Beloved Black and White

I began my photo career years before the digital age, at a time where shooting a portrait session took a number of cameras loaded with lots of different kinds of film. The norm for me was simultaneously shooting with three bodies; one loaded with color film, one with b/w film and another with high speed b/w film (1600 for the grainy/artsy stuff). In the end my clients got a good number of proof prints to peruse with a cross section of b/w, color and more b/w. Emphasis on the b/w. It was just kind of my thing—for many many years. Creating black and white images was what I enjoyed most and in the end my favorite shots from any session were -you guessed it- black and white.

Then, a few years ago entered my swift and smooth little digital SLR (that shoots everything in color of course) and the enchanting Adobe Lightroom which helps take that color to a whole new dimension. The last 2 years I have found them to be an irresistible couple that have seduced me into practically forgetting about my beloved black and white. It is only when I see shots like this and this that I am swept up in remembering my passion for the absence of color. For an image that holds the viewer captive with it’s enticing tonal range of whites to light grays to dark grays to the blackest blacks and back again. An image where texture evokes emotion and wonder, and there is no color to distract.

Lately I feel desperate to rediscover that unspoken thing that black and white images bring that drew me to photography in the first place—to rekindle that old flame, and search for ways to restrike that spark in a new world where creative tinder can come from a single stroke of the keyboard.

And you? Where do your loyalties lie? Do you ever feel torn in your processing? Do I or don’t I desaturate? What would make this image the best it can be? How do you decide? And what is your preference? Shed a little light (and shadow) if you would, because I need to know I am not alone in this. Am I?

Comments

[Claudious]

There is a love in the darkroom that hours on photoshop can never get close to. The smell, the lights, the seclusion, the way time stops while you do what it takes. I love how quick digital pictures are to work with, and how readily available they are to share... but you can never truly leave the dark room.

[steph]

I've been dreaming of having my own darkroom. I agree with Claudious, there's nothing like hanging out in the darkroom. I used to help my dad process film when I was little, so those smells are all delicious to me.

Until then, I occasionally am drawn to a particular texture or crave less distraction from color. So I desaturate. Then everything becomes just....so.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssicore/1358132167/in/set-72157604181480994/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ssicore/2592434498/in/set-72157604181480994/

[Michelle S]

I'm so new to this that I don't even know what desaturate means yet. I do know that I like what the black and white does to my two daughter's smooth skin and dark hair. I think that they sparkle.

My daughter Bailey
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26029966@N02/2616737743/in/set-72157606528316151/

and my daughter Sarah
http://www.flickr.com/photos/26029966@N02/2729305611/in/set-72157606528316151/

Now I'm off to look up "desaturate."

[Marcie]

I too miss the old b & w photos. Often - I tone down my color images to be more monochromatic (but not yet - b & w):
http://bravo.unisonplatform.com/~marciesc/index.php?showimage=477

[Chris]

B&W has always been my first love. Being digital gives you so many options now. Sure, I do color shots, but I always find my way back to my first love. No destractions, nothing to move the eye away from the subject and to me, B&W holds so much more emotion. Just a few examples:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroldssis/2233937808/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroldssis/2257668674/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeroldssis/2247233076/

[brittany]

i love b&w! wish i had some of my 35mm shots on the computer to share.

http://flickr.com/photos/28332747@N07/2734410595/in/pool-shuttersisters

http://flickr.com/photos/28332747@N07/2734419073/

[maya]

i've always loved black and white. of course ever since i got my dslr, i've been shooting in color. sometimes i check to see what it would look like in b&w, but often i forget.

just the other day i was thinking i should set my camera to shoot in b&w for a while. you think differently about a photo if you know you're shooting in b&w.

anyway, i shot these 2 pictures yesterday in color, but after reading this post, i converted them to b&w. now i'm not sure which i like better!

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblack.php?id=2735371978&size=large

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/onblack.php?id=2735372028&size=large

[shelli]

I wish I had more time to tinker with my photographs. Usually I keep them in color, and I don't do a lot of editing. I have yet to learn the Photoshop program that is on my computer. When I do have time to work on them, I use iPhoto because it's faster for me. I have a very hard time settling on what I want, and I'm always unsure that I've done the photo justice.

http://www.mamaofletters.com/Mama_of_Letters/Camera_Happy/Pages/Nikon_D60.html#15

[Traci]

once again, i'm thinking to myself "yes, yes, yes!" as i'm reading here. since first discovering lightroom and photoshop, i often find some photos scream for black and white, while others can't resist a color pop. but most of the time, i don't know where the processing road will lead and lately, i find myself somewhere in between.

http://flickr.com/photos/tracimeyer/2714766123/

[Debbie]

I am the complete opposite, Tracey! I *never* took a black and white photo until digital came along and I could post-process my colored ones to B&W. I still have barely dipped a toe into that water, but here's one of the first shots I processed that I really loved: http://tinyurl.com/5cwsnm

[kristin]

my silly little one.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/2698335513/

[e.darcy]

there is just something about film-the spontaneity of it, the element of surprise. never knowing if the film actually loaded right or not (oh yes...oops.... it slipped right off)
but more than that, it seems to have more life-it has more depth. we fall in love with all the little flaws because it's there, we can't just photoshop it out. and it really just makes the picture that much better...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edarcy/2700212944/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/edarcy/2699395595/

[Wayfaring Wanderer]

It's apparent that I love color more than anything, I rarely shoot or convert to black in white.

[Lan]

http://whatiseeclicks.blogspot.com/2008/08/playing.html

i just like that the b/w sets the mood. it was a gloomy week.

[Jess]

We just got a new camera (digital) and the first day we had it, my husband was playing with the b & w and got these of my daughter and son:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesspunky/2731906098/in/set-72157606538520345/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jesspunky/2731906628/in/set-72157606538520345/

[mary]

I love the stark feeling of b&w:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/9068078@N05/2401477678/in/set-72157604973337685/

[Bet]

I love Ansel Adams and I love B&W photography. From early on it was the B&W photos that beckoned me to listen to the story they told. Color photos are like being in a crowded room with hundreds of voices clammoring to get your attention. B&W is you and a few close friends speaking quietly, urging you to listen intently.

B&W will always be my first love.

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2084/2537362616_6e671b388c_o.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2254/2528101483_b90d9f7561_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3133/2528105717_df3759c783_o.jpg

[Kacey]

I love black and white photography! Sometimes a picture will just beg for black and white, sometimes I just like playing with them to see how they turn out.

http://www.wineonthekeyboard.com/2008/05/05/i-live-in-a-black-and-white-world/

My personal all time favorite reason for converting to black and white? Kate from Chronicles of a Country Girl was watching Roman Holiday so she was inspired to convert all her photos on her blog post. *g Love her photography AND her sense of humor.

http://chroniclesofacountrygirl.blogspot.com/

[trupeach]

last week, i walked out of an icy classroom and into a very humid night. my lens kept fogging up, which resulted in a beautiful shot of randolph hall, a prominent & historical building on campus. to me, converting to b/w just adds a little something special to the shot.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/13818098@N00/2734779009/in/set-72157604485390475/

[dr lyn]

I hear you. I love looking at black and white shots -- and often, when I do desaturate my photos I like the results. It's just I have trouble sometimes visualizing what they will look like -- and then when done, wonder if I've made it better. For instance, take these two shots. I'm still waffling over which I like better!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11439752@N04/2678255551/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/11439752@N04/2678255105/in/photostream/

[Ashley]

I shot so much b&w when I had a 35mm SLR. I think I was just worried I would never capture the color right and didn't have a chance to view and tweak before printing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ashleydano/477573743/in/set-72157600157852566/

i do miss it though...sometimes...

[Solange]

I love being able the strip out the clashing colors and distractions, and be able to focus on what matters. No question that B & W evokes more emotion.

http://bp1.blogger.com/_l_L7JXUrhuk/SJhf-GprTVI/AAAAAAAAANk/JOAqncm21Y0/s1600-h/dinner.jpg

[Dawn]

My roots are in the B&W darkroom. I LOVE B&W imagery. My favorite technique for converting to B&W is on my blog:
http://devoecreative.blogspot.com/2008/07/photo-tip-creating-black-white-image.html

I think you should let the image be your guide. Some are best left in color, but others really evoke more interest in B&W


Dawn

[tangobaby]

I started out loving the vibrance and hyper-realism of color when taking photographs. It is so easy to be dazzled by color.

However, in figuring out how to deal with certain shots that just didn't seem to work out in color, I discovered B&W (and sepia tone). I feel like I have two loves now, one in color and one in tones of gray. Each one is has a perfect place, depending on the image I am working with.

I do find that B&W gives me more room for magic, though.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tangobaby2/2731297824/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tangobaby2/2579337798/in/set-72157605619267486/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/tangobaby2/2730491013/

[Terri]

I love to look at the B&W my grandfather took. I never knew him since he died when my Mom was 15. But in away I do know him because when I look at his photos I get to see the world through his eyes. Several years ago I was given his camera and it's proudly displayed next to some of the pictures he took.

I've only stepped my toes into the B&W pool so I don't have any to share just yet.

[Carie]

I am so struggling with this right now! I actually am even seriously considering converting my portrait photography business back to film. I love experimenting with different cameras and speed of film.
What I love most of all, is touching my images. With digital I find so many just stay in a virtual world and never get printed. I loved shifting the prints around on a table top, holding the fiber print when it arrived from my lab. I was proud to hand those images over to my clients. Knowing they would last a lifetime.
I feel as though I have a split personality when it comes to my photography.
A majority of the images on my site are presently all b/w film. www.cariefrabotta.com
Sometimes, now, when I look at my color images...I just don't know if they are "me", the true expression of myself.
I love the works of Karen Carey & Simone Hanckel they are still successfully shooting all b/w film for their clients.
Thanks for posting this: I know I'm not alone either....

[Sugar]

These are my most recent B/W favorites. Baby Bella: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarjones/sets/72157606560559517/

[Sare-Bear]

I feel so lucky to have access to the darkroom at school because I'm a photo student. All the years I have shot photography, I have shot in black and white film. Only recently did I begin trying to shoot with color film. However, I do wish I had a dslr that would let me choose.

Isn't it wonderful that we have a wide array of choices as far as our photography goes?

[laura - dolcepics]

I've always loved B&W photography. There is just something that is so timeless and classic about it. Especially those beautifully grainy film photos. Gorgeous! I even joined a wildly popular B&W group on Facebook and love to soak in all their beautiful images.

Strangely enough though, most of my images are in colour. I do the occasional B&W conversion like here:
http://www.dolcepics.com/dailypic/daddys-touch

and when tried out a new conversion method here:
http://www.dolcepics.com/articles/black-and-white-conversion/

But I always process a colour copy as well. I'm just as torn about it as you are. Lukily, we can have the best of both worlds! Do both! :)

[Sweet Rice Cake]

I also love black and white. I'm too much of an amateur to really know how to handle it (over-saturate??) but I love it:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29077578@N05/2735256937/in/set-72157606560836013/

[~ kristina ~]

You're right - ever since I started using our dslr, it rarely crosses my mind to use b&w, even though I used to use it all the time...perhaps time to return.

Here's a pop of color in our grey day of tropical storms:

http://meadowlarkdays.blogspot.com/2008/08/sunshine-on-cloudy-day.html

[stacy]

I find my love of b&w goes in waves. In the wintertime the world is so black and white, that when spring comes I crave color. I actually took a few shots last winter that looked b&w, but they weren't. They were color.

Now that I've had a few months of wonderful yummy colors I am starting to love b&w and desaturated photos again.

I have so many favorites for b&w, but this is a recent one:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kraft/2566994144/in/photostream/

and a recent favorite in desaturated color:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kraft/2729811856/in/photostream/

[margie]

i am almost afraid of black and white, it makes me question the quality of my photos, but i suppose that is a good thing.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28889572@N07/2735467049/in/set-72157606348649023/

[Rachel Parton]

I think b&w v. color just depends on my mood and how the picture strikes me. Sometimes I'll go in between and do the "antique/faded" look as well.

Color: http://www.flickr.com/photos/partonponderings/2736487172/

Faded: http://www.flickr.com/photos/partonponderings/2736461762/

B&W: http://www.flickr.com/photos/partonponderings/2736470104/

[Lu]

I love the power and gentleness of black and white photography. You see what is really there without the distraction of color.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ldb/1175613638/in/set-72057594114570083/

With self-portraits, I see details I might not normally pay attention to when I remove the color. I love it. They end up being some of my most powerful shots...you really notice the emotion.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ldb/2694506022/in/set-72057594120121854/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ldb/138505743/in/set-72057594120121854/

[Jennifer]

It seems that I convert the pictures that might be visually imperfect, but emotionally perfect for whatever reason. Black and white forgives my inability to capture the color just right. And really, that is why I take pictures in the first place - to capture those moments that are emotionally perfect in my life. :) I am a big fan of black and white.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/veridianblue/2662595851/

[Lawyer Mama]

There is something about B&W flower and plant photos. I love how you can see every tiny detail b/c there's no color to distract.

I like to use black & white for detail shots, like the hand shot of my Little H and husband you linked. (THANK YOU!) And I love to make shots of my kids or people where you can't *quite* see all of their faces into B&W. It seems to convey the emotion more and that's what it's all about, right? Still, I get infatuated with new color actions & things & go through stages! I do love my black & white though. It's timeless.

[Corey]

depends.....I see so many poorly processed black and whites that I don't like. I stuggle myself with a good conversion, so I rarely go with black and white.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24305818@N08/2620194086/

[Hay]

B&W is my first love. Always will be. I just don't *see* in colour.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/hippyhappyhay/2727657254/

[Amy P.]

I really like playing around with digi B&W, but I have to say that I usually end up cranking up the contrast. It just looks right to my eye. I love B&W and agree with previous posters about the emotion you can convey in B&W that doesn't always come through in color.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8562434@N07/2613692446/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8562434@N07/2657278014/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/8562434@N07/2617359430/

:)

[jag]

I've never processed my photos in any way. I don't know how! (Yet.) I just point, and shoot. What I see is what you get. But on my urban wanderings this past weekend, I decided to set my P&S to the b/w setting. I love urban landscape in b&w - it all looks so classy! :-)

Here are two shots of my bus stop down the street. I go there every day, yet had never looked at it through the camera lens before.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/2729828537/in/set-72157606526891774/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jagspace/2730661818/in/set-72157606526891774/

jag
xox

[Cheryl Doran-Girard]

I haven't played much in the black and white world and like the formal feeling in portrait work. My grandson, Parker:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/cheryldoran-girard/2736690823/

[Dawn (elfini)]

Wow, it was probably close to 15 years ago that I was taking photography courses and spending all my time in the darkroom. I miss that so much.
I don't often convert my digital photos to B&W since color is such an important part of my composing the photos. And while I have plans to take another class in the future to get back in the darkroom, I'm getting my B&W fix with my new Holga!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/elfini/sets/72157605079326494/

But I will admit it is hard to get my brain to "think" in B&W again. We'll see how the next roll turns out.

[jfrancis]

The moment
where life
cannot wait!

[melanie]

black & white holds such a mysterious quality. i love to see the differences when you take away all the color. thank you guys for sharing all your photos. it is so much fun to look at everyones beautiful captures.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/29133179@N06/2737885236/

[Sarah - Ji]

I have to admit I turn to desaturation when my colors are messed up or I underexposed so severely that correcting exposure creates a lot of noise. I like the vintagey feel of desaturation, but I admit I'm a bit wary of straight b&w. It's something I need to work on, I guess.

Here's one of my favorite desaturated photos:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sierraromeo/2505676962/in/set-72157604744240241/

[Kirsten]

I'm a color girl and rarely go B&W. Most of the time I do it's because I'm trying to "save" a photo that I might have overlooked. Definitly brings a different depth to a photo, clarifies things a bit.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/somethingcheeky/2734556584/sizes/m/

[kristin]

rainy day b&w project.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/2738031319/

[melody is slurping life]

I feel torn in many things, photography and otherwise. But this one I fell in love with...absence of color revealed my son, Mac. It just says "this is me".

http://www.flickr.com/photos/melsphotophun/2691312853/

[nikkipolani]

Your post reminds me of the many hours spent in the local college's dark room, dipping 8x10s in one tray after another, waiting for the prints to dry, getting out my bottle of spot tone. My roomie is in a photography class (unfortunately with a lousy teacher) and is doing some black and whites. Here's one she shot that I love.
http://beginninghere.wordpress.com/2008/08/05/light-and-dark/