Delderby Loc: Derby UK

Following Selmslie’s topic today (Thu16th) re Sunny 16, he posted a very nice lakeside color pic, and included a B&W version. But in B&W what do we really see, and what do we imagine? When we view B&W do we see the black skies or the black water in the lake - or grass in the same dreary black and grey? - I don’t think so – what we see is what we imagine - i.e. blue skies and blue water and green grass. But we cannot correctly imagine the tones and more subtle colors of the day – e.g. is the Acer tree green or has it turned to it's Autumn red?

Donwitz Loc: Virginia Beach, VA

Shakespeare's version of 'Beauty is in the eye of the beholder' was
'Beauty is brought by the judgement of the eye'. Shakespeare expressed a similar sentiment in Love's Labours Lost, 1588: Good Lord Boyet, my beauty, though but mean, Needs not the painted flourish of your praise:
Beauty is bought by judgement of the eye, Not utter'd by base sale of chapmen's tongues

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Unfortunately(?), when I see black and white, I see black and white. Seeing anything else would defeat the purpose of the photographer.

RoswellAlien

I have a good print of “Moonrise over Hernandez New Mexico” hanging in my study. I know NM pretty well, so do I imagine appropriate colors? No. I enjoy the total effect Adams achieved and marvel at his artistry.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

When I look at black and white photos I do not "see" or imagine colors. What I see is line, form, shape, texture, tonality, shadow and contrast, but not red, green, and blue. I don't care what the "real" colors are. B&W often allows me to see and appreciate greater amounts of detail without the distraction of color. Viewing a well done monochrome image is a very different visual and visceral experience than viewing the same image in color and can have a stronger dramatic impact on my emotions than a color version could. I find that some images work better in color, some work equally well in color and B&W, and others give superior results when shot in B&W.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

With all due respect I love your post, especially since you are on record from a couple of days ago saying you did not like black and white photos. I can respect that. Many people do not. But some of us do, a great many of us like black and white photos. When done well, a goal that often eludes me, they are more demonstrative of what is going on, more demonstrative of the differences in light and shadow that color photos sometimes just cannot get across. A pure white cloud over a shadowed landscape as submitted by someone like member, Bob Malarz, or an approaching storm can look much more dramatic in black and white than in color.

Let's not forget that landscapes look great to many people because of the color. Take the color from many sunsets and sunrises and you do not have such a great photo. The color is what makes the photo in many cases. For me that is the truth. But a dynamic powerful sunrise or sunset in black and white displays another type of photograph where color does not matter.

I won't drag this out any farther. You like color photos. I like color AND black and white. Surely there is room for both types in our photography world.

Dennis

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

In my opinion, enjoying a photo is a matter of enjoying the emotion that it invokes in you. The entire color spectrum is the palette for that.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

That assumes that the presence of color is necessary for an image to evoke an emotional response, which is untrue as countless numbers of people can attest to. Often a B&W image can evoke a much stronger emotional response then a full color version of the same image.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

I may be wrong. I was once about 70 years ago, ONCE. But perhaps his comment included black and white as colors. I believe they are.

Dennis

TreborLow

A B&W print is an abstract version of reality. Color prints are more concrete! It is more challenging to see a bright green tree and think "Blue" than see a good B&W print of a tree and think a range of colors from red to green to yellow to brown!

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

When looking at a flower photo, the viewer tends to first be attracted to the color and then to the areas in the photo that are in focus. Black and White photography focuses on the details and composition of the object, such as these flowers on B&W film:

https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-715966-1.html

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

I never look at B&W and "think" colors. Color is completely unimportant in a good B&W image. That is a concept that some people are apparently unable to grasp.