Intro
Before I got serious about photography I never gave much thought why exactly one picture worked better in black-and-white versus color. I actually remember a few times where I converted photos to b&w for it to simply look what I thought to be more artful.
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Since then I’ve thought a lot about whether to keep color or eliminate it in my photos and what thought process happens before I make that decision. I figured it’d be nice to share what I’ve learned over time and compare notes. If I’ve missed something in my list below, please leave a comment! I’m always excited to grow together and learn from each other. Now, here we go!
The two questions behind every good photo
What do you want the photo to say?
How do you communicate that idea so the viewer gets it?
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To make a good photo there are numerous things to consider but ultimately it comes down to these two questions. As photographers we have a ton of decisions to make to successfully convey our message. And one of them is choosing to capture the scene in black-and-white versus color. To make that decision, I ask myself 5 key questions.
The 5 key questions to choose between black-and-white and color
1. What role does color play in this scene? Is it relevant to keep?
Example:
I like to capture the mood of a spring morning = showing golden sunlight illuminating soft pink blossoms = keep color.
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2. Are the colors distracting from the actual moment?
Example:
Brightly colored elements in the background that are impossible to remove even by framing the scene differently.
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3. Are the highlights intentionally placed and guide the eye through the frame well?
When looking at a photo, areas of high contrast (the highest contrast being black against white) is where the eye jumps first in any picture. By eliminating color the eye only has areas of contrast between different shades of grey to differentiate between the elements in a scene.
This can help amplify patterns and textures or show connections between objects of the same brightness that don’t look all that similar in a color photo.
But it can also be distracting to have one “muddy soup of grey” or a cluster of patterns and textures that the eye doesn’t get guided through.
So the question is: Do the bright shapes and lines in the scene guide the eye through the frame well? Do the bright shapes and lines seem intentional?
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4. Am I trying to convey a raw concept, where color is irrelevant or distracting?
This one goes hand-in-hand with the first question. B&W can work well to communicate raw concepts, ideas and feelings because it’s open to the viewer to interpret the colors and position the image in their own world. Am I trying to convey a raw concept, where color is irrelevant or distracting?
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5. Is it important for the photo to look timeless?
Color can date an image and sometimes it makes more sense to keep the image black-and-white.
“I feel that for a color photograph to be successful, color itself must be a central element. On the other hand, if color is merely present in the scene – as it always is – without lending needed support, and if it can be eliminated without losing the compositional essence of the image, then my choice is black-and-white.” – Bruce Barnbaum