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Black and white images have a charm of their own. Recently, their usage in various design forms has been on the rise, especially in digital media. Free black and white photos complement the minimalist form of design and provide a passive viewing experience to the user. Designers often use these images to draw attention to a specific object or product.
While many may argue that anyone can convert an image to black and white using online tools or Photoshop, the reality is different. Creating a pixel-perfect black and white image involves much more than just applying a filter. You need to carefully adjust color balance, brightness, contrast, light, and shadows to achieve the desired effect. We have collated some of the most stunning black and white stock photographs to save you this effort, which you can use for free.
Editors Note >>
Not every designer chooses free images because they sometimes associate ‘free’ with a lack of quality. However, it’s worth mentioning that you can get free images with a trial subscription on some of the large stock suppliers like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock. Head over to these large portals and discover more great black and white images that are top quality for your next design.
1. San Fransisco Bay From the Water
One of the best ways to start the list is to take an iconic landmark and see its image in black and white. This image is of the famous San Francisco Bay. The photographer captures the bridge from a low angle, making it look bigger. The city skyline rises in the background, with tall skyscrapers piercing the cloudy sky. The flowing water is also beautifully captured. You can use this as a background image whenever you want to visual reference to San Francisco.
2. Zebra on Black Background
Zebras are naturally black and white-colored. Photographing and editing these features can further enhance them, making the subject look stunningly beautiful. This image captures a half zebra in its full glory of black and white. There is ample black space on the left which you can use to add a caption or other design element as per the need.
3. Girls Face with Bright Eyes
Human portraits can be made to look really powerful by converting them into black and white. This is exactly what the photographer has done with this image. Taking a photograph of a small girl, the photographer has darkened most of the image and added a special glow to the eyes. This renders them fierce, and it seems she is looking right through you. Such free black and white photos can be widely used for social cause designs, as the image is powerful and emotionally striking.
4. Chess Board Game
Usually, the elements of chess come in black and white color. However, the photographer has managed to augment this chess feature through this stunning photograph. The entire chessboard is well set, each piece in its position with the game about to begin. The background is darkened, and the only light is needed to glow the chessboard. While this image can be used for chess-related designs, it can also be used for corporate and strategy-related designs.
5. Cheetah Closeup in Black & White
Mesmerizing! One cannot just stop looking at this image. The photographer has done a brilliant job capturing this in-camera cheetah look. Then the image is very nicely edited to make it black and white. It does not matter whether the photo was taken in the daytime or nighttime, as the background is made completely dark, and focus is given just on the cheetah’s face, making it look deadly.
6. Black & White Detailed Photo of Leaf
Nature is full of patterns. One such example is the patterns in the leaves. Originating from the stem, the veins move out towards the counterpart of the leaves. This photo captures the detail very well. Converting the photo into black and white further enhances these details, revealing strong white lines across the leaf. You can use this image as an attractive background or highlight its unique pattern in your designs. Free black and white photos like this add depth and texture to creative projects.
7. Greyscale Photo of City Buildings
The list of black and white images will be incomplete if it does not include this stunning image of the city landscape in greyscale. First, the bustling city is captured from the top of a building or a drone. This gives a wider view of the city. Then it is converted into black and white, and hence the structures nicely converge. This image can be easily used as a background image to depict the city or for corporate and management level websites and digital designs.
8. Jesus’s Crucifixion Image
Moving from the grand city to religion, we have the next photograph in the form of an installation of Jesus’s crucifixion. This is a common installation found in most churches and even homes. But what makes this image unique is how the photographer has used the light and shadows. The background is kept a lot darker, and light is shown upon the main body part. This image can be easily used for church and other related designs.
9. Metro Roof Texture
Often, black and white images are used just for the texture they can provide. This image or a metro roof is one good example of that. It is hard to tell what the image is about by just looking at it. The prominent part is the amazing pattern that has been formed. You can use this image in overlay behind any background to use the texture or pattern for your design.
10. Business Partnership Photograph
One of the highly used stock images captures two business partners shaking hands to validate their partnership or signing a deal. The photograph is then converted into black and white, focusing on the handshake. This image is a must-have for all designers as they can use it for any corporate or business-related design.
11. Amazing View of Taj Mahal
Beautiful! No wonder the Taj Mahal is part of the seven wonders on Earth. This black and white photo captures the full glory of this architectural marvel. The photo seems to be taken in the early morning time as there is a good amount of fog behind the structure. You can enhance the image and use it for travel-related designs.
12. Computer Keyboard Closeup
Computer keyboards are something we use almost every day. Some use it throughout the day but never have we ever got this perception of the keyboard. The laptop seems to be of a Mac and is backlit. The photograph captures the light beautifully. Digital media agencies or designers can use this image in computer-related designs to represent their field of work.
13. Geometric Structure
Who does not like symmetry? And for those who are obsessed with perfect symmetry, this photo will come across as a favorite one. The photo captures the ceiling arrangement but in a perfect geometric arrangement. The photo looks too good to be true, but one must credit the photographer for taking such an amazing photo. You can use this image for architecture or interior design-related applications.
14. Chess Piece on a Pattern
While the first chess image was of the entire board, this photo is far more creative. The photographer captures a flat top shot of a pawn lying flat on a chessboard. The image may seem artificially created, but one look at the light and shadows, and expert eyes can validate that this is a photograph. Designers can smartly use such free black and white photos to represent leadership, management, or strategy in their designs.
15. Horse Alone in the Forest
A strong white horse grazing around alone in the forest – this image is quite profound. By converting it into black and white, the designer has further made the horse stand out in the backdrop of the forest. You can use this image to showcase the characteristics of the horse. A different approach can be focusing on the horse alone.
16. Paralympics Athlete Running
Watching the Paralympics itself is highly inspirational as people with disabilities overcome them to showcase amazing sports talent. This photo captures one such moment of the Rio 2016 edition. The sprinter is running with prosthetic legs.
17. Man Standing at Window
This is an outstanding image that uses the light coming from the window very well. A man is standing just facing the window, and the photograph captures his silhouette and the window frame. The image has a lot of creative elements to it and also has a lot of black space.
18. Diverse Hands Holding Each Other
Diversity has been a rising trend even in graphic design. As a designer, you now need to ensure that your designs are as inclusive as possible. This image of two people of different skin colors and races holding hands to express solidarity is a powerful example. Designers can effectively use free black and white photos like this in designs that promote the cause of diversity.
19. Long Road Ahead
Landscapes can look picturesque in black and white, as seen in this image. The photograph captures a long stretch of straight road with just one car visible on it. Mountains surround the road, creating a scenic view. You can take this image, edit it a bit if needed and use it for backgrounds in travel-related designs.
20. Amazing Lion Photograph
The lion earns its title as king of the jungle, and this image shows you why! Credit to the photographer for capturing the lion in such a splendid way. Converting the image into black and white further accentuates the lion’s features. You can show royalty, intensity, leadership, and a lot more other aspects using this image alone.
21. Lonely Tree in the Forest
Nature conveys powerful messages in design. For example, this photograph of an old dying tree strongly represents loneliness. More importantly, it raises awareness about global warming or climate change. You can download the image in high resolution, and with ample space at the top, you can easily add text or design elements.
22. Low Angle Shot of an Airplane
Taken from a low angle, the photograph shows towering buildings with a plane flying between them and a few clouds in the background. You can use free black and white photos like this to convey themes of travel or corporate life. With plenty of dead space at the top, this image is also ideal for website headers.
23. Women Sitting Underwater
The photographer has captured a powerful image through this entire composition. There is a lady underwater. Light is piercing through the water from above while she stays underwater. You can use this image to convey the emotion of being lonely or lost. Mental health-related designs can always use such good-quality stock images.
24. Child Holding a Gun
Gun violence has become a heated topic across the globe and especially in the US, as it witnesses increasing cases of kids misusing guns. This photograph shows a kid pointing a gun at someone. Although the kid’s face is defocused, his face and eyes clearly show strong emotions. The focus of the image is on the gun. You can use this image for child-related topics or gun violence.
25. Time Lapse Shot of City
Time-lapse photographs can look really beautiful if executed in the right manner. The photo here captures the time-lapse of a city. The wide shot of static buildings highlights the motion of the clouds. That combined with high-level editing has transformed this image into an amazing creative landscape of a city. You can use this image to depict city life for business or corporate-related designs.
Finding high-quality black and white images for free can be a challenging task. Hence we have compiled some stunning-looking images for you to use. This list covers free black and white photos of nature, cities, patterns, and people. As all the images mentioned here are free to download and available in high resolutions, it will be a good idea for designers to bookmark this blog post.
