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Do we see things more clearly in black and white?

15 comments
Jan 22 2015

For a while now an interesting and thought provoking debate has been aired as to whether a photograph (or an image, if you prefer) looks ‘better’ in its original colours or as a monochrome.
I don’t think anyone can ever give a definitive answer to this as, surely, it is down to the taste and opinion of each individual? That said I firmly believe it is worth a try.

With the ability given to us to convert our work into monochrome via post processing software it is not a difficult task to execute. It does however, I believe, require thought as to whether it could look more appealing and if so, what treatment should be applied and how heavily or subtly.

This morning whilst having a bit of a purge of my photos I came across a shot I took just a few years ago of a nearby pond, nature reserve and ruins of a long disused lime processing ‘factory’. I spent a bit of time on its conversion and show both here.

I am not so concerned as to which one is ‘better’ as I imagine there will be mixed views, but I do, once again, offer it as a thought provoker. Maybe DO try sometimes, to see what you think?

For info, this was converted via the infrared option with a touch of red filter slider and by bring levels towards darker and adding a touch of brightness.

PS – I prefer the monochrome as it adds to the drama and overall feel of what was in front of me.

Aberthaw Pond and Limeworks web_DSC8401 Aberthaw Pond and LimeworksBandW web_DSC8401

I would love to hear/read your views on this subject so do drop me your comments.

nj

  1. Leigh Woolford 

    I wonder if Black and white gives more of a freedom for an artistic interpretation. As we are used to seeing in colour it perhaps has to be a more faithful representation.

  2. Alan 

    I totally agree with you concerning choice, subjective taste and careful choice of black and white images. From my own experience I have found that experimentation can throw up the most surprising of results … so I would add my own encouragement, as others have encouraged me, to just give it a go … after all there is nothing to lose being digital … but you never know, an excellent image may be lurking beneath what looks like a mediocre colour image.

  3. Heidi Stewart 

    I remember going here once! Great place and must go again. 🙂 I did exactly the same as you have Nick by converting some of my pics to black and white. It’s surprising the difference it makes. Adds much more drama. I also used some of the presets in Lightroom to create different effects which turned out quite interesting. I would suggest to anyone, before you delete an image, have a play with it first, because you might find that it turns out to be something a bit special.

    Out of the two pics you put up I personally prefer the black and white as, to me, it has much more mood.

  4. Astrid McGechan 

    I agree it is definitely worthwhile to play with an image and process it in different ways, including b/w. I actually find it quite useful to set the camera screen to b/w while making the photograph as it gives a good idea of the visual impact. And as the camera still captures the image in colour, nothing is lost.

  5. Judi Lion 

    Lots of excellent comments already left here. I too prefer the B&W treatment as it adds a lot more drama and atmosphere – the colour version was “nice”, but perhaps a bit wishy-washy, the conversion has really made it ‘pop’.

  6. Virginia Cobley 

    Hi Nick~ love the B&W, then then I, as one of your other responders, have been experimenting with B&W for a while. It is amazing how a somewhat lacklustre coloured image often reveals itself to be far better when converted . It shows the ‘bones’ beneath the colour.
    Ginny

  9. Robert Albright 

    Often monochrome is assisted, as here, by an element of infra-red. It adds another unreal element to the unreality of monochrome’ particularly if the whites are boosted without being burnt out excessively.

  10. David Harrison 

    I think that perhaps it could be the sky that determines whether an image looks “better” in B&W, or not. Your “normal” sky is a bit dull, if you pardon the use of the word. Turn it into a B&W image and all of a sudden there’s a sense of foreboding in the sky that goes well with the ruined building at Aberthaw which I know well too, having walked past it on the Wales Coastal Path last summer.

  11. Chris Rusbridge 

    I’m not so keen on doing black and white “conversions”, as I think images ought to be composed for black and white, rather than using it to sort out any image deficiencies (not to say there are any in your image). I also find it hard to properly appreciate a black and white image when I have the colour version in front of me.

    I have decided to do a “one camera, one lens, one film, one year” challenge, based on a couple of posts by Mike Johnston, The Online Photographer. I’m not fully set up yet, but I haven’t shot a colour image since the start of the year. From here in it’ll be all Tri-X all the way!

    I’ve also liked shooting black and white JPEGs on my X10; even get a black and white preview on the back screen, which certainly helps composition.

    In your shot, the building it’s reflection and the sky all work better in the black and white conversion, but the foreground reeds have faded in interest, maybe deliberately?

  12. Barbara Fleming 

    There is a huge difference between these two pictures.In the colour photograph I find it difficult to get beyond the reeds even though the castle in the background has lovely soft light on it.The B/W image is so much more striking,I think the more dramatic sky helps to hold the image together.
    Looking from the Colour image to the B/W image quickly I can feel my eyes changing quite dramatically their point of rest. All very interesting.

  13. Les Bailey 

    Les Bailey:

    Go back, set the tripod higher to exclude the reeds and shoot in portrait to include more sky! Omit the swans/ducks, they’re distracting, and bump up the contrast, a great image with stormy sky.

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