Why black and white?

[weka2000]

Could someone explain to me why people use B/W instead of colour. What are the benifits and advantages. Where do you use B/W over colour?

Ive only done 1 in photoshop due to the pic being overexposed

[Gary Fairhead]

Why wine when there is beer? Why lobster when there is steak? Why Picasso when there is Rembrandt? I like all of these and I like Color and Black and White as well. Its a matter of taste and Black and White can evoke a mood or message quite differently than color and all this on exactly the same subject. Its all in the eye of the beholder. Some only like color, some like Black and white only and others like both ( then there is selective color which people generally also Love or Hate) This link is to one of the shots I posted in this section where there was quite a difference of opinion on which was better, the color version or the B/W version.

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=116047

[u2wedge]

color holds your brain by the hand... black and white lets your brain wander by itself... well, that's how I think of it! ;-)

[ACDCROCKS]

B&W gives it more character. People see colour every day, and once they see B&W they are intrieged, and find it interesting. It gives the picture it's self more Art and character to it

[Jon Foster]

Some times black and white just looks better. Some times black and white with a twist looks better. Some times color looks better. The pictures below were shot in color and everyone thought they were nice. Then I turned them into black and white pictures and everyone said they were still nice but plain. Then I turned them into black and white pictures with a sepia effect and everyone said wow!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/jfoster48386/Canon%20300D/Just%20For%20Fun/Princess-Gothic.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v601/jfoster48386/Canon%20300D/Just%20For%20Fun/Shade-Gothic.jpg

Jon.

[ACDCROCKS]

Beautiful shots, fits the composition wonderfully

[Spearin]

Black and white photos can present a certain emphasis to the viewer. Although, the same can be said about colour photos. Sometimes having an absence of colour can make set a different mood to the image or emphasize texture or shape (but colour can do all of that as well, it's just a matter of context).

There is a certain character to black and white images, especially those from film, that can really make a photo have impact.

[Streetshooter]

the art of photography is about abstraction.....abstacting a 3 dimensional reality to a 2 dimensional reality and putting the image on paper.....(or screen)....B&W tends to abstract better by leaving out the color info....many times people view color images and are reminded of the subject of the image.....like a crutch to aid viewing....B&W erases this on most occaisions.....remember...a photograph should be viewed as it's own reality and not of the subject used to make the image....it is it's own reality..not a representation of a 3 dimensional reality....

read some writings from Minor White to get a better grip on what your doing with a camera and the photographic process.....don

[baldybaldstock]

Those are fantastic pics Jon. I really like B&W photography. I've always felt that only certain pictures work in black and white but when they do, they provoke more thought than their colour version by the viewer. But thats just me!

[weka2000]

Oh well looks like I will have to start to play with photoshop and do some experements.