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Is Black and White photography better?

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davel33 said:
David Pavlich said:
This shot was boring regardless of how I processed it in color. But, in B&W, it takes on a whole different character. Because B&W deals with contrast, a so so color shot can take on a new life in B&W because it's much easier to manipulate contrast than it is color.

Shot a month after Covid pretty much shut down Winnipeg.
Shot a month after Covid pretty much shut down Winnipeg.

David
Click to expand...
damn I like this shot, thank you.
Click to expand...
Thanks for your kind words! I have a 16X24 in my living room. :-)

David

--
The hardest part about being a vegan is getting up at 5AM to milk the almonds.
Viewbug: https://www.viewbug.com/member/David_Pavlich
 
That’s what it’s all about! Nice photo, well done.
 
DMKAlex said:
If B&W was better, God would have made the world B&W.

People think it's better because . . .

- Nastalgic

- Rarity in the sea of color

- Because it's old

None of these is an element to determine if it's better.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I don't buy that... I think that there's a lot more to B&W than simply nostalgia and tradition. I shoot primarily in B&W and it's not for either one of those reasons. I see it as just another way of seeing things that emphasizes different aspects of a scene. The idea that it is or isn't better than color is really a false dichotomy, it's simply a different medium. Some artists work with charcoal or graphite and others work in paint, it doesn't make one better than the other...
 
Wanted to add one of Fav's







--
"Just one more Lens, I promise....."
Dave
 
Rambow said:
I have loads of black and white family pictures.

That's because in the old days color film was either too expensive or simply not available.

Technical reasons are also why photography started out in black and white only.

Many of the images we consider iconic today were taken in B&W.

Also B&W photography has a certain look about it, that's for sure.

But today color is free and it's not a limiting factor anymore, you can even tweak colors to suit one's taste.

So why do some people still shoot in Black and White? Is it about art or tradition? Is it about being different? Or does it have something to do with focusing on shapes and light rather than color, which is perceived as a distraction from the true meaning of a given image?

Please explain.
Click to expand...
Oh it's very interesting and, at the same time, something probably very subjective! B&W is minority on my photos, but at the same time, some of my favourite ones are in b&w! :-O That could mean I should try it more, I guess! haha

Now, I don't manage to elaborate well on why a photo appeals more to me on b&w or colour. But I notice that, sometimes, the sheer form of the subject(s) and/or the the contrast between the subject(s) overcome the colors on the scene. That, maybe, makes for b&w being more interesting to register in an image! It's just a simple thought.

This scene caught my attention last year and it was one of the few times that maybe I could say I "thought b&w" even before taking the shot.

 

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David Pavlich said:
This shot was boring regardless of how I processed it in color. But, in B&W, it takes on a whole different character. Because B&W deals with contrast, a so so color shot can take on a new life in B&W because it's much easier to manipulate contrast than it is color.

Shot a month after Covid pretty much shut down Winnipeg.
Shot a month after Covid pretty much shut down Winnipeg.

David
Click to expand...
Wow, wonderful capture, David!
 
PHAER said:
David Pavlich said:
This shot was boring regardless of how I processed it in color. But, in B&W, it takes on a whole different character. Because B&W deals with contrast, a so so color shot can take on a new life in B&W because it's much easier to manipulate contrast than it is color.

Shot a month after Covid pretty much shut down Winnipeg.
Shot a month after Covid pretty much shut down Winnipeg.

David
Click to expand...
Wow, wonderful capture, David!
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Thanks for your kind words! It's one of those shots that becomes a reminder of an event, this one, the nearly empty city of Winnipeg during the first month of the Covid onslaught.

David

--
The hardest part about being a vegan is getting up at 5AM to milk the almonds.
Viewbug: https://www.viewbug.com/member/David_Pavlich
 
Thats AWESOME :) thanks
 
PHAER said:
[...]

Click to expand...
When I first viewed this shot, the drama of the sunbeams and the contrast in the clouds struck me immediately. Only later did I notice there was a building and trees in the foreground.

If it were color, that first impression would've been different and maybe not as striking. Maybe the building is pink and would distract from what you were trying to capture...

--
-Jeremy
*********
"Rudeness is the weak man's imitation of strength."
-Eric Hofer
 
DMKAlex said:
If B&W was better, God would have made the world B&W.
Click to expand...
(posting as a member)

That is a narrow-minded viewpoint, but a lot of statements based in religion are like that.

DMKAlex said:
People think it's better because . . .
Click to expand...
Re. the below, I can't speak for others, but I can speak for myself:
DMKAlex said:
- Nastalgic
Click to expand...
Maybe a little bit.
DMKAlex said:
- Rarity in the sea of color
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
DMKAlex said:
- Because it's old
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
DMKAlex said:
None of these is an element to determine if it's better.
Click to expand...
Do yourself a favor and read (with an open mind) the rest of the thread. If you still think it has to do with how God (or evolution) designed our eyes, so be it.

Another way to think of it: Have you ever seen one of those fabulous astronomy photos, then read the background, and found out that it was taken with some filter or over a different wavelength using special instruments, without which we would have not seen it at all? You will write that off because God didn't originally design us to see it? Do you really feel that the light wavelengths over which our human eyes should limit what we are able to see, if our technology lets us see more?

What I wouldn't give to smell and hear like a dog can! I've read that dogs see in B&W past a certain distance. For them, vision is a lesser sense; they size up a scene mostly by sound and smell.

It is true that we sometimes get in trouble from doing things we are not evolved to do, like flying or traveling at speeds over 25 mph, but I don't think this is one of those things.
 
Smaug01 said:
DMKAlex said:
If B&W was better, God would have made the world B&W.
Click to expand...
(posting as a member)

That is a narrow-minded viewpoint, but a lot of statements based in religion are like that.
Smaug01 said:
People think it's better because . . .
Click to expand...
Re. the below, I can't speak for others, but I can speak for myself:
Smaug01 said:
- Nastalgic
Click to expand...
Maybe a little bit.
Smaug01 said:
- Rarity in the sea of color
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
Smaug01 said:
- Because it's old
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
Smaug01 said:
None of these is an element to determine if it's better.
Click to expand...
Do yourself a favor and read (with an open mind) the rest of the thread. If you still think it has to do with how God (or evolution) designed our eyes, so be it.

Another way to think of it: Have you ever seen one of those fabulous astronomy photos, then read the background, and found out that it was taken with some filter or over a different wavelength using special instruments, without which we would have not seen it at all? You will write that off because God didn't originally design us to see it? Do you really feel that the light wavelengths over which our human eyes should limit what we are able to see, if our technology lets us see more?

What I wouldn't give to smell and hear like a dog can! I've read that dogs see in B&W past a certain distance. For them, vision is a lesser sense; they size up a scene mostly by sound and smell.

It is true that we sometimes get in trouble from doing things we are not evolved to do, like flying or traveling at speeds over 25 mph, but I don't think this is one of those things.
Click to expand...
Very well worded response. Most of us marvel at some of the work from years ago, all in B&W. Even with all the great gear we have now that gives us unprecedented dynamic range, we endeavor to create nice B&W images because they look great when done well. From where I sit, some color shots are simply boring for a myriad reasons. But convert to B&W, we can manipulate the contrast and give a boring color shot some real life.

I'm quite humbled by the responses I've gotten in this thread about the downtown Winnipeg shot I posted because the respondents are photographers. To see it in color, most of us would probably delete it. But, I took the shot with B&W in mind because I've seen others do some B&W architecture work that just wowed me.

I love Karsh's work. I'd never heard of him until I saw the iconic shot of Sir Winston Churchill. He did great stuff and all in B&W. We can only wish to produce that sort of work. Is B&W better? In some cases, you bet!!

David
 
Smaug01 said:
DMKAlex said:
If B&W was better, God would have made the world B&W.
Click to expand...
(posting as a member)

That is a narrow-minded viewpoint, but a lot of statements based in religion are like that.
Smaug01 said:
People think it's better because . . .
Click to expand...
Re. the below, I can't speak for others, but I can speak for myself:
Smaug01 said:
- Nastalgic
Click to expand...
Maybe a little bit.
Smaug01 said:
- Rarity in the sea of color
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
Smaug01 said:
- Because it's old
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
Smaug01 said:
None of these is an element to determine if it's better.
Click to expand...
Do yourself a favor and read (with an open mind) the rest of the thread. If you still think it has to do with how God (or evolution) designed our eyes, so be it.

Another way to think of it: Have you ever seen one of those fabulous astronomy photos, then read the background, and found out that it was taken with some filter or over a different wavelength using special instruments, without which we would have not seen it at all? You will write that off because God didn't originally design us to see it? Do you really feel that the light wavelengths over which our human eyes should limit what we are able to see, if our technology lets us see more?

What I wouldn't give to smell and hear like a dog can! I've read that dogs see in B&W past a certain distance. For them, vision is a lesser sense; they size up a scene mostly by sound and smell.

It is true that we sometimes get in trouble from doing things we are not evolved to do, like flying or traveling at speeds over 25 mph, but I don't think this is one of those things.
Click to expand...
It seems like a kind of binary response... like we must choose one thing to be better than the other, though clearly we don't! Does the fact that I love jazz music, negate rock and roll for me? No, it doesn't I can enjoy both things and realize that they both can be brilliant, though in very different ways.






I think that as soon as you start negating broad categories like that, you start to limit your creative mind and therefore limit what you might be capable of.
 
Smaug01 said:
DMKAlex said:
If B&W was better, God would have made the world B&W.
Click to expand...
(posting as a member)

That is a narrow-minded viewpoint, but a lot of statements based in religion are like that.
Smaug01 said:
People think it's better because . . .
Click to expand...
Re. the below, I can't speak for others, but I can speak for myself:
Smaug01 said:
- Nastalgic
Click to expand...
Maybe a little bit.
Smaug01 said:
- Rarity in the sea of color
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
Smaug01 said:
- Because it's old
Click to expand...
Maybe a little.
Smaug01 said:
None of these is an element to determine if it's better.
Click to expand...
Do yourself a favor and read (with an open mind) the rest of the thread. If you still think it has to do with how God (or evolution) designed our eyes, so be it.

Another way to think of it: Have you ever seen one of those fabulous astronomy photos, then read the background, and found out that it was taken with some filter or over a different wavelength using special instruments, without which we would have not seen it at all? You will write that off because God didn't originally design us to see it? Do you really feel that the light wavelengths over which our human eyes should limit what we are able to see, if our technology lets us see more?

What I wouldn't give to smell and hear like a dog can! I've read that dogs see in B&W past a certain distance. For them, vision is a lesser sense; they size up a scene mostly by sound and smell.

It is true that we sometimes get in trouble from doing things we are not evolved to do, like flying or traveling at speeds over 25 mph, but I don't think this is one of those things.
Click to expand...
Don't take yourself too seriously, the whole GOD thing in my post was figuratively speaking to make a point. I am not religious at all. You misread my post.
 
Rambow said:
So why do some people still shoot in Black and White? Is it about art or tradition? Is it about being different? Or does it have something to do with focusing on shapes and light rather than color, which is perceived as a distraction from the true meaning of a given image?

Please explain.
Click to expand...
I shoot primarily B&W because I like to develop my own film, and that's easier/more practical/more flexible with B&W.

That said --

I think B&W photography is a different discipline -- almost a different hobby. When I am looking for photo subjects in B&W, I look for very different things than when shooting color. Some compositions work better (or worse) in one medium or the other.

So, for me, that's part of the enjoyable challenge -- not just finding things that will make good photos, but things that will make good B&W photos.

It does have its effects, though... After a solid few months of shooting B&W, I decided to run a roll of color film, and started looking for color subjects... all of a sudden the world seemed like such a bright, colorful place! I love B&W photography but too much of it can make my mood a little stark, much like the photos themselves.

Aaron
 
Smaug01 said:
One other thing: I find that B&W film scans are more engaging somehow than digital B&W. It's hard to quantify, but it just looks better to me.
Click to expand...
Digital B&W sometimes looks a bit "too perfect" for my tastes. I like traditional-grain film and its grainy look, but sometimes the level of detail in digital really works well. Couple of photos I'm really happy with -- the London Eye might have worked in 35mm film, but not sure about the others...

4f95269d260a4d53b86e9f24c7718274.jpg

cbabb8d1e7424a3a86c56ffdd3e1f6ce.jpg

5b597e57f0994714a9de7506aa872aef.jpg

Aaron

--
My Flickr page: https://www.flickr.com/photos/aarongold/
 
Black and White photography does a perfectly good job when you are colorblind.

Henry
 
Smaug01 said:
PHAER said:
[...]

Click to expand...
When I first viewed this shot, the drama of the sunbeams and the contrast in the clouds struck me immediately. Only later did I notice there was a building and trees in the foreground.

If it were color, that first impression would've been different and maybe not as striking. Maybe the building is pink and would distract from what you were trying to capture...
Click to expand...
Thank you, smaug!
 
Henry Falkner said:
Black and White photography does a perfectly good job when you are colorblind.

Henry
Click to expand...
Colorblind people don't see things in black and white, they just see colors differently 99% of the time.
 
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