Do most people "get" black and white?

[CliveC]

A lot of the time when I show most friends, family and coworkers black and white photos, I get the distinct feeling that they don't understand why I chose to take or convert them in black and white.

Not all vocalize it, but more than once I have been met with "Why the black and white?" and I struggle to explain without sounding terribly pretentious.

I'm not a fine art photographer by any means, but I've been accused of being unnecessarily artsy fartsy with photos. I like high contrast, moody pictures sometimes, but it's as if people want (and expect) to see snapshots. I've been asked to take photos at family occasions and people who see the photos seem disappointed they aren't all in colour. (They also wonder why I seem to snap hundreds of shots but present a couple of dozen, but that's another story.)

These days I mostly just respond with a shrug: "I like it that way."

Thoughts?

 

[Paulbe]

I do believe that most folks get the B+W--it shows the person, scene, etc in a totally different perspective. If people would take the lime to actually LOOK at a B+W picture--they'd see the difference. But with today's snapphone pix prevailing--it just takes a little patience.
They'll see eventually..keep going!
Paul

 

[Paulbe]

oops--should be time instead of lime--too much Zinfandel...🙂

 

[airfrogusmc]

Most of the people that count should....

 

[redisburning]

Ive given a few of my photographs as gifts, always b&w images.

the ultimate compliment is to see them hanging in people's houses. so I guess personally, people "get" my black & white images.

 

[Tony Whitney]

I think that most people "get" great images. Show a non-photog your best B & W images and they'll never even ask or notice. Some of history's best photography has been black and white and this work will endure for the ages...TW

 

[CliveC]

I think that most people "get" great images. Show a non-photog your best B & W images and they'll never even ask or notice. Some of history's best photography has been black and white and this work will endure for the ages...TW

Showed my parents some Cartier-Bresson once. Blank stares. 😱

 

[redisburning]

Showed my parents some Cartier-Bresson once. Blank stares. 😱

I have to admit some of his work has gotten blank stares from me.

I will be honest, just because you don't 'get' something that is traditionally supposed to be of high artistic merit, doesn't mean you don't know the art form. For example, I personally dislike Blonde on Blonde, that doesn't mean I don't know anything about music, or even pop/folk rock. I just don't like that album. If you would like to discuss whether Mike Bloomfield was better on Highway 61 or East-West, I would be glad to indulge you in that conversation.

 

[michaelwj]

A lot of the time when I show most friends, family and coworkers black and white photos, I get the distinct feeling that they don't understand why I chose to take or convert them in black and white.

Not all vocalize it, but more than once I have been met with "Why the black and white?" and I struggle to explain without sounding terribly pretentious.

/snip/

These days I mostly just respond with a shrug: "I like it that way."

Thoughts?

Imagine if you bought a Monochrom! They wouldn't think you were pretentious then. Some people get it, some people don't.
I only shoot B&W, I find colour to be too distracting sometimes, sometimes I mention that when asked, other times I use your shrug technique.

I know a lot of the greats shot in B&W, but there weren't really any options pre war, so I suppose it wasn't questioned. I heard some people in an Ansel Adams exhibition saying something along the lines of "how well he would have done if he had colour film". I think they missed the point.

Michael

 

[michaelwj]

And to answer the question...
I think people get it in an historical art context (HCB, AA, etc), but not so much in a modern context, where its arguably harder to produce B&W than colour.

Michael

 

[______]

It depends on whether the photo has something to get.

 

[driver]

Yup

Yup

It depends on whether the photo has something to get.

This . . . . . . . .

 

[TXForester]

Sure they do, but I think we are bombarded by color and that is what they expect.

I also get what you are saying about presenting only a few out of hundreds of photos. Turn it around and ask them why they fill their hard drives with every shot they take no matter the quality. 🙂

 

[nikon_sam]

I have seen a lot of Black & White photographs that are just boring Gray photographs...
If that's what were showing them then I can see why they don't get it...

 

[Steve M.]

Well, if you're talking about a digital shot converted to B&W and printed on an inkjet printer, no, I probably wouldn't "get" that either. I've seen so many mediocre gray digital B&W prints my eyes hurt. If you're talking about a Tri-X negative developed in D76 and correctly printed onto photographic fiber paper (assuming that it's a great shot to begin with), then yes, people will get that. The blacks will be deep, the whites will be white, the image will be in the paper and not on the paper. Even people who have no idea of the mechanics of digital or film will see the difference.

I was talking about this w/ a painter just today in fact. He knows almost knowing about photography but has a good eye. When I showed him my portfolio of fiber prints he said "wow, I've never seen blacks like that in a photograph. It looks like the kind of blacks you get with an etching". Seeing is believing. BUT, will someone who doesn't have an artist's eye see the same thing that the painter and I see? I suspect so. It's hard to say, as people's perception of quality has really been dumbed down this last decade, at least here in America. The painter is a Canadian and he concurs w/ this reasoning. Let's put it this way....the people that would look at his work and my work in a gallery opening know the difference. That's all that matters to me. Actually, the only thing that matters to me is that it looks good to me.

 

[back alley]

i still get very positive responses from folks when showing my b&w images…older people like that it reminds them of when they were younger and b&w was more popular and young people think it's cool.

 

[Thardy]

Somebody gets it. I see black and white photos in office buildings, hospitals, coffee shops and houses all over the place. Could be for decoration, not a deep appreciation of high art but as long as others are exposed to the photos and don't sneer at them I would consider it a win.

 

[Thardy]

Showed my parents some Cartier-Bresson once. Blank stares. 😱

They probably saw the photo of the dogs mating in the street.

 

[santela]

I do think some people over use the whole BW thing. I mean, some pictures probably look better in color, and others in BW. It depends on the subject and the mood.

 

[Vics]

I've been tempted to start shooting in color because when I show my prints (wet darkroom) to people, they immediately start with "Ooooh! I LOVE black and white!" and don't seem to see the pictures. But I've gotten over it. At least they're gushing...