B&W or Color.... and Why?

Bnack

Bnack

Established
Local time
10:15 AM
Joined
Jan 8, 2008
Messages
112
So usually I just keep an eye on the conversations around here...but I had a burning question I've been asking myself lately. It seems that most great photographers shoot almost entirely in one or the other. I've been trying to figure out if I'm a B&W guy or a color guy lately. I find that color comes more easily to me, I think colors catch my eye, it's often what draws me in to take a photograph of something. But when all is said and done... it often makes for a pretty, but otherwise uninteresting photograph. In B&W, I'm forced to work harder to look at form, and what's interesting in the photo aside from some nice colors. To those who deliberately shoot mostly in one or the other... which is it and why have you made that choice?
 
I have a theory: If there weren't such high rates of colour blindness in men, black and white photography would have gone the way of the dodo long ago.
 
B&W because it's cheaper (I self develop). Not an artistic decision, just a financial one. :)
 
@cjm.... I totally agree... I'm in the same boat. Taking film to a lab gets awfully expensive
 
Color, because that's how I see.

But sometimes B&W, just occasionally, for a change.

Finance plays no part because it's all C41 and it all goes to the lab for dev. and CD only. Which costs about the same as a film.
 
Both with a preference for b/w. It is easier to develop myself, and a good b/w print speaks a little more to me than most color. But some things just wouldn't be as interesting without the color, or more importantly with some shots, it is the color that makes the shot.
 
I only get color film developed at the lab, and it costs 1.57 euro per roll... I wouldn't call it awfully expensive.
Developing BW at home obviously costs less (40 cents last time I made some math), but it shouldn't be the reason not to use color..
I like to develop at home because you can do it at any time you want (4am?) and it gives me the pleasure to be the master (like if I were a master of anything) of your work... :D
 
I do both and I take both to walmart for develop. I like low ISO color images, but when I need high ISO, I use B&W as I don't like those grains on fast color negs.
Hiromu
 
I have a strong preference for black and white. Half of what I shoot in color ends up converted to black and white anyway...so that's what I shoot.
 
Almost exclusively B&W, and always film. A common argument is that the subject will often tell you whether to use colour or B&W (an Autumn forest cries out for colour). Well yes, but, isn't the real challenge to see what you could do in the same situation with B&W? I also think that when you decide on one or the other (a conscious decision, I mean, not a default one) then you will start to think and see differently. Perhaps that suggests that taking colour photos and later deciding to convert to B&W is a compromise that won't produce the best results.
 
I see things in a B&W way, but after starting to develop my own color films I have used color films exclusively. Usually the end result will be B&W, but I like to have that color option... And now I can take those pictures also which are interesting in colours...naturally you can't take those if you have B&W inside your camera.
 
I have a theory: If there weren't such high rates of colour blindness in men, black and white photography would have gone the way of the dodo long ago.
Click to expand...

ROFL! :)

B&W because it's cheaper (I self develop). Not an artistic decision, just a financial one.
Click to expand...

Back when I started shooting, this was the reason I did mostly B&W. Now that I can afford it, I do almost exclusively colo(u)r. It was really the processing and printing that cost, not the film itself. Still is.

This is also the reason I shot many color slides way back when. I could more conveniently decide which ones I wanted prints of (typically less than 10%) very conveniently.

I see in color, I love color in photographs.

I can appreciate good B&W as well, however. :)
 
Having started off doing color work (primarily digital), then having switched to shooting, processing, and printing black and white film... there's a definite learning curve before one begins to "see the light". For me, at least, practice and feedback from both student and experienced photographers and printers has been invaluable to that process. As it stands, I'm starting to get some "omg, that will look *great* in black and white!" moments.. Yet there's a lot of great photography out there that depends on color for its mood and/or message. At some point, I'll flip back and start studying and learning to "see" color as well, informed by my black and white work.

That said, I don't see myself ever working exclusively with color or black and white; instead I hope to hone my sense of both ways of presenting a work, and choose the most appropriate tool to express my intent. Time will tell... ;)
 
When I make a colour photo, it almost inevitably resembles the reality, as other people see it. When I make a B&W photo it more often resembles the reality how I see it. This is why I prefer B&W.

2192904423_32bd4c9d8e_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
Apart from the fact I adore the joy of developing and printing in my darkroom black and white... I choose mainly black and white because it's how I see the world and I'm not colour blind, it's so raw and real, no distraction or annoyance from colour.

I do shoot colour but I find the result is often just not condensed into a strong message for me. Black and white expresses me well, I'm not a doom and gloom type, more of a considered one, I'm usually grinning and joking like a right doofus but I just feel B&W expresses me better.

Especially the urban stuff I do, but even nature landscapes work lovely. I really really love however b&w portraits and I was privileged to be entrusted with my nan's wedding album two months ago. Beautiful 8x10" prints from the 1940s which had not aged at all, and look pin sharp and shone from the pages I'm sure as much as the day they were presented to the happy couple.

It feels more earthy whatever that means!

That said I sometimes shoot Velvia so go figure!
 
well I suppose digital makes it a bit easier since you don't have to load your camera with one or the other. Fits with the idea that some photographers want to make as few final decisions when the click the shutter as possible (e.g. landscape or portrait etc..).
 
I see pictures in black and white. When I go forth, there arn't any colour pictures around.
What I mean is that form and light and dark are how the photo's that I see are constructed, and even the colour is seen as a matter of how light or dark it is....
I am not colourblind. I just am useless at colour photography and never got a handle on it. I just dont see the pictures.
Any shots I take in colour are superior in black and white.

I spent a lot of time when I was younger shooting rolls of slide film because I wanted to be national geographic photographer one day... or some kind of magazine photographer and I new I had to do colour...But I was just crap at it. I destroyed all my slides at one stage.
I now do exclusively black and white pictures and colour doesnt even factor in.
Why?
I think its because its easier to see an effective compisition in black and white. Your just ldealing with lights and darks and form.
Even as an oil painter I found I had to paint as they did many years ago; seperately out the forms into a monochrome underpainting and a later colour stage over the top. And there tended to be less and less of it, as the colour components were really irrevant.
I greatly admire those who are adept and successful with their colour pictures, but it isnt something I can do.
Simplcicity for me - colour is too complicated. I cannot compose in colour.
Plus, I think, you need some distance....colour can be too "real", you need room to manouvre, which you get with BNW simply because your already removed from reality.
To be honest I love all the silvers and greys and creamy whites. Do not feel sorry for me.
 
Black and White films are by far my most used type of film. Ive shot with it so much now that when I compose for a scene I go colorblind in my head. I no longer see any color, only light and lines.

The past few times Ive tried shooting color it turned out bland and so so in my taste. It wasn't until recently that I started shooting at night with color and really liked the results. I walk around downtown and catch all the lights and colors and whatever shadows are in its way.
In my tastes Ive found that shooting with color film needs a dominant color to make an image stand out. Ive gotten a few shots during the day time that I liked but my tastes for color lie at night time. Since there's already a dominant color, black.

For me, when the sun is out its black and white. When night falls and the lights turn on I drop in color film.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom