Sbly1

Not to start any new but was not a part of the original discussion. Just my point of view. I have been doing this since 1966 mostly b&w and some color, all in my own darkrooms. A small story to illustrate a point. I like most kinds of music, except for opera which I Don not understand, hard rock which I understand but find too loud, and rap which I do not consider music but an art form in its own right. At one point I did not like classical. Strange music. And then one night when I was younger I was listening to the radio and a classical program came on and I was too lazy to change the station. They would play a small portion and then explain what the composer wanted to convey. It was a piece about a storm approaching a mountion. At the end I found an appreciation for the music as I was no longer ignorant of it. It is the same with photography.. he did not like b&w period. Saw no reason for it, etc. Only colour. This would seem like an ignorant man, unwilling or unable to appreciate or incapable of understanding anything he doesn't like. If he would take the time to understand that true photography is an art with many tools and can be expressed in many ways, all of which should be appreciated he may get a better understanding of the world and the people around him and grow out of the shallow place he lives in.

PixelStan77 Loc: Vermont/Chicago

So, where are you with B&W vs colour?

Kaleva

First off, I have been taking/making photographs since my high school years, am now well past that age. I began in B&W, did my own darkroom work, moved into color, mostly Kodachrome. I developed my own color prints for a while, using Cibachrome. For a short time I taught darkroom work (B&W), and did some mentoring on composition.

So, where am I on B&W vs. Colour? It's a matter of taste/preference, subject matter, and mood. If I look on the pending photograph as an artistic statement, then I would employ colour, or lack of colour to help make the statement. If I am attempting to recreate the scene, I probably want colour accuracy. It isn't one or the other.

bdk Loc: Sanibel Fl.

I wedding I shot last year, the bride wanted all pix in Color AND B&W... making twice as much work as editing was different for Color and B&W. when asked why, her response was B&W can be so much more dramatic. I agreed with her.

fergmark Loc: norwalk connecticut

Not all color shots work well converted to black and white. Some drab color shots look amazing in black and white. Its not just a question of one or the other.

pithydoug Loc: Catskill Mountains, NY

This is why this stuff is in in a $$contract$$ and blind sided at edit time.

crazydaddio Loc: Toronto Ontario Canada

I would bulk edit the color prints to B&W and offer to retouch any B&W she wantee to print.
Retouching all a 2nd time doubles your workload and 1/2s your available time for other things. lt is not reasonable to ask you to double your effort and I am sure the bride would be happy.

Winslowe

If you grew out of the shallow place you're living in, you might realize that it's o.k. for others to think differently than you.

revhen Loc: By the beautiful Hudson

A lot of people don't realize that Ansel Adams, arguably the master of b&w, also took thousands of GORGEOUS color photos. Think Moonrise (b&w) and the huge Kodachrome of a field of flowers at Grand Central Station.

Acountry330 Loc: Dothan,Ala USA

I am a color person. In my early years I did do some B/W, dark room work. That was because I was poor and could not afford color materials. Now I enjoy the full benefits of color in P/S. Some people do outstanding work in B/, but most do not. Color all the way. Happy Shooting.

Doyle Thomas Loc: Vancouver Washington ~ USA

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

There is no pat answer, one medium is not necessarily better than the other. I can't even validate any blanket statements such as "black and white is more dramatic that color". Perhaps it is in certain subjects, cases and treatments and in other scenarios, the element of color can be much more dramatic.

In the area of wedding photography, so much of the preparations, attire and settings are based on color selections. Flowers, romantic surroundings, stained glass windows, the moods of the celebrations- all so colorful. Who knows- some folks think black and white is more sophisticated and has "snob appeal". By the way, I am not knocking B&W- I love it, have done it for decades but I won't restrict myself or my clients to one medium.

Technically speaking, very little has been mentioned about the panchromatic rendition of various colors in black and white. Some colors blend together in the same zone of gray and require filtration. Many of the classic and iconic black and white portraits of the film era were made with orthochromatic films which dramatized the skin tones because of its insensitivity to reds. For a while it was only available in shee film formats and for a short time in a limited number of roll films. The use of a green filter in monochromatic mode on a digital camera can come close to the effect.

The effective use of color is an art and science in itself- just as sophisticated as serious black and white work. I could probably write a book about color psychology but I could never find the words. In photography there are issues of color harmony and disharmony, the effects of cool and warm colors, there infinite variations of hue, tint, saturation, palette, aside for the technicalities of color temperature, white balance, color correctness, balance, chroma and so much more- it ain't just about "pretty colors".

Of course, my points of view are a a bit tainted by commercialism as well. I am a commercial photographer and as a consequence, I can't be a "one-note" photographer. I need to be flexible and embrace many concepts in order to serve a wide spectrum of customers. I try to do my work in an artful and creative way, but I don't sell it via galleries and my work does not grace the walls of museums. I get paid for producing waht my clients want and need. Also it ain't the 1930s and 40s any more- and I ain't Ansel Adams or William Mortensen. Even in my own personal work as a "artist", I enjoy variation and I prefer to try my hand at different approaches. All that drama of the Impressionists vs. the Pictorialists make for great historical storytelling- I'm surprised that a movie has not been made about that- YET. Enough about Vincent Van Gogh already! It's time for some iconic photographer stories.

Each of us should work in the medium as we see fit and admire the work that we enjoy. Sometimes it's healthy, creatively speaking, to explore and embrace the other guy's or gal's view of things. Be surprised!

JD750 Loc: SoCal

Well you can like what you want to like. Nobody says you have to like BW. But what you said, quoted above, is true. Take some time to look closer and you might find an understand an appreciation for it.

srt101fan

Amazing that you can address the same topic on two different threads with thoughtful and instructive comments and without duplication! My hat is off to you Sir!

E.L.. Shapiro Loc: Ottawa, Ontario Canada

Thank you for your kind comment! ...and no swearing, cussing, name calling and bullying either! There is hope!😀