[SammyC]

There has been a lot of B&W shots appearing recently and personally I like them. However, one of our members (RobertP) has often commented that he personally prefers a colour version.

So, when does B&W work, and are there any rules/guidelines for this? If you want to post an image then please provide a reason why you think it is better in B&W.

This is my contribution to when I think B&W works:



Now in this case the photo only had any colour on the grass at the bottom and it was very subdued because of the fog. Removing it took your focus from the only patch of colour (the boring green grass) to the whole image.

[RobertP]

Well I jumped the gun and replied on the other thread first

I will be interesed to see how this turns out. As I said there I do see plenty of good / great monochrome images and am not anti b/w.

It's the conversions that are done for no apparent reason I don't get.

Your scene above looks great in b/w . (a little oversharpened maybe )

[SammyC]

Oh you're never happy are you!

[Steve]

This is a great topic

I think this has a great earing on personal likes/dislike rather than what is right or wrong. I don't ever recall RobertP saying that a converted B&W was wrong, just that for him it didn't work on many occations. I have exactly the same issue/problem with photographs that have been "Lomo" processed. In the majority of cases people do it just because they can, many many time it adds nothing to the image and distracts from what could have been something special. Now this is were I think I agree with Robert, I actually have used, and will use again the Lomo effect (my piblic highway entry had it) as I think Robert would convert to Black and white, but only when he felt it would improve the image beyound that of a colour version.

[SammyC]

Oh I totally agree with what you're saying Steve, and I didn't mean to imply that Rob was anti B&W, it was just that he's one of the few people who's not afraid to say that!

BTW, what's Lomo?

[RobertP]

Originally Posted by SammyC

BTW, what's Lomo?

I didn't want to ask.....

[Dave]

Henry Ford wrote :
You can have it any colour as long as it's black

For me I use B&W for more impact when colours may distract from :-
- Composition
- Tones
- Texture

Following example worked so much better in B&W due to above :-



Just so you don't think I am a B&W bigot , I actually think my latest shots work better in colour here

[Venomator]

Agreed - works very well in B&W !

Have to say before going digital I used to prefer B&W - have yet to work it in new medium though - but these all do it 4 me !

BTB - is the horizon tilted ???

[Gandhi]

Originally Posted by SammyC

BTW, what's Lomo?

Slightly off topic but.....


A Russian camera manufacturer. Now defunct. Produced a lot of cheap cameras with the usual QC you'e come to expect from behind the iron curtain. I.E. the lenses were always, err, 'unique' bodies let light in, shutters were unreliable etc.

I think it's become fashionable as a knee jerk reaction to the search for the perfect digital image. Digital photographers can, as a whole, become very hung up on the 'pin sharp & perfectly exposed' thing. Especially as digital now out-resolves film and post processing can save a lot of images. True Lomography is not very easy replicated in PS as the results are completely random. Lomographers deliberately try to further this randomness by using out of date film stock, cross processing, mcrowaving film stock etc.

for more info and cameras see http://www.lomography.com/

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Venomator

BTB - is the horizon tilted ???

Thought the tilted view might have distracted from the points I was making re B&W. Found the original last night, changed the sky & then straightened