By now, most of you know I love the colors of the ocean, particularly shades of blue. I was recently asked about shooting the ocean in black and white and whether that is worth the effort. I respond with a resounding YES! B&W photography is a powerful tool to creating a desired mood…

While this type of photography foregoes golden sunsets and calming blue oceans, it is particularly wonderful for creating a calming look. I find the best images in this category have a strong (ie: deep black) feature that repeats in some fashion. For example, in the image below, the piles of the pier ground the image and give it a certain strength, even though it is “floating” on water. The two figures and the fishing pole bring a subdued life to the image.

Even shooting waves in Black and White can be rewarding. The surface of waves typically come out quite dark with a nice juxtaposition with the spray. High contrast situations, such as shooting directly into the sun, can result in eye popping images where the white spray on the wave matches the white in the clouds, seemingly bringing together ocean and sky as one. The image below breaks all the “rules” in terms of using light and camera angle, but I find it oddly satisfying as it puts the viewer directly into the face of the wave and gives the feeling that this is a scene that plays itself out hour after hour, day after day but only for those lucky enough to be in the right spot!

So don’t be afraid to experiment as you never know where it may lead. Black and white photography at the beach can be wonderfully rewarding. Just keep an eye out for darker tones in water and land and search for the contrasting whites that will make your images so powerful!