Photocraig

The thing about the Right Brain is here are no ready explanations or rues. It is about "feeling" or intuition. It is where freehand drawing lives vs. Mechanical drawing. It is truly where the natural ability to visualize a color scene in a range of tones, textures, shapes and lines and decide whether to keep or discard the color. Photography is an abstraction, even at its most stark realistic rendering. Monochrome images are just an additional level of abstraction.

A great example is Linda's cows. Usually I look for high contrast when choosing B&W for a photo. But her photo has relatively low contrast. The breath vapor tells the entire story for me.

Great photos from you both. I can almost sniff the developer and sop bath now.
C

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Beautiful images. I can only imagine how much impact they would lose in color. In the case of extreme adjustments to the limitations of the black& white format is the Diana Toy Camera, which I use and is my profile image. All plastic including the lens, low contrast, soft focus,and a viewfinder that gives you a very rough idea of what you'll end up with for an image. And yet, the soft dreamlike image quality is seductive.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

It is a personal choice. It's what looks best to you.

Bill P

This is what I hate about photography today. there is a desire for rules for everything, and often a need to make everything black or white. B&W or color? That's an artistic choice, it is a result of your vision. Like everything, it's up to you. Try both and choose if it's too difficult.

19photo30 Loc: Olympia, WA

I stand totally reprimanded! Never again will I dare to criticize a black and white image. Obviously I am too ignorant to appreciate the artistic superiority of the B&W artists. Sorry if I offended you.

Photobum Loc: Auburn, Washington

No offense taken, my friend. I just wanted to get the perspective of others when it comes to deciding which medium for different subjects. We're not that far apart. Perhaps we can meet for coffee sometime. I'll buy

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

As I try to teach my Photo students: when it come to Art, there is no right or wrong. It is whatever the artist is happy with.

Timmers Loc: San Antonio Texas.

The B&W immediately brought to mind this image by Ansel Adams:
Ansel Adams Mount Williamson, Sierra Nevada, from Manzanar, California 1944

(Download)

skylinefirepest Loc: Southern Pines, N.C.

Just an opinion, of course...I have very little use for black and white...life is in color and I see it that way. There are exceptions...last month we went to Oklahoma for a funeral and that is one drab state in the winter...no grass, no green, just varying shades of tan and brown. I pretty much take photos of pets, landscapes, and wrecks and fires and not many of them lend themselves to anything but color. Just my opinion, as I said.

Photobum Loc: Auburn, Washington

Fair enough. Enjoy the craft we have in common.

reverand

For years, my photography has been in b&w: I use a 4x5 camera, although, when traveling abroad, I use a 35mm (since it's portable--you don't want to spend three weeks in England and only come back with 25 photographs). I've always printed full-frame--in fact, my 35mm prints include the blank edge of the negative, which prints as a tiny black border.

Recently, I took up digital and reveled in the fun of doing color photography. I think the technology beats color film hands down, in part because we're now using inks, which is what artists use, not chemical layers.

I find that I simply see things differently, and I have to sort of get into the zone. Either I'm going to be taking color shots, which makes me look at contrasting colors, ranges of color, or I'm taking b&w, which means I'm thinking in terms of tones, a gray scale, patterns of light and dark. Only lately have I used the digital camera to take b&w prints, although I don't convert to b&w until I get into Lightroom. But again, I don't take photographs and then decide later to print them in color or b&w. I'm either thinking in terms of color when I'm taking the picture, or I'm thinking in terms of b&w.

wham121736 Loc: Long Island, New York

reply:Usually,for me, it depends on what excites me about the scene or what I am trying to say with my image. Some landscapes are all about the color, and most architectural images are about the lines and shapes, where color may add little and may even detract, but not always. So you, as the image maker must decide what you want to emphasize, and decide whether color adds or detracts.

quote=Photobum]Perhaps this topic has been rehashed before. But maybe we can do it again for the new comers. What is it that will determine if a subject is to be converted to black & white or remain in color? Or, what is it that makes you say "this will be an awesome b&w"? I know some have their own preferences one way or another while some lean heavily towards one over the other.

Speaking for myself, if a subject has bold colors that cannot be ignored, then color it is. (Flowers, Grand Canyon etc.) On the otherhand, so many times I see a subject or landscape that simply calls out for b&w, and to see what i can do to bring about my vision to invoke or enhance an emotion.

So please, feel free to chime in. For me, I'd look forward to many replies. Best wishes to all. Ken[/quote]

aellman Loc: Boston MA

YES!

wgraburn Loc: Chicago

They are both good but the B&W is more dramatic.

Tomcat5133 Loc: Gladwyne PA

Maybe it is just me but I see a movement now to more black & white. Cauron's movie Roma which
may win the Academy Award it is 60mm b&w shot with an Arri Mini himself. I have become very
interested in b&w. My post on micro contrast with strong tonality and what they call 3D pop
recieved people who thought that their older images had something missing today.
Basically many of the newer high quality lens are engineered for optimum sharpness giving
up on the tone and look of the lens imagery. I looked at Robert Franks imagery and the film
was very grainy. I was introduced here last week to photographer Harold Feinstein who shot
Coney island in Brooklyn NY. His work is so dynamic. gritty and contrast images subjects.
I think we all know when a color shot should stay color. It is just skill and instinct.
Good luck.