If you're photographing kids running around or cycling off on their bikes, it gives you that little bit of extra reach without losing conversational space, which is where you get interactions and expressions. 'With the 85mm, you can still be close enough to interact but you've also got beautiful perspective. 'The Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM is the traditional portrait lens and a particularly flattering focal length that I love,' says Helen. It's really extraordinary, great in low light and for photographing fast-moving children at wide apertures. 'The sublime Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM is one of the best lenses I've ever used. Shooting with a fast prime allows you to really get to grips with wide apertures,' she says. I love to shoot using a single fixed focal length as I find that the constraints actually enhance my creativity, forcing me to move my feet and explore different angles and approaches. 'I always recommend people start with a prime lens for portraits. black and white portrait of asian girl - black and white.

black and white stock pictures, royalty-free photos & images. She often pairs her Canon EOS-1D X Mark II with a Canon EF 35mm f/1.4L II USM or Canon EF 85mm f/1.4L IS USM lens. Browse 3,268,556 black and white stock photos and images available, or search for black and white portrait or black and white photography to find more great stock photos and pictures. Helen has been photographing solely in black and white for 17 years and uses prime lenses such as the Canon RF 50mm F1.2 L USM and the Canon RF 35mm F1.8 Macro IS STM on her Canon EOS R5. 'I use prime lenses, so I don't want to swap them all the time while I'm shooting, but I want the flexibility of more than one focal length,' she says. Helen prefers not to change lenses while shooting portraits, so she shoots with one camera in her right hand and one in her left. Choose the best lenses for black and white portraits Working in Monochrome mode helps me to focus on graphic elements, which are hugely important in black and white images.'ĩ. I like to be able to see the exposure changes and find this makes me more experimental, particularly with complex lighting such as rim-lit images or partial silhouettes.

'It really helps me compositionally and means that I don't have an extra layer between the image in my head and that in front of my camera. 'Shooting black and white with the electronic viewfinder of the Canon EOS R5 has been a game-changer for me and allows me to 'see' in black and white,' says Helen, who always sets her camera to Monochrome mode. If you're shooting RAW, the colour information is retained, so in post you still have the option to revert to colour or convert to black and white.

The Monochrome mode in the Picture Style settings on most EOS cameras, including the Canon EOS R5, enables you to shoot in black and white. Black and white photography is very different from shooting in colour, so Helen advises taking advantage of any settings your camera offers to help you immerse yourself into it.

Black and white images