Why is B/w better in my eyes?

[enrigonz]

I shoot color is RAW and every now and then I make some of the images monochrome, I'm usually end up liking B/W better than color and sometimes wish I could shoot everything B/W and not worry about converting to B/W in PP. I do fear of doing this a little and I keep shooting in color and most of my photos stay in color but I don't like them as much as I do B/W.

Has anyone here gone in B/W and never turned back? I do realize some things such a flowers, some landscapes and some macros look better in color but I mostly refer to people photography not so much the other.

Any thoughts?

[potatowitz]

If you're shooting RAW, always shoot in color...Monochrome is a mouse click away, but you can always click back!

this being said, I do the exact same thing, and find I love my images so much more when I convert to B&W...go with it!

[The Hard Way]

Maybe it's your style of photography. For one thing, I think the framing and technical aspects are more pronounced in B&W. I'm sure others would disagree.

[FlyingPhotog]

If you're shooting RAW, always shoot in color...Monochrome is a mouse click away, but you can always click back!

this being said, I do the exact same thing, and find I love my images so much more when I convert to B&W...go with it!

If you're shooting RAW you're always in color...

No such animal as B&W RAW.

[potatowitz]

If you're shooting RAW you're always in color...

No such animal as B&W RAW.


This is true...well, I guess point made.

[enrigonz]

Yeah, I guess is my style of shooting but most of my shots stay color because I'm afraid of going all the way with B/W.

[GregBrave]

I heard these words of wisdom from one photographer I know -
"It is better to shoot BW than later look at the image and try the conversion"
What he meant was - that when you shoot the photograph, think of it in BW terms.
There are many differences between color photos and BW ones. In color photos there are more ways to draw attention than in black in white. In BW it is mostly contrast...
Maybe you like BW photos because of their relative simplicity... simplicity often can contribute greatly to the impact of the photograph.
And I didn't understand what are you afraid of.

[garyark]

I began in B&W as a high school student. As such, it doesn't bother me. Unless the subject matter or context requires it, I usually prefer B&W. I'm not exclusive, sometimes color works better. But B&W requires the viewer to focus on tonality and subject matter - the images are more likely to be perceived by the viewer for their fundamental character, as compared to colors which may distract from the shooter's message.

[enrigonz]

I began in B&W as a high school student. As such, it doesn't bother me. Unless the subject matter or context requires it, I usually prefer B&W. I'm not exclusive, sometimes color works better. But B&W requires the viewer to focus on tonality and subject matter - the images are more likely to be perceived by the viewer for their fundamental character, as compared to colors which may distract from the shooter's message.

This makes a lot of sense to me now, "color may distract from the shooter's message", this is what I think happens to me when I see my images in color or converted to B/W, 95% of the time I prefer B/W for that same reason.

GregBrave: I'm afraid of shooting only in B/W and one day wishing I had taken that image in color instead. Afraid of changing my mind as I get older and perhaps wiser, it's been the other way around for me though, I've gotten more attached to B/W images than color.

[Joe Ravenstein]

When film was king I shot about 20 rolls of 36 exp B&W to every roll of color film 36 exp. IMO landscapes are more "dramatic" in black and white (and shades and tones of greys) I feel flowers are best done in color to bring out the subtle color differences.

[watsok]

Texture and tonality.

Color sometimes gets in the way of seeing these. When I see a strong photographic image opportunity I am looking for textures and considering tone spread / dynamic range.

Ansel Adams "system" is pretty much obsolete because his discussions apply to film. The theory of getting the whitest white along with the blackest black in a B&W print still remains the goal. After that, good subject matter will guarentee a great image.

Color is good where color is the dominate thing you are trying to capture.

[mchoate1]

Just shoot film.....Its great...Easy to develop at home and enlargers are very cheap now if you take time and look around....

[Don't drink it, Socrates]

if you're shooting in RAW, just convert it. playing with colors can be very fun, too

[sjones]

A little late to this one, anyway…

When I started this hobby five years ago, I figured that I would shoot about 80 percent color and 20 percent B&W. About three months into it, however, I switched completely to monochrome, and I haven’t had any great desire to shoot color since.

For one thing, I am somewhat green/red color blind, and I was never comfortable processing in color. On the other hand, I enjoyed processing monochrome, basically just using curves after conversion. If you shoot RAW, as you apparently do, you can also use any combination of Photoshop’s digital color filters to manipulate tonal values, perhaps the one thing that I miss since switching to film.

Also, you can always save the RAW file, so even if you wished five minutes later, let alone a few years down the line, that you had the color copy, no problem, it is there.

[enrigonz]

A little late to this one, anyway…

When I started this hobby five years ago, I figured that I would shoot about 80 percent color and 20 percent B&W. About three months into it, however, I switched completely to monochrome, and I haven’t had any great desire to shoot color since.

For one thing, I am somewhat green/red color blind, and I was never comfortable processing in color. On the other hand, I enjoyed processing monochrome, basically just using curves after conversion. If you shoot RAW, as you apparently do, you can also use any combination of Photoshop’s digital color filters to manipulate tonal values, perhaps the one thing that I miss since switching to film.

Also, you can always save the RAW file, so even if you wished five minutes later, let alone a few years down the line, that you had the color copy, no problem, it is there.

I appreciate the advise, my only problem with keeping RAW files is the amount of space needed to do so. I shoot RAW, convert and the I delete the RAW file. The only RAW files I keep are those people pay me for on a shoot or some I take in a studio for the family. I have a tendency to convert stuff to B/W, but most people I ask still want the color version of the photo.

[enrigonz]

Just shoot film.....Its great...Easy to develop at home and enlargers are very cheap now if you take time and look around....

It wouldn't be financially feasible for me, and I'm spoiled on digital, but I understand is the way to go for many that want to shoot B/W....

[Clean Gene]

I shoot color is RAW and every now and then I make some of the images monochrome, I'm usually end up liking B/W better than color and sometimes wish I could shoot everything B/W and not worry about converting to B/W in PP. I do fear of doing this a little and I keep shooting in color and most of my photos stay in color but I don't like them as much as I do B/W.

Has anyone here gone in B/W and never turned back? I do realize some things such a flowers, some landscapes and some macros look better in color but I mostly refer to people photography not so much the other.

Any thoughts?


Well...why do you think that black and white looks better?

I didn't ask that question as a rhetorical question just to be an ass. I'm serious. Take the black and white picture, put it next to the color picture, and think about why you prefer one over the other. I wouldn't know why you prefer the black and white. Even though I usually prefer doing black and white pictures, my reasons are probably different than yours.

Anyway, unless you are absolutely certain that you want a picture to be in black and white, I'd suggest shooting in color anyway. You can convert the color picture to black and white. But if you decide that you want the black and white picture to be in color, I'd imagine that it's much more difficult to switch back to color if you happen to change your mind.

[Clean Gene]

I heard these words of wisdom from one photographer I know -
"It is better to shoot BW than later look at the image and try the conversion"
What he meant was - that when you shoot the photograph, think of it in BW terms.
There are many differences between color photos and BW ones. In color photos there are more ways to draw attention than in black in white. In BW it is mostly contrast...
Maybe you like BW photos because of their relative simplicity... simplicity often can contribute greatly to the impact of the photograph.
And I didn't understand what are you afraid of.

But at the same time, not all images work better in black and white. I too generally prefer black and white, but it's still case-specific.

And if the photographer KNOWS that a picture should be in black and white, then there's nothing wrong with shooting in black and white from the start. But...one shouldn't have to SEE IT in black and white in order to THINK ABOUT IT as black and white. Hell...for a long time, people have been using black and white film on cameras that didn't have instant feedback in the form of an LCD screen. Take pictures with a low-end film SLR that's only ten years old, and using black and white film requires visualizing the color scene in terms of black and white. You see the scene in color, visualize how that's going to look in the final image, and then use black and white film instead of color film.

Shouldn't it be the same thing here? Sure, shooting in black and white on a digital SLR sort of FORCES the photographer to think in black and white (so long as you're using the LCD to compose, instead of the viewfinder). But...you don't have to see in black and white in order to THINK in black and white. And if you're looking through the viewfinder, then shooting in black and white isn't going to help anyway. The scene that you see will still be in color.

[skyy38]

When I want B+W I SHOOT B+W with no wish to convert from color to mono.

And sometimes I shoot "B+W" in color....