A case for Black & White Photography
Next time you scroll through the feed on Instagram, think about what makes you stop on a photograph. In a world of heavily altered, sometimes over-saturated color photos, black and white photography creates its own space. William Eggleston, Saul Leiter, and Martin Parr have created exemplary works of art which I cannot imagine in black and white. On the other hand, works of Ansel Adams, Hiroshi Sugimoto, and Michael Kenna create a world in their photographs that makes your forget the existence of other colors. I always get asked why I only shoot black and white. Here’s my case for black and white photography.
For me, black and white photos strip down the distractions of color from the subject, exposing something that’s in plain sight but not so obvious. The depth of shadows, the contours of light, and the soul of the subject what the photographer wants to show the world. All this presented on a scale of black, white and grey in the middle. I will not lie; Black and white photography is easy. It has an innate quality of creating something magical in an instant that makes an observer stop and look keenly. I consider black and white photography as a form of minimalism. Although, probably my definition of minimalism wouldn’t be accepted in the traditional sense. I feel it is easier to show my intent of photographing a subject when it’s presented on a greyscale. These photographs always evoke an emotional response that might not necessarily be devised with a colored version.
One needs to experience colors in photographs to appreciate the beauty of black and white.
I hope my perspective will bring some value to you next time you see black and white photographs. If you want to see my work, please do so on Instagram.
