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Learning To See | Seeing In Black and White |
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Written by Philip A. Dente
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Thursday, 01 December 2011 15:01 |
 With the many cameras, computers, and software techniques at our disposal, we can capture every color under the sun, producing images of spectacular color range. Yet, the power of an effective and evocative black and white image can, arguably, easily overpower even the most brilliantly executed color photograph.
Removing the color from the shot can change the viewer’s focus and shift his attention from colors to the parts of the image that might otherwise go unnoticed. Most people, of course, see the world in color as well as, for the most part, experience color photographs. Thus, it is only natural to feel most comfortable with what we know best.
As a result of my own early training, philosophy, and desired approach to the medium of photography, I subscribe to what earlier photographers referred to as “seeing in black and white.” In the digital era, merely taking color images and haphazardly converting them into black and white images is by no means black and white photography. The key is to look past the colors in the subject or scene and examine those elements before you that might dominate the scene with the absence of color. At this point in my photographic tenure, I can pretty much look at most things before me knowing how they will translate in a black and white image. Rarely will I choose color, unless I determine that it provides a mood or atmosphere that black and white might not accommodate.
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