Black and White

[KandJinIN]

So it seems to me that most everything just looks better in black and white... I was wondering why this is.. any takes?

[Spacemunkie]

You're removing the distraction of colour I suppose. Black and white can remove deficiencies in colour balance and noise/grain looks much better too. It's much easier to push the processing of b&w and still have the finished image look good. You have to be far more careful with colour. It's much less forgiving and things can start to look unnatural very quickly.

[PlayersZ28]

Whether an image looks better in B&W vs color depends on the image content and what you want from it. A hot air balloon festival would be boring in B&W. A winter landscape looks good as it's very monochromatic anyway.

I also think B&W looks good because it's not something you see all the time (assuming you aren't completely color blind :) ).

[iamthaley]

i agree that it depends on what you're taking... when you take a color photo, color almost becomes an object in the photo, it's not just "there" it's part of the photo and therefore it can have a factor in whether or not your photo looks good in quality as well as compositionally.

With b&w, you don't have to consider color except the blacks, the whites, and the grays.

[Nanboh]

it invokes a mood that may not actually be present because of how we culturally internalize b&w images. I think that's why there's a certain art to it, really--knowing what should be in b&w and what shouldn't. Not saying I know, just that I recognize that I don't know. :D

[fotofun]

I think b/w often looks better then colored image. For, example, we've shot a good portrait but the model was wearing a bright jacket. So the jacket will be the first thing that the viewer will notice, but not the model's face or eyes.
B/w wins a lot if we create the composition on lines, elements and so on. Then color can prevent the viewer to travel about the shot in the way we wanted. So it seems to me b/w photography is a bit more philosophical.

It's much easier to push the processing of b&w and still have the finished image look good
You're right but it depends on what we want to get in the end, 'cause b/w can be very different. Red color and blue color in b/w look different. I've read an interesting article, in which 9 ways of b/w converting are described! It's just not so easy :))
9 Ways To Convert Your Image Into Black And White Format (http://www.shotaddict.com/tips/article_9+Ways+To+Convert+Your+Image+Into+Black+An d+White+Format.html)

[photoguy6405]

So it seems to me that most everything just looks better in black and white... I was wondering why this is.. any takes?

"Most everything"? Seriously disagree. Many things do, but there are also many variables, I think.

I do know several people who feel "most everything" would be accurate, though.