Black & white versus color
One day I went on a photowalk with a group from Flickr. I used to do that frequently. I always enjoyed it, and still miss it. I ended up with some images worth sharing, and I noticed that they were very clearly divided into two groups - color and black & white.
I had already converted many of them to b/w just because I thought they would look good that way, but of the color shots that were left, they were really all about the color.
All of the shots I’d converted to b/w looked better in b/w, but some of the ones left in color didn’t really have any reason to be left in color - nor did they even have a reason to be viewed again, to be honest.
So of course these black & white shots look good this way, but of the ones I left in color, would they have still looked good in b/w?
I think most of them would have been fine without color, but…
Color improves them. It was really interesting - I’ve never had a day of shooting like that, where there was such a stark difference between the color and b/w shots.
It bothers me when people who shoot only black & white become purists who believe that’s the right way to shoot. If that’s your style, by all means do b/w. But don’t hold all images to the same standards that make a b/w image great.
Hm I don't get that whole b/w vs color debate. It depends on the scene, subject etc if it 'looks good'. And even then: it's not about what's right or wrong (that should be a good thing about art, right?) Great photo's! I like the car in color, a nice 70s vibe I guess?
Great shots. I often have to find feature photos for the Local section for the newspaper I work for. A few years ago it started publishing strictly in black and white. This has trained me, when looking for these local feature photos, to see in black and white. If I see a rainbow or monarch or whatever, I'll shoot it for me or publication down the road in color, but I know I still need to find that feature photo that will translate in black and white. It's actually been a pretty cool exercise for my brain.