When color doesn't help: Many are accustomed to seeing digital images in color. You might find yourself asking, "This doesn't look great in color, why not convert it to B&W?" It's...

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Many are accustomed to seeing digital images in color.

You might find yourself asking, "This doesn't look great in color, why not convert it to B&W?" It's probably not going to work.

There is a time and a place for B&W. If you can recognize it you can make a better image by deliberately skipping the color version.

Taken with a monochrome camera. Color would have not added anything to these images.

Everything is painted black, white or gray - the reflection in the tinted glass hardly had any color.

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Same location - the small amouht of color in the background would have added nothing.

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There was too much glare to see any colors.

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kpmac Loc: Ragley, La

I agree. There are many situations where black and white works better. The inverse is also true.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

Well, just to be contrary, color is the color of the world! 99.5% of the time color does it for me.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Retired CPO wrote:

Well, just to be contrary, color is the color of the world! 99.5% of the time color does it for me.

There are colors your eye cannot see. That particular camera can record infrared tone values when I remove the cut filter from the lens.

Retired CPO Loc: Travel full time in an RV

selmslie wrote:

There are colors your eye cannot see. That particular camera can record infrared tone values when I remove the cut filter from the lens.

Well aware of the color frequencies that the human eye can't see. In my humble opinion, IR camera photos look even worse than B&W, in all cases that I have seen. Just sayin', but it's likely that I haven't seen them all!

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Retired CPO wrote:

Well aware of the color frequencies that the human eye can't see. In my humble opinion, IR camera photos look even worse than B&W, in all cases that I have seen. Just sayin', but it's likely that I haven't seen them all!

We can count our blessings that we are not color blind but getting our cataracts taken care of helps.

srg

Retired CPO wrote:

Well, just to be contrary, color is the color of the world! 99.5% of the time color does it for me.

srg

kpmac wrote:

I agree. There are many situations where black and white works better. The inverse is also true.

The only thing B&W is better than is none at all.

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

I agree with your assessment Scotty. These look good in monochrome.

Don

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

PAR4DCR wrote:

I agree with your assessment Scotty. These look good in monochrome.

Don

Thank you. I am a big fan of B&W since my days with film.

srg

selmslie wrote:

Many are accustomed to seeing digital images in color.

You might find yourself asking, "This doesn't look great in color, why not convert it to B&W?" It's probably not going to work.

There is a time and a place for B&W. If you can recognize it you can make a better image by deliberately skipping the color version.

Taken with a monochrome camera. Color would have not added anything to these images.

I doubt if any of these would look any better in color. Even though I prefer color 100% of the time.

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

srg wrote:

I doubt if any of these would look any better in color. Even though I prefer color 100% of the time.

Thanks.

B&W May be a lost art. It’s an acquired taste.

srg

selmslie wrote:

Thanks.

B&W May be a lost art. It’s an acquired taste.

It's not an art. As for taste, it's a bad taste.

Doyle Thomas Loc: Vancouver Washington ~ USA

http://www.primaryfocusphoto.com/why-color/

selmslie Loc: Fernandina Beach, FL, USA

Doyle Thomas wrote:

http://www.primaryfocusphoto.com/why-color/

Gee, I never heard of color photography!