Black and white wedding photos can completely transform how you remember your magical day! Not only does black and white wedding photography provide more of a focus on the emotion of those in the image, but there’s also nothing as timeless as a black and white image.
I shot my first wedding back in 2015 and have been capturing meaningful moments for my couples ever since. While color is great, and I deliver photos primarily in color, black and white will always have my heart.
Within every wedding and session, I always deliver a handful of photos as a black and white duplicate, and more often than not, these black and white photos become the standout favorites for couples.
Keep reading to see some of my favorite black and white wedding pictures I’ve taken to help inspire you for your big day.
Impeccable Details
There’s an opportunity for impeccable details with black and white marriage photos that may not be as striking when in full color. Details like rain and snow are accentuated in black and white images because of the high contrast.
Love this image? Check out more photos from this wedding here!
Focus on Emotions
By desaturating an image, there’s suddenly a huge focus on the emotions of everyone pictured. That includes a lot more than just the couple getting married; even the emotion of the entire room, like the guests at the wedding, evokes more feeling.
Just take the image above, for example; not only do you notice the bride smiling and the groom looking at her lovingly, but you also see the emotion in everyone else sitting in the ceremony!
Impactful Shots
A certain level of impact is added to an image when it’s shot in this way! Because black and white are so contrasting, they really help each other to pop. For instance, the sunlight on the darkness of the wall and even directly on the couple helps the viewer to focus on the subtle details.
Candid Moments
Candid moments are one of the best types of images (and probably my personal favorite) that work beautifully when they’re black and white. The style adds a touch of softness to the image, making it feel even more intimate with a subtle sense of nostalgia.
Behind the Scenes
All wedding photographers work hard to capture every important moment of your wedding, including the early parts of the day when you’re getting ready!
For instance, black and white bride pictures, like the one above, capture a small, sweet moment that most of your guests and family won’t even know happened.
Dramatic Landscapes
Black and white wedding pics can make landscapes look even more dramatic. This is because it really elevates the grayscale tones in an image, making things look more high contrast and accentuating the various textures of the environment.
The photo above is a perfect example with the dramatic contrast of the landscape versus the couple.
Ethereal Portraits
One of the great things about black and white photography is that it can help to create a single focus in an image. When images are edited in this style, they automatically become simpler, helping to give the viewer one thing to focus on while taking away distractions.
This image immediately makes you focus directly on the bride despite the colorful lines on the carpet and in the painting in the background.
Dramatic Shadows
Black and white photos emphasize light and shadow, adding so much drama to an image.
For example, the image above almost makes it feel like we are peering in and seeing this moment between a couple, thanks to the dark shadows of the door that help to frame it.
Close-Ups
Close-ups are one of the most traditional wedding pictures of all time, especially when pared down to black and white. When an image is edited this way, it truly makes it impossible to tell when that photo was taken, making it completely versatile and timeless.
Simplicity Feels Elegant
Black and white photography can make even the simplest of images tell a story with a touch of elegance. Even everyday occurrences, like holding hands, feel completely elevated in this editing style.
The photo above is a great example. In color, sure, this image would have been great too, but there’s a certain level of elegance and tranquility that exists due to the way it’s been edited. It also makes you pay attention to the little details, like the way their fingers touch or the jewel on the ring.
Subtle Statements
Colorful photos can be super fun, but when an image is void of all color, it truly does create a statement and a lasting impact. It forces the viewer to pay attention to the folds of the dress, the ripple in the water, and the emotions on the couple’s faces!
Pure Feelings
Though we touched on feelings a bit earlier, one of the magical parts of black and white photos is that they make a person’s emotions the star of the image. When you remove the color, the most important thing that’s left is the emotion and connection between the couple.
Sweet Kisses
Little moments between couples are perfectly captured in black and white. As mentioned before, not only does it make the image more timeless, but it truly shows the emotion of everyone in the photo, like in the image above.
Plus, images edited in this style have such an emphasis on texture, which is evident by the texture of the background and even the texture of the couple’s clothing.
Creativity Flows
While this may not be what you’d initially think, photographers love being able to edit in black and white. Why? Well, it allows us to capture a moment exactly how we see it instead of exactly how the world may see it.
What this means is that it allows us creative freedom to interpret every bit of the image how we remember it at the moment, down to the glare of sunlight on the wall!
Spotlight Moments
Your wedding day can be very overwhelming and it can sometimes feel like you don’t get a moment alone with your partner.
The shadows created by these spotlight moments can make it feel like you two were the only two people in the world and help you remember those smaller moments on your special day.
Eye Catching
Editing photos in black and white not only draws your eye to the couple but can also make it feel like there is nothing else in the picture.
Take this picture, for example. Even with the background blurred out, your eyes would still be somewhat drawn to it if it were in color. But, in black and white, you almost don’t even notice that there is a background until you really look for it. This can ensure that you are the main focus in every picture.
Intimate Moments
Without bright, vibrant colors, black and white photos pull your attention and make you focus on the little details and the story unfolding in the image.
With darker shadows over most of the image, your attention really gets drawn into the emotions and body language of those in the photo. This gives you a much more intimate feel in each picture.
Stark Contrasts
Black and white photos can really make you and your partner stand out. For example, there’s a darkness in texture in the background of this photo with the trees, but you don’t really notice it at all.
The stark contrast between the mostly black background and the lighter foreground draws your eyes right to the main focus and not everything else going on in the photo!
A Touch of Curiosity
Black and white imagery helps to add a touch of curiosity to a moment in a photo! It makes you wonder exactly what they were doing, thinking, or even feeling in any given moment that was captured on camera.
Vintage Feel
Black and white wedding photos automatically have an elevated vintage feel added to it. Of course, some photographers might add to this by adding some grain to the photo to give it even more texture and evoke a certain feeling.
If you’re a lover of vintage vibes, then black and white wedding images should be on your list of shots for your big day.
Hopefully, this post has inspired you and shown you that black and white wedding photos can truly help to elevate your memories of your big day!
If you’re still searching for your perfect wedding photographer (and love black and white images as much as I do), click here to learn more about my wedding services and set up a quick consultation.
