Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free: AG Photographic The Imaging Warehouse Process Supplies RH Designs Second-hand Darkroom Supplies |
> Why Still Use Mono ? |
*** Click here for the FADU 2015/2014 Yearbooks *** |
|
Thread Tools | Search this Thread | Display Modes |
#11
|
|||
|
|||
Vincent Just a variation on Dave's point really but in addition to Autochrome, let's assume that digi had been the first process invented so what we got was how we saw which is colour. It wouldn't have taken long for the gurus to try a desaturation/grey scale - just to see how it looked and then they would have sought try and print it. Just as they are trying to now and investing a lot of resources in terms of inks etc to get it right.
Had B&W ever been just the poor man's colour then it would truly have disappeard without trace a good many years ago. Instead of which there's a whole company risen from the ashes called Ilfordphoto who are surviving on the basis of being the first and last in trad B&W. Mike |
#12
|
||||
|
||||
When I was shooting black and white and colour side by side (many moons ago) I carried two cameras and never thought for a minute to compare one process with the other to see which was better. I simply operated on a there's a colour shot, or there's a mono shot, basis. Now I only shoot mono as I find it a more creative medium to work with and I still don't consider it to be superior or inferior to colour - it is after all just another creative process to use.
Neil.
__________________
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." Aristotle Neil Souch |
#13
|
||||
|
||||
I think Autochrome was always a bit too expensive for typical amateurs of the day and as a reversal process, making prints was not practical as it was essentially a medium intended for projection. Early colour was also very slow and grainy.
But what would have happened if quality colour had been invented soon after b&w and the costs reduced to a similar level is a very interesting question. I think we might be seeing the answer in the digital photography world where b&w is quite rare. There are financial penalties on digital b&w printing as the usual colour printer ink-sets seem to do very poorly with b&w printing, requiring a separate printer, or at least a change to specialized ink-sets (with the accompanying flushing of expensive inks from feed lines and printer heads) to do b&w effectively. No doubt this will change over time - perhaps it already has as I'm not at all up to date on digital printing - but I can't see it as being a major consideration for printer manufacturers when developing new models. |
#14
|
||||
|
||||
I have really never found colour print very satisfying and much prefer to see a print in B&W but having said that I have many Kodachrome transparencies which always look stunning when projected. I have occasionally been tempted to have slides made into prints which were fine but always seemed second best to the projected image
__________________
"Die Zukunft der Erinnerung" -Leica-"The Future of Memories" Regards Kenneth |
#15
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Martin |
#16
|
||||
|
||||
True, and Martin's mention of Guernica is a good example of why monochrome painting should never have been ignored.
However, long before anyone ever thought of putting oil paints into tubes (another of those darn progressive ideas of the 19th century) and before any coloured paints became cheap enough for the hoi polloi, drawing was painting's equal, whether in pencil, chalk, or line and wash. I imagine it found favour with the likes of Rembrandt since a drawing could quickly be converted into an edition of prints. Go back to the fresco and many church panels were painted in monochrome ... a few examples here
__________________
http://sandehalynch.wordpress.com/ |
#18
|
|||
|
|||
The wife and I go around to a number of local amateur painting exhibitions. There are a number of thriving art groups in S Northants and E Warwickshire who have excellent artists. I always find myself drawn to pen and ink drawings and the artistic equivalent of Van Dyke/sepia brown.
We have a black and white painting of what appears to be a Canadian wintry scene. I think it is an oil painting but I don't know. All I do know is that we wandered around a number of artists' stalls in Crete and this one which was a scene alien to Crete and the sole B&W painting stood out like a beacon. It must have been about 35 degrees C and less like a B&W winter scene you could not have imagined! PS Had the chance to see "Good Night and Good Luck" again on DVD. Low key but powerful drama documentary and the B&W photography is superb. I remember the scenes because the B&W stays with me. I can't say that about colour films even when the story has been memorable. Mike |
#19
|
||||
|
||||
Type "John Virtue" into google. He does fantastic very big monochrome paintings. Recently saw a large one (a view of London St Paul's) at the Melbourne Art Fair. Very effective (sadly for me, also very expensive!).
Basically, monochrome looks great. I (and many people) find it intriguing, mysterious, surreal or just plain beautiful to look at. And I can make B&W images easily in my home darkroom. If you don't like digital, taking colour and converting to B&W is not really a good option. So, a pure B&W film workflow is necessary for me (and a lot of fun!) Ian |
#20
|
||||
|
||||
Quote:
Steve. |
Support our Sponsors, they keep FADU free: AG Photographic The Imaging Warehouse Process Supplies RH Designs Second-hand Darkroom Supplies |
Thread Tools | Search this Thread |
Display Modes | |
|
|