Monochrome imagery and a minimal aesthetic make a match made in visual heaven. I became interested in photography thanks to visual consumption. Back in 2007, while studying for my BA, an existential tantrum guided me towards creative expression. These always materialised in the form of written text, but I craved something visual as well. I tried learning the basics of drawing and graphic design and I quickly realised those crafts were simply not made for me. Eventually, while seeking some inspiration, I stumbled upon (really, through that site when it was good) the capabilities of the photographic medium.
Photography resonated so much with me because most of the free time I had during my teenage years was dedicated to reading Tolkien books and gaming on my computer; which by the way, I somewhat built myself. In those early 2000's years, hardware and software were both fascinating worlds to me. They kept me so curious, that I even befriended some older folks who were what we now know as hackers. Great guys indeed, and one of them was a photography enthusiast as well. Coincidence? Who knows… As the scientist I am nowadays, I pose there must be something about digital photography speaking to people like myself — geek folks drawn towards tech — into the enlightened world of electronic gadgets.
Photography was my “eureka” moment later on during my grad-student years; and there was something about black and white, but also about what we call “minimal”. Sayings frequently sprout that “less is more”; and like any other mantra, there's pretty much everything unknown. How exactly does one achieve that sweet spot of getting more out of less? The bitter-sweet answer is that there's no recipe book.
Amidst this sad truth on creativity, I'm a bit in the know of how images trigger our willingness to assign meaning to something. And by the way, there's even a bleeding-edge scientific field making progress on “Visualisation Psychology” right now! For this, I recommend reading images — rather than glimpsing them as the mere background of the infinite-scrolling habit — which will make you understand better certain types or genres in photography.
In other words, increasing the quality of our visual nutrition is imperative for us to evolve as photographers. Said that we curated an illustrative set of images that might teach you a thing or two about how to achieve minimal results with the aid of black and white format:









We hope studying these striking minimalist images in black and white get your creative juices flowing!
The Better Black And White Guide will ensure you get high-quality images.









Make sure you take a look at Kent DuFault's Better Black And White Guide. This is a complete step-by-step guide on black-and-white conversions. Which translate into getting everything you need to know about controlling tone and contrast to get the images you want!
Further Reading:
- How to Get a Photograph With a Black Background
- 10 Composition Tutorials For More Powerful Photographs
- 10 Black And White Photographers To Follow On Instagram In 2023
- Capture And Edit Stunning Fine Art Black And White Photographs With These Tips
- 21 Captivating Black And White Photographs That Accentuate Patterns
- How to Get a Film Look With Digital Black And White Photography
- How To Master The Art Of Black And White Post Production