Breda Castle

I’ve just read a comment from a photographer who said it’s time to stop shooting in black and white. He claimed we don’t see the world in black and white and it was something only done in the past due to the limitations at the time and it’s time to move on. Here’s a number of reasons why I think it’s critical to shoot black and white from time to time, and how it can help nurture your photographic eye.

 

Ansel Adams, Cartier Bresson, David Bailey, Karsh, Sebastio Salgado, Albert Watson, Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, Irving Penn, Daidō Moriyama, Sally Mann, Avedon – the list of master photographers, alive or dead, who saw black and white not simply as a technical limitation but as a creative choice, could be an entire article in itself. But why did they choose it?

 

Here are some key reasons:

 

1. Color No Longer Distracts

 

2. You’ll See Light Differently

 

3. It Helps Emphasize Emotion

 

4. The Timeless / Classic Quality From Black And White

 

5. It Amplifies How You Use Negative Space

 

6. It Highlights Shape, Form and Pattern In The Image

 

7. To Highlight Beauty and Skin Tones

 

8. It Helps Focus On Composition

 

So What About Color?

The argument of not shooting black and white because it’s a thing of the past is a little odd to me, especially given that color photography is not necessarily a modern invention. Kodachrome for 35mm cameras has been around since the 1930s. The far more interesting (and possibly meaningful question) may be:“Why is black and white still so prevalent today, given we've been able to shoot color for so long?”.

 

I still shoot color and love playing with it, but I certainly enjoy the challenge and creative push from shooting in black and white.

 

 

 

Done