Black and White Photography: Black and white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts. They combine black and white in a continuum producing a range of shades of gray. Further, many prints, especially those produced earlier in the development of photography, were in sepia, which yielded richer, more subtle shading than reproductions in plain black-and-white. Learn to see the world in shades of grey and discover the art of black and white photography.