Colour or B&W

[GoodOldNorm]

How do you decide if what you are photographing will look better to you in black and white or colour?

[DaveP]

Originally Posted by GoodOldNorm

How do you decide if what you are photographing will look better to you in black and white or colour?

Easy - pragmatically speaking it depends what film I have in the camera at the time.

More seriously, if I'm using sheet film where you're not committed to an entire roll of a particular type, I always ask myself is the colour adding anything to the image? Is the image about the colour? If you removed the colour would it still work? Is the colour actually a distraction to what you're trying to communicate?

Generally images that are about the quality of light tend to work just as well in colour or b&w, but some things especially with landscape work at dusk or dawn are all about subtle colour that don't work as well in b&w because the separation between colour is lost, colours that even with a colour filter in place don't offer the same tonal separation in b&w.

[Lostlabours]

The choice is made at the time you decide what you intend to photograph, and more importantly what you intend to do with the images.

In my case I usually shoot colour for commercial reasons, that's rarely on film these days, however I have returned to colour film for a small personal project and I used to shoot colour for general snapshots.

It's not just colour or B&W there's also the choice of format in my case MF and LF. Many of my projects are quite long standing usually 18 months minimum some 4-5 years others over 25 years and I chose along time back to shoot B&W. I found that colours got in the way of artistic expression and what I was trying to say.

Ian

[big paul]

I have used colour film but I use mostly B/W ,I develop colour and then I scan the negs that's the bit I hate if I could print my own colour prints maybe I would shoot more colour .now B/W is a deferent story I just love going in my darkroom and printing B/W ,I do it for my own pleasure and when I have that print in my hands I feel its part of me ,I don't care if somebody thinks my work is rubbish I do it for my own pleasure ,and as I have been very unwell I have missed my darkroom but now I am getting better I am realising that shooting B/W and printing it up in my darkroom is part of my life ,and it has been since about 1971 ..colour has its place but its B/W film that I love and love looking at and love using


www.essexcockney.com

[John King]

Unless there is a degree of sun or other direct light source I have a decision to make. Colours can be (usually) very muted and in those conditions I will probably opt for B&W so I can play around with contrast to bring the subject to life.

Otherwise I will probably opt for colour especially if the contrasts are high. I find I can reduce contrast with a bit of work, I can be really pushed to increase the apparent level.

[Phil]

I'm always B&W pretty much. As Paul said, the whole process of deceloping right through to a finished print is just so pleasurable (yes, even the crap prints). So that dictates everything for me.
I've never printed colour properly, just some old Cibachrome decades ago - maybe it is something I should look into as I've got 5 C41 films to process, and I'd rather follow the whole thing through properly rather than just scan and squirt.

[photomi7ch]

I do the same as Dave P sort of. If I'm using a film camera it will be mono film. I do make colour images using film but it is very rare now-a days.

[andycmcr]

90% of the time B&W due to being able to process film and print myself

however thats crept into my digital side as well now and have to remember at times to turn the body back to colour settings