Color vs Black and White, the eternal debate

[Don_ih]

Am I the only one who finds this thread rather shameful?

I don't think I've been insulting with anything I've said. Of course, ye old OP hasn't responded to anything I've said, so perhaps I'm on his ignore list (I'm probably on a few).

People are incensed by a basically callous disregard for, well, the entire history of aesthetics on the part of @nikos79. Some very well-thought-out ideas were expounded in this thread that he simply brushed aside as so much b.s. Also, people tend not to like "xxxx is bad/awful/fake" when the justification is just personal preference with complete disregard for anything else. It's pretty bad when what can condemn you as a photographer is posting on Instagram or having a group of photos that are all thematically similar. People work hard to establish a style and that style can be the complete key to their success. Anyway....

 

[nikos79]

I don't think I've been insulting with anything I've said. Of course, ye old OP hasn't responded to anything I've said, so perhaps I'm on his ignore list (I'm probably on a few).

People are incensed by a basically callous disregard for, well, the entire history of aesthetics on the part of @nikos79. Some very well-thought-out ideas were expounded in this thread that he simply brushed aside as so much b.s. Also, people tend not to like "xxxx is bad/awful/fake" when the justification is just personal preference with complete disregard for anything else. It's pretty bad when what can condemn you as a photographer is posting on Instagram or having a group of photos that are all thematically similar. People work hard to establish a style and that style can be the complete key to their success. Anyway....

You are not in my ignore list.
I just didn't have anything to say to you because I either kind of agreed with you on some posts or totally disagreed (as the importance on color on some photos) but then you formulated your arguments quite solid so I didn't have anything to reply to you. Simply a different perspective/opinion which nevertheless contributed to the dialogue

 

[nikos79]

nikos79...Thanks for link to Rivellis' piece. I read much truth in it, and also questionable generalities and interesting opinions. it would be interesting going thru his points one at a time (if I wanted to be on the computer that long!)

Glad you enjoyed it.
Feel free to bring any interesting topic for discussion

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

An interesting idea. We must also consider that there were black and white images way before film and TV, so the concept of B&W is as old as ink. And the B&W of night has been with us since sight.

nikos79...Thanks for link to Rivellis' piece. I read much truth in it, and also questionable generalities and interesting opinions. it would be interesting going thru his points one at a time (if I wanted to be on the computer that long!)

I grew up with BW TV and BW photos. Color came on slowly. Newspapers only had BW photos until relatively recently. Color news print wasn't developed until much later. I remember when the NY Times came out with it. Many still show mainly BW.

 

[Vaughn]

Yep Alan, you're old as dirt like many, or most, of us.

If you are old enough, you might have seen the first color photographic image projected onto a wall in 1861. Or perhaps seen the first digitally colored photographs made not long after that (actually, I do not know when the first hand-colored photographic prints were made and sold). Color photography developed almost side-by-side with B&W photography -- maybe a half-step behind.

I make monochrome carbon prints...a process patented in 1864. By 1868, full color carbon prints were being made -- and held the position as The Way to make color prints until replaced by dye-transfer.

 

[baachitraka]

battle between tones vs hues. I am sure there are no losers.