Do you only make / view B&W photos?

I just find it difficult to make a good color photograph where the subject isn't the color itself or the photograph not completely dominated by color.
 
I can't remember or not if I answered this previously, but I feel b&w is the purists medium within photography, and the most art-centric (if that makes sense). b&w is something that is pretty much unique to photography, where as color is more universal and more easy brushed past as a viewer. Overall I think I see in color more, but when I am in the right mood/frame of mind, I'm more proud of my black and white photographs. I also feel like my black and white stuff is more 'timeless'.
 
I see what you're saying, but I'm not sure I care about timelessness or artsy-ness of the medium. For me, as long as it translates or expresses my personal views on the world around me, it's good enough.

For example, I shoot BW nearly exclusively all year round. On a trip last year to San Francisco, the way I reacted to the place I felt I needed color. The stuff I brought with me was unused, I bought some Ektar there and shot it. One of the rare times I actually liked my color output
 
FrankS said:
The additional layer of abstraction of black and white photography requires a greater degree of engagement in the viewer; it gets deeper into the brain due to the additional processing involved. One deals more with the idea of the object (in black and white), rather than the surface of the object in colour photography. Just my opinion, ymmv.
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This presumes a certain colour treatment and a certain viewer mindset, neither of which are assured at all. I hardly think someone presented with a David LaChapelle print is going to process it as a window to reality, rather the garish colour makes it rather abstracted from reality.

Those claiming that 'B/W speaks to the soul' or that it is somehow 'truer' or any variation thereof are only screaming their preferences from the rooftops. Having an affinity for monochrome and a history of examining B/W images as art objects does not imbue them with any sort of extra-sensory powers of authenticity.
The idea of a 'timeless' quality can only be claimed because images of the past in color are not the norm, so the equivocation of "this image looks more similar to those produced in the past" to "this image is timeless" takes place. Look at early kodachrome or tri-color images, they certainly seem "timeless" to me.
 
raytoei@gmail.com said:
...
people with digital cameras do not shoot in B&W,
instead they are taught to shoot in color and then adjust
to B&W in PP. Shooting in B&W means concentrating on
composition, light & shadows and texture.
raytoei
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Well, I'm not sure if this satisfies your definition of shooting in digital B/W, but I use a mirrorless, live view Lumix G1 (the first of the new breed), and I view the scene live, in Dynamic B/W mode through the eye-level EVF, and capture the images in RAW, then process them to match what I previsualized in live digital B/W at the moment of capture. Being able to view the scene live in B/W is a real boon to the photographer, one of the things that makes these new cameras so satisfying to use.

IINM, rangefinder viewfinders do not offer this feature. 🙂

-Joe
 
paulfish4570 said:
i am red-green colorblind, so i do not know if a color photo is true to colors or not. i simply do not see the same palette as the film or sensor. but, if the LIGHT and content are interesting, you betcha i'll look at color photos.
i'm doing a lot more color just because i have the rff communty x100. i have to trust the camera and the post-processing thingies for the color, but i can still read light, no matter what color it is ...
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I'm also partially colorblind and I always wonder if I am seeing the same thing that everyone is seeing in a scene. I use both color and b/w film and it seems that the color photos are ok, they seem to be what I remember the scene looked like. But when I use b/w film, everything seems to just jump right out and there's so much detail to look at. This maybe why I like looking at pen and ink drawings and other art in black and white. I can look at b/w photo's all day long and never loose interest; but color just gets boring after awhile.

Mike
 
Lauffray said:
I just find it difficult to make a good color photograph where the subject isn't the color itself or the photograph not completely dominated by color.
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But I think this is just your bias against color. It's no harder to look at a color photo than it is to look at a B&W photo... IMO.
 
jsrockit said:
For some... but you've seen my work and I don't desaturate (which seems to be in style these days). That said, that doesn't mean my work's not mundane. 😉
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Your photos are not mundane.
I see careful composition and a good pair of eyes who can isolate subjects amidst contrasting colors.

I am not sure if I can take such pictures in colors consistently like you do. My eyes and brain are wired more towards B&W it seems 🙂
 
helenhill said:
Recently I Fell Smitten for Martin Hinze's work
here on RFf and on Flickr
Martin using his collapsible cron & Porta 160...Stellar Rendering, Loved the Muted Colour & Painterly Soft Palatte...
Thanks Martin for the Inspiration 🙂 !
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Where can I see Martins work?
 
shadowfox said:
Your photos are not mundane.
I see careful composition and a good pair of eyes who can isolate subjects amidst contrasting colors.

I am not sure if I can take such pictures in colors consistently like you do. My eyes and brain are wired more towards B&W it seems 🙂
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Didn't see this until today... thank you. 🙂 I enjoyed viewing your tumblr as well. It's funny how photography teaches / draws us to see in color or in black and white.
 
I shoot both but lately it just seems I have been seeing more in B&W. I think for some things when color is an important part of the statement then color is the answer. Some people see better in color some see better in B&W. I like both when they are done well. I have been really seeing more in B&W the past few years so thats what I have been mostly shooting especially lately. Picked up an MM last month. Now I am talking about my personal work here. My professional work is still mostly color though I have shot a couple of jobs lately in B&W. Some of my annual report work can be B&W from time to time. I do prefer B&W to shoot at this moment in time but I do love well done color and B*W work.
 
BW is shabby

BW is shabby

[FONT=Bitstream Charter, serif]Hi,[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter, serif] I’ve asked myself this question many times.
95 percent of my pictures I do on the BW negative, and sometimes I regret that I do not have[/FONT][FONT=Bitstream Charter, serif] 'color in my camera' - for exemple, when I find a beautiful colorful scene.
But for me, BW is simply more honest 🙂 I'tsmeans shabby, without make-up.[/FONT]

[FONT=Bitstream Charter, serif]Best Regards
www.aleksochon.com
[/FONT]
 
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