You’ve probably noticed the various popular photo styles, presets, and filters out there that give photos a retro look—as if you’d peeled them out of an old, dusty album. We’re fans of these too, and you’ll find some among our presets. You can encounter this vintage look not only in portraits and reportage, but in landscape photos too. But why do some people give fresh green landscapes an autumnal, parched look, like after a drought?

Even though color photos have been around for several decades now, black and white pictures still have their magic. And for that very reason, many photographers clothe their color pictures in more traditional attire. Especially since black-and-white conversions take just a few clicks.

Black-and-white photography can truly evoke a special mood and atmosphere. That’s one reason why it has so many devotees. But black-and-white pictures don’t always turn out how you expect. And yet you just have to respect a few simple rules to get black-and-white photos with a lot more magic.

We see the world in color, and cameras can reliably record the colors we see. Despite this, a black and white conversion will often make a photo better. When does black and white pay off?

Does it sound crazy to you to use a black-and-white preview in your camera instead of color? Try it anyway. This preview will keep your eyes more focused on composition, making it easier for you to notice compositional flaws. That enables you to fix composition errors on the spot, instead of crying over your ruined pictures at home on your computer.