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Black and White Versus Color: Which do You Like?
By Katherine | November 23, 2008
I’ve had conversations with people who tell me that they love black and white photographs; they love the elegance and simplicity of black and white images. There are others, who claim that black and white images are boring, lack depth and can look a bit “cheesy.” So when people ask me what I prefer, black and white, or color, I have to honestly say that, “it depends.” It depends on what feeling a photograph is trying to convey. There are some photos that suit themselves so well to black and white images and I can’t imagine them in color. Other times, a scene is so naturally colorful that it almost seems sacrilegious to shoot them in anything but color. I will tell you, honestly, up front, that my first love is black and white photography so I am naturally biased. I beleve that black and white photographs do a better job of conveying feelings and a sense of drama long after you walk away from the photo. But I also don’t think that a single size fits all and this has never been more true than in the art of photography. I do believe that there are scenes and subjects that lend themselves better to one format over the other, but this is part preference, intuition and likewise, the skill of the photographer.
As a general rule, for myself, I choose black and white, over color if:
- The scene is naturally monochromatic. If there isn’t a lot of color to begin with, often times, the photo will look more dramatic if you remove what little color there is, and shoot for the drama that black and white can offer. For example, the first set of photographs below, there is very little color (the blue of the water, the browns on the dock and the white in the rope). There are too few colors to really make this image pop. So instead, I shot for the drama of black and white. The scene is simple, almost zen like, so the simplicity of the image itself also lends itself well to black and white.
- Weather conditions, such as fog or strong overcast weather, are such that the color are dulled due to lack of warm light. Now this one is a got’cha because on some days when the skies are all cloudy all day (yes, that song is in my head), the weather can be perfect for taking macro shots of flowers and other objects.
- Portraits, in which black and white photography can add drama or a sense of elegance that I’m looking for. Sometimes, when photographing children their innocence lends itself well to the monochromatic look of black and white. But I will state that some of this also depends on client wishes and the personality of the subject that I’m photographing. I would never think of photographing my dog, for example, in black and white, because he’s colorful in both looks and personality. Perhaps a lame example, but it’s an accurate assessment,
I never use black and white if the whole point of the photo is to show off the color of the subject. If the subject is bright and colorful and there is color contrast (contrasting colors) there seems little point in diminishing the importance of color by converting a photograph to black and white. It doesn’t make sense.
In the end, what you gravitate towards, black and white or color, is strictly based on preferences and biased observation. But as a photographer, I think you owe it to yourself to give your best to both worlds to find your passion and play up your talents.
Check out the photos below to see what you think.
Happy shooting!
The first photo below was shot in color, but converted after the fact, to black and white. Depending on your bias, you’ll have a preference to one over the other. For me, hands down, the black and white version is much more dramatic.
Topics: General | 10 Comments »
November 23rd, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Nice photo sets. I think color is more forgiving than B&W. B&W needs to be done well in order to look good. I like your B&W shots.
November 24th, 2008 at 6:02 am
Personally, I like B&W only for certain shots. Many photos just don’t carry the drama without the color.
On the other hand, when you find one that does, like the snow scene above..look out! That’s a “wow” shot!
November 24th, 2008 at 10:36 pm
Hey Rick, good to see your name here! Thanks for the compliment. You’re right in that B&W definitely needs a lot of tones to make it work. It’s not something you can fake.
December 4th, 2008 at 3:59 pm
I LOVE black and white. I wish you posted more here. I like the photos.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
I think B&W is actually more forgiving than color. I prefer it for most shots, unless the color is adding something specific to the photo.
December 6th, 2008 at 12:30 am
Both color and B&W are great shots. Beautiful. What kind of a camera do you have? Must be a nice one. Anyway, I like both, but probably learn more toward color.
December 7th, 2008 at 12:50 pm
Your B&W Yosemite photo is VERY Ansel Adams. The way you captured the depth of the hills and the relation of the foreground to the background reminds me of his work quite a bit.
December 7th, 2008 at 8:00 pm
Hey Genna, thank you! He is my inspiration. No one really does it better than Ansel. Can’t wait to check out your work as well. thanks for coming by.
January 30th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
I hope you’re off doing something FANTABULOUS!
February 27th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Creole, my FANTABULOUS doesn’t come until August!
But I hope to be back soon. Thanks, as always, for stopping by.