wonder of mono

[mikehawthorne]

hi
even with all the colour reproduction that is possible, black and white photographs still manage to have that sense of tangable feeling that i find sometimes hard to describe.

mikehawthorne

[Dr. Harout]

Seconded

[David Kilpatrick]

Agreed. My first photography was b/w and most of it is much better aesthetically than stuff I do now. Technically, although I was considered good, I think now have massive advantages. Some of my best prints were the result of difficult rescue work on badly exposed and developed films.

David

[bakubo]

Yes, I love B&W too.

[sury]

I agree. It was always a challenge for me to visualize in black & white. Is that a pre-requisite?

Sury

[bfitzgerald]

I'd go as far as to say it would never bother me taking colour shots again..at times that is.
Some stuff just works better in b&w..but let's not forget sepia too. In particular people shots are made for mono.

Olivia & Alan 15th May 2010-28.jpg (112.27 KiB) Viewed 5584 times

Olivia & Alan 15th May 2010-154.jpg (144 KiB) Viewed 5584 times

Olivia & Alan 15th May 2010-2.jpg (97.13 KiB) Viewed 5584 times

(I'm using a Marumi soft fantasy filter on this one..)

[Dr. Harout]

Thumbs up, Barry.

[Birma]

Hi Barry - I really like shot number two in your series. I always enjoy the pictures you post - often less contraversial than your 'reviews'

I agree that B&W really suits people shots - why is this? Is it that B&W is more flattering to skin tones?

[bfitzgerald]

I think colour can work very well at times for people shots, though I'd be into the less contrasty softer tones on that side myself. Depends a lot on your type of shooting with this one. For this type of work I tend to be more "candid" style informal. For that I think b&w is just perfect and preferable to colour shots.
Removing the colour helps take away the distractions and focus on the what's going on in the image (if there is anything going on! lol)
Those shots just don't really appeal to me in colour. The only downside of the candid take is you have to work fast and be spontaneous, for examples I kinda jumped behind the girl in the mirror and quickly took a shot..she just started to look at me when I captured it. So you have to be fast thinking at times. 5d and a 50mm are perfect for this type of work..not too big and obtrusive..a whacking great zoom lens might be less well suited.

B&W also means I don't have to worry about WB as much (it does influence the tones in conversion)
So overall I'm sure a lot of folks feel mono focusses the viewers attention better than colour...strong colours can work great if colour is a big part of your shot..if it's not I feel mono really does help get the "vibe" across better. Imagine a strong red (or any other colour) in any of those shots and it could pull your eye away from the subject..that's why mono appeals to me.