you tune your JPEGs to give them the look you’re after. For me personally, I prefer that softer, film-like look. I’m not very keen on clinically sharp or over-sharp images. I don’t want my image to be sharp all the way through — I want it how I see it, with a bit of a roll-off in the distance. Maybe that’s just because my eyesight’s knackered. As we go through, I’ll give you my settings, but remember we’re all individual. We all have our own style, and we all shoot different genres of photography. I shoot mostly landscapes and village scenes; you may shoot street and want a higher contrast look, or you may do portraiture — that’s one genre I’ve never been involved with, mainly because I’m a grumpy middle-aged man who doesn’t do the social thing very well. I prefer my own company. Plus, add in different countries and continents — I’m here in the UK, which is more often than not dull and overcast. You may live somewhere with clear blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine. This will affect the settings you use. It will take time, but you’ll get there. Keep experimenting with your settings, review your images, make adjustments, review again. I’d advise only making one adjustment at a time, then review the new image against your last. That way you’ll understand how that adjustment has affected the image. Just for clarity, I’m currently using a Panasonic Lumix LX100 micro four-thirds camera, so my listed settings are for that. Other camera manufacturers may have more or fewer settings, or they might be named differently.
Picture Style: Monochrome
Some camera manufacturers will label this differently, but they do the same thing. You’ll normally have a few to
choose from, mostly colour profiles — muted, neutral, vivid, monochrome/black and white, monochrome/black and white high contrast. Fujifilm users will have film simulations.
Contrast: I keep it slightly below neutral (around–1) so skies hold detail and nothing looks harsh.
Contrast in a photograph is the difference between the light and dark areas of an image — it’s what gives a photo depth, shape, and separation. High contrast makes shadows deeper and highlights brighter, creating punch and
drama. Low contrast softens the tones, giving a gentler, more even look where details blend smoothly rather than stand out.
Sharpness: Usually around–3. Digital sharpness can look clinical. I want edges to breathe a bit — like a print, not a razor blade.
Sharpness in a photograph controls how clearly edges and fine details appear. Higher sharpness makes textures and outlines more defined, giving the image extra bite, but can also make it look harsh or digital. Lower sharpness softens edges slightly, creating a smoother, more natural or film-like feel.
Saturation: I keep my saturation at 0. Saturation in a photograph controls how intense or vivid the colours appear.
High saturation makes colours bold and punchy, while low saturation mutes them, giving a softer, more subdued look. In black and white photography, if I were to alter this setting, I’d end up with either a sepia or blue/silvery looking image.
Noise Reduction:–5 if the camera allows it. I turn this right down as far as it will go. If I want noise reduction, I use Topaz Denoise or similar software. In my camera, shooting black and white, I don’t mind a little noise — it looks quite nice, almost like a film-grain effect — but this may not be the same for other manufacturers. Noise reduction smooths out the digital noise or speckled texture that appears in digital images, especially in low light or high ISO shots. A high noise-reduction setting gives cleaner, smoother results but can also blur fine details and make the image look plasticky.
Filter: Yellow filter most of the time. What are filters and what do they do? These days, most cameras will have a digital option in the JPEG settings to mimic colour filters for black and white photography. Years ago in the days of film, we’d have screwed these to the front of our lenses for the desired outcome.
Red filter: Deepens skies, makes clouds pop, and lightens reds/oranges. Strongest contrast; can look dramatic or harsh.
Orange filter: A step down from red — still darkens skies and lifts skin tones, but with a more natural balance.
Yellow filter: The all-rounder — slightly darkens skies, adds gentle contrast, keeps tones realistic.
Green filter: Lightens foliage and grass, darkens reds — great for landscapes and portraits in nature.
Blue filter: Does the opposite of red — lightens blues, darkens reds and oranges, often gives a cold, old-film look.
Yellow’s the safe everyday choice; the others are for when you want a stronger mood or tonal shift.
iDynamic: Low iDynamic is a Panasonic-specific setting that automatically adjusts exposure and contrast to keep detail in both bright and dark areas of a scene. It’s essentially the camera’s way of expanding dynamic range in-camera — lifting shadows and protecting highlights so you don’t lose texture at either end. I’m not sure which other manufacturers use an equivalent name, but Fujifilm has a similar feature called Dynamic Range (DR100, DR200, DR400) that works in much the same way. Other brands may have their own versions, but iDynamic is very much a Panasonic-centric tool designed to balance tone and preserve detail straight out of camera.
Highlights/Shadows: I’ll usually drop highlights a stop and lift shadows a touch (+1) to balance the image and stop things blocking up. The highlights/shadows curve controls how bright or dark tones behave at each end of the image.
Highlights: Adjust how bright areas roll off — lowering them keeps detail in clouds or light surfaces; raising them adds sparkle or punch.
Shadows: Adjust how dark areas render — lifting them reveals detail in darker regions; lowering them deepens contrast and mood. Together, they shape the photo’s tonal balance — soft curve for a gentle, filmic look, stronger curve for punch and drama.
White Balance: Auto White balance controls the overall colour temperature of your image — how warm
(orange/yellow) or cool (blue) it looks. In black and white, it still matters because it changes how colours translate into tones: a warmer balance can lighten skin and mid tones slightly, while a cooler balance can deepen blues and darken skies. Even without colour, white balance quietly shapes the mood and contrast of the final image.
ISO: Auto, but I’ve set a maximum of 6400 so it doesn’t go too high. ISO controls how sensitive your camera’s sensor is to light. A low ISO (like 100–200) gives the cleanest image with fine detail and minimal noise — best for bright conditions. A high ISO (like 1600 or above) boosts sensitivity for low light but introduces more grain or noise. In black and white, that grain can actually add character, giving images a textured, film-like feel rather than a flaw. As a side note, a lot of modern cameras handle ISO far better than a ten-year-old camera, so they can reach higher ISOs more cleanly. Doing a simple ISO test — taking an image, increasing ISO one stop at a time, then reviewing your shots — will let you know what’s usable.
Exposure Compensation: –1/3 to -2/3 Exposure compensation lets you quickly make an image brighter or darker
without changing your main settings. Dial it up (+) to brighten when the camera’s underexposing (like in snow or bright skies), or down (–) to darken when it’s blowing highlights (like in bright sunlight or light walls). In black and white, small tweaks in exposure compensation can shift the whole mood — from soft and muted to bold and contrasty.
Zebras: 100%
Depending on your camera’s age and model, you may have a setting called “zebras” or “highlight peaking.” This
basically warns you when your highlights and/or shadows are clipping (losing detail). I have my zebras set to 100%, so when the black stripes appear, I know my highlights have blown out and I need to adjust my exposure. Olympus/OMD cameras will show orange for blown highlights and blue for shadows. If you don’t have these settings, check to see if your camera has a live histogram — it tells you the same information.
Final note: These are the settings that work for me, but they’re just a starting point — experiment, tweak, and make them your own.
Summary
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog and got a little something out of it. Remember, there’s no right or wrong way to shoot. If you love tinkering with RAW files, brilliant. If you prefer to nail it in-camera (or as close as you can), brilliant.
Photography should be about enjoyment — not defending your workflow on a forum or YouTube. For me, shooting black and white JPEGs is about simplicity, honesty, and a bit of old school discipline. I like walking out the door with one intention — to make black and white photographs.
