Black and White VS. Color

      Certain people would say, with no doubts at all, that one is better than the other. Others, like myself would have a difficult time deciding between the two. Depending on the artist, their preferences vary. Whether the photographer is digital or old school film, can also affect the choice drastically.

      Nicole Thomas, a painting major at Pratt Institute and photographer on her free time, has a pretty clear decision on which is her preference. She has had experience with working in a darkroom with black and white film processing, but has a large space in her heart for digital and color photography. “Color just has a stronger language, people can relate to it more”, she replies quickly to my asking of her choice. The only time she will turn a digital photo to black and white would be when she feels the color doesn’t add anything to the photograph.

      On the other hand, we have Allegra De Angelo, also a student at Pratt Institute who prefers black and white photography. She has a very impressive point when she states, “The color is often distracting from the real quality of the photographs; too often people are blinded by bright colors to see the real artistic efforts, or lack thereof, put into photography”. She does discuss the factor of subjects; she brings up a picture of a rainbow needing color because, well, it’s a rainbow. “… If the point is a person’s facial expression, then I think black and white is better because it’s all about the forms, not about the color”, she says.

      And the debate continues on.

      Camera companies have begun to dip their foot into the different options. Kodak™ has had black and white disposable cameras for a few years now. I have been a witness of a few people talking a bout how black and white photos make people look flawless. Now, could this possibly be true? Or is this just a mere opinion? Let us see:

 

Here we have the same photo: one in color and one in greyscale. As you can see, the color photo has a few different colors: reds, blues, browns and a rather poignant electric green. I believe that the colors in this photo would have been a bit more successful if the proper surroundings existed (maybe get a white or solid colored background). As for the black and white photo, I believe it is more successful. The lime green pillow is not as distracting as it is in the color photo, and I feel that the shadows and highlights are more emphasized and therefore brings out the quality of the picture more. I think this comparison is a good example of when turning a color photo to black and white; it really assists in making it a more successful picture.

      There are plenty of different ways of making people look flawless now, thanks to new technology (has anyone seen that Dove commercial?). Thus, the black and white photo making people flawless is basically rendered meaningless.

      Now, who could argue the beautiful language of color? Color gives personality and a mood and point of view to a picture… right? Well, some believe that black and white does the same thing. Sometimes, the elegant and dramatic look of black and white dominates over the specificity of color photos. Some say color can be distracting in a photo.

      Could this debate no be about all this complicated chutzpah? Maybe, just maybe, it could just be who’s sticking it to the old school.

      Black and white photography dates back to the mid 1800’s. Color photography only revolutionized the world around 1910. Before that, we painters were the ones handling the color in the world! This whole holding onto your roots thing is beginning to influence many people of music, theater, and art. All over I see burnt-out actors going to Broadway for their “roots” and while watching the White Rapper Show on VH1, the contestants are continuously being visited by old rappers that anyone born after 1990 hasn’t ever heard of. So maybe supporting your forefathers is a large reason for debate.

      I guess we will never know. We could argue for days and nights, but the decision is in the sole discretion of the photographer. So, happy button clicking!

Written by Kate Baldwin