Looking through my image galleries, you may notice that many of my photos have been converted to black and white. I love using a monochrome format in my work, especially when photographing newborns and weddings, as I feel that black and white images have a beautiful timeless quality.
Whilst some photographs are undoubtedly better in full colour (think here about the rich tones of a kingfisher’s plumage, the saturated hues of a sunset sky, or a cake smash shot in front of a brightly-coloured balloon arch), stripping the colour from an image can draw the viewer’s attention to the textures in the image, the contrast between light and shadow, and the atmosphere and mood of the scene. Presenting a photograph in black and white can also act to remove the distraction of colour, which can lead to a greater visual impact and better highlight the emotions of the subject.
Of course, not all images work well in black and white; especially those which lack contrast or have very similar tones throughout. Some people may argue that in modern times black and white photography is outdated, since the first photographs were captured in monochrome simply because we had not yet developed the technology to produce colour images. But I disagree – I think black and white images can be very contemporary when the right image is chosen.
For this photo of a sika doe, I personally prefer the black and white version as it brings out the texture of the grass and helps to separate the doe from her surroundings. In the original colour version as shot, the subject has the same colour hues as her environment, and for me this is a less impactful image.
I love the added depth, and the interplay of light and shadow across this baby’s face that has been revealed in the black and white version of this photo compared to the original colour copy.
Converting this photo taken during the groom’s speech to black and white puts a greater emphasis on the couple and the emotions of the bride - there are a lot of competing and distracting elements in the colour copy.
Getting technical
Monochrome images do not actually have to be black and white! Monochrome simply means using a range of tones of only a single colour. In black and white images the colour used is a neutral gray, and this is the most prominent form of monochrome photography. Think of it like this – all black and white images are monochrome, but not all monochrome images are black and white!
I took this photo of my friend Clare on the upper gallery of the beautiful Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, and I love the way the light rays come through the dark interior (can you believe that this was taken on my phone!). The version on the left is a monochrome image as there is still a brownish-yellow tone present, whilst the version on the right is a true black and white image as the only colour present is a neutral gray. I love the left-hand copy as the slight colour tones lend a vintage feel to the photograph, which I feel works well with the historical setting.
Coloured images (which can also be referred to as polychrome) are made up of several elements – hue, saturation and luminance. In a brightly coloured image the hue and saturation can make it very difficult to see the differences in luminance in the image, but it is the luminance (contrast between light and shadow) that gives photographs depth. When we remove colour from a photograph this can enhance the depth by making luminance much more visible to the eye.
As humans view the world in colour, colour images can seem to be a more realistic and familiar way of representing and reflecting the world around us. Colours can also draw out emotional responses and reflect cultural aspects – for example, ivory or white has traditionally been the colour of wedding dresses in Western cultures, but in Hindu weddings the bride often wears a red lengha or sari. But black and white images can feel classic or evoke a feeling of nostalgia.
In the days of film photography, the film you selected could only be used to shoot in colour or in black and white, so photographers needed to make a choice and commit to one or the other format. Happily, with the advent of digital photography there is much more flexibility – you can capture an image in colour and then convert it later to monochrome in post-processing. While it’s true that converting a poorly executed colour photo to black and white is unlikely to fix the issues in the original image, photos with strong elements of texture, pattern and contrast are likely to work well when altered to black and white. Luckily with digital photography I have the luxury of being able to work in both media and choose later on which type of image I prefer.
Do you agree with my preferences for the black and white versions of the images shown in this post over the colour versions?