B&W vs Color, my personal fight.

Manuel Madeira · Oct 9, 2021

Hi guys, the title maybe makes this look a bit more dramatic than it really is, I assure you that this is not like my "antennas" thread XD.

So my personal fight is between B&W and color, i mainly use black and white in my photos, but I want to start exploring color to. The thing is, in my personal 2 years in photography view it seems to me that color photography is actually more restrictive than black and white. For example, a dark grey object in a B&W photo can be manipulated to achieve lots of diferent variations of gray therefore having the hability to create more contrast between objects and more interesting results. In color photography, a red object can never be green by "normal" means, and even if it could, it would be weird in some occasions. Yes the red in the object can become more lighter or darker, but it will alaways be red. Also I find it hard to capture meaningfull things in color because thats how everyone sees it. Maybe what I am asking is if any of you have any kind of tip to transition from B&W to color, and also color photography tips, Or even big photographers that shoot in color.

What are your thoughts on this??? obviously I never wanted to insult anyone who shoots in color, Its just hard for me to capture more interesting images in colo....

BrianShaw · Oct 9, 2021

Color photography is great. So is B&W. Different looks; both can be realistic and/or artistic. This shouldn’t be a major life-changing decision… it’s just a roll of film. Just do it; Shoot both and enjoy the experience.

bdial · Oct 10, 2021

I like working with B&W because it's easier to deal with in a home darkroom. But, over the years, many people have told me they like my color work better than my B&W.
Either one is good in its own way.

Auer · Oct 10, 2021

Have someone else load a film for you without telling you if its color or B&W.

Have fun.

guangong · Oct 10, 2021

The major difficulty with color, except for artificial setups, is the intrusion of unwanted distracting colors. For example, the unwanted Budweiser can or other gaudy trash in the scene. Nonetheless, color has its place and should not be disregarded. However, for the reason mentioned, it’s harder to compose than black and white. In some way, color leaves less to the imagination.

Andrew O'Neill · Oct 10, 2021

Apples can be green. I buy them that way all the time ... if you want wacked out colour, then try to get your hands on colour IR. Or shoot Velvia for more saturated colours.

Moose22 · Oct 10, 2021

Manuel Madeira said:
Hi guys, the title maybe makes this look a bit more dramatic than it really is, I assure you that this is not like my "antennas" thread XD.

, Its just hard for me to capture more interesting images in colo....

Good color images might be looking for different things.

Don't get me wrong, good composition is universal. But with black and white, composition is, for me, the most important differentiator in many cases. Not all. Street photography the decisive moment often makes the difference between a competent and a great photo. But composition shines

With color, maybe I'm looking for something wild, different, interesting, more real than real. The red orange light at sunset when easterly winds have been blowing during the day can make bland buildings or rocks interesting, as can weird light were the clouds don't come to the horizon so you get that spotlight effect with over-detailed clouds that can happen for a few minutes at sunrise or sunset. This weird light is also really cool for black an white. But the color of clouds at sunrise or sunset can be wild for just a minute or two, or just after for a long time. Sometimes I like color for weird artificial lighting as I like to shoot musicians on stage, where they mix colored lights and you can pick up the rays in the smoke machine fog. I also take a lot of pictures of murals and occasionally graffiti. In all those cases the color itself can be the point of it.

So, "good" with color might be different than B&W. Goodness of an image is a very subjective thing. Sometimes I'll capture an image and people will say "Oh my god, the color!" and it annoys me because I was really proud of the composition. But that's subjectivity for you.

I suggest looking for images to capture specifically for the colors themselves. Make that a fun project, kill a few rolls of Portra or Ektar just playing with the idea of the color being foremost.

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 10, 2021

Old Gregg said:
When I ask myself "can I see this photo printed and on the wall anywhere in my house?" I think I could pick a dozen of B&W images. But I never, not once, said "yes" to a color photograph. Not sure what it means though. Could be my preference for interior decor, or perhaps my color images are shit indeed!

When I mounted thirty 16x20" photos, I picked one color in each photo and matched the mat color to one of the colors in each photo instead of picking all white mats, let's say. Maybe that might work for you.

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 10, 2021

Don't take this the wrong way. But have you ever tested yourself for color-blindness? Other than that, BW focuses on shapes, forms, and tones. Color tickles other neurons. Viva le difference.

Sirius Glass · Oct 10, 2021

Carry two cameras, one for color and one for black & white, or two film backs. Color compositions and black & white compositions take different thinking. Doing both at the same time out are good for personal growth and development.

Old_Dick · Oct 10, 2021

I was tested for color-blindness. Color would be a waste of time. "I hate that green house" "Honey it is blue".

mohmad khatab · Oct 11, 2021

God created life in color. Color is the real world

Black and white world of dreams.

Horatio · Oct 11, 2021

If I'm not mistaken, the OP is shooting digital, so unless he has a monochrome camera, or is using monochrome capture, everything he shoots is in color.

juan · Oct 11, 2021

As Al Weber pointed out, color becomes the composition. It is harder if you’re doing anything but taking a photo that happens to be in color.

MattKing · Oct 11, 2021

juan said:
As Al Weber pointed out, color becomes the composition.

I've never agreed with this - colour can become the composition, but just as subtly different tones in a black and white print can greatly contribute to the effect of the print, subtly different colours can greatly contribute, without becoming the image.
Colour is integral to this one, but no more or less than the highlights, shadows, shapes and textures:

In contra-distinction, colour plays a larger, but perhaps not over-whelming role here:

faberryman · Oct 11, 2021

Horatio said:
If I'm not mistaken, the OP is shooting digital, so unless he has a monochrome camera, or is using monochrome capture, everything he shoots is in color.

There is a button in LR that converts a digital color image into monochrome, so it is not a big deal. You don't need a Leica Monochrome, though some feel otherwise.

There used to be some Kodak papers with which you could make black and white prints from color negatives. I think they were called Panalure, but it has been so long since I used them, my memory may be failing me. I do remember that they were no match for a black and white negative printed on black and white paper, so it was pretty much a one and done for me. Now that I think about it, I have no idea why I wanted to print a color negative as black and white.

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 11, 2021

faberryman said:
There is a button in LR that converts a digital color image into monochrome, so it is not a big deal. You don't need a Leica Monochrome, though some feel otherwise.

There used to be some Kodak papers with which you could make black and white prints from color negatives. I think they were called Panalure, but it has been so long since I used them, my memory may be failing me. I do remember that they were no match for a black and white negative printed on black and white paper, so it was pretty much a one and done for me. Now that I think about it, I have no idea why I wanted to print a color negative as black and white.

Using color film or digital shot in color allow you to change the luminance of the various colors so when converted to BW, you can change the BW tonal values. You can't do that within BW film or digital cameras that only provide BW images.

runswithsizzers · Oct 11, 2021

Two years is not a lot of time as a photographer. If it has taken you two years to learn b&w photography, then I would expect it to take at least that long to get comfortable with color photography.

Your description says you are a "35mm shooter" which I assume means you are shooting film, right? It was previously suggested to carry two bodies, one loaded with b&w and one with color film. That is what I do.

If you photograph the same subject in both color and b&w, looking at the results you may develop a feel for what kind of subjects work best for each film. After doing that for a few years, I now usually pull out one camera or the other, based on my feeling about whether the scene will be most successful as a b&w image or color.

gone · Oct 12, 2021

Color or B&W, it's all the same when it comes to composition, but some painter type tips can help things along. A little blue in the background of a landscape creates distance, beware of black in a color photo, as black isn't a color and can over power a composition, complimentary colors can create harmony, etc. I don't shoot color because it fades, and B&W is archival, but do have some older color pieces that are still hanging in there w/ their color values.

You have to remember to shoot color and B&W differently, as B&W is about contrast and knowing which colors will merge in monochrome and which will stand out. Greens and reds will register differently w/ B&W films, and I wouldn't recommend shooting the two at the same time as they need totally different ways of composing the pictures.

Vaughn · Oct 12, 2021

If one is going to make images with color, it is a good idea to do some reading on color theory, and start looking at the use of color by painters.

The other factor is that one person does not seen colors (nor interprets them) the same as the next person. Both physical and mental differences...it might even extend into differences in remembering color. A difficult bridge to cross, but painters have been doing it for centuries.

BrianShaw · Oct 12, 2021

Painters can intentionally manipulate and alter color; photographers generally have colors given to them.

flavio81 · Oct 12, 2021

Alan Edward Klein said:
You can't do that within BW film or digital cameras that only provide BW images.

You can do it, by using filters. And the result is often superior in quality than using a color digital camera, for a few technical reasons.

flavio81 · Oct 12, 2021

mohmad khatab said:
God created life in color. Color is the real world

Black and white world of dreams.

Brother Mohmad, this is a great reply.

B&W reveals a different reality.

mohmad khatab · Oct 12, 2021

flavio81 said:
Brother Mohmad, this is a great reply.

B&W reveals a different reality.

I love Peru without a compelling reason.
I was told by a Peruvian historian that they had found a pharaonic cartouche in Peru.
And when he inquired about this matter in Egypt from the historians, they did not find an explanation for this matter.
But one of the scholars of Islamic history told me that this may go back to the era of (Nabi Yusuf) when he was working in Egypt as Minister of Agriculture and Foreign Trade.
And when delegations from foreign countries came to buy wheat from Egypt during the drought years. (Nabi Yusuf) was giving them a (Pharaoh's cartridge), which is like a bill on which the quantities of wheat and the amount of money he received in exchange for this wheat were written.
This means that there has been commercial exchange between Egypt and Peru for nearly 3600 years.
This is strange and surprising.

Philippe-Georges · Oct 12, 2021

I make the decision between 6 and 7 AM, when I get out of bed and how I feel then, although, in 80% of the day's I feel B&W...
BTW, for me, B&W is analoge and colour is d....l.

B&W vs Color, my personal fight.

Manuel Madeira

BrianShaw

bdial

Auer

guangong

Andrew O'Neill

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Alan Edward Klein

Alan Edward Klein

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faberryman

Alan Edward Klein

runswithsizzers

gone

Vaughn

BrianShaw

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B&W vs Color, my personal fight.

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