Helpful Tips on Black and White Photography

Originally, just as with movies, all film for still photography was black-and-white or sepia. It wasnt until the mid-20th century that color photography became feasible for the masses. Obviously color photography is now open to anyone, and given that we see the world in color, why would we want to deliberately remove color from our photographs?

This question is unique in that it brings about the answer of identifying when to take a black and white photograph or when to remove color from a photograph using an editing program such as Photoshop.

The answer is quite simple, to simplify the photo. Using black and white or removing the color from a photo enables all distracting elements to be eliminated. This process is similar to that of blurring the background or playing with the frame of a photo.

Now that we have answered the why to our question, let’s explore the when, or more precisely, the three main situations one might wish to remove color from a photo.

# Color Portraits – Taking a photo of someone using color photography reveals a close up to their facial flaws. Things such as skin discolorations and blemishes become a distraction to the viewer and leave them unable to see the true emotions, life and personality of the person in the photo.

# In abstract fine art photography

Abstract Fine Art Photography is the art of capturing shapes and patterns. Using color photography for this art form defeats what the photographer is trying to accomplish as color distracts from the main subject.

Note that black-and-white photographs are generally more tolerant of contrast, so fine art photographers will often strip out color from their photographs and then ramp up the contrast (again, using an image editing program).

# Monochromatic Photography – In this situation, black and white usually works best.

Having a photo that is lacking brilliant color is distracting. Hence, it only stands to reason that it be stripped and made a black and white photo. Just as color can be distracting, so too can be the lack of lustrous color.

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