Shoot B&W fine art

Jacek Durski reveals how to create architectural monochrome masterpieces

Jacek Durski

Based in Katowice, Poland, photographer Jacek Durski focuses on long-term projects exploring sociological themes and architecture. He began photography as a teenager and later graduated from the Academy of Photography in Krakow. His works have received numerous commendations and have been displayed at photography festivals. jacek.durscy.pl

Using monochrome in architectural photography is a common visual strategy that allows the viewer to focus on the form and structure of a building. Colour can often be distracting, so removing it softens any unnecessary elements in the photograph.

The reason why I love this photographic genre is that it never restricts me. In some of my photographs, the viewer knows exactly what they are looking at – it’s an accurate representation of the building and its purpose – but making the photo visually appealing and intriguing is more significant to me. These photographs can be seen as a pure abstraction of the original architecture.

Where I set my focus will depend on the building. Sometimes it’s the whole structure and at others, it’s only a small detail, where I focus on a particular shape, the distribution of lights or the surface texture. That’s why some pictures are in high contrast, almost graphiclike, while others are more subtle.

For me, it’s important to have control over the entire process and tonal range. Even when I used to shoot with an analogue camera and film, I always developed the photos myself. That’s why I would always recommend aspiring photographers should shoot in RAW. This leaves you with more possibilities when editing the images later in post-processing.