What do you think is more difficult and why? Black an white or color?

Question

I feel black an white is more dramatic so its more difficult to compose a photo to convey that sense of drama...at least in the pictures I try to take.... to me color is wysiwyg

But thats my opinion and you know what they say about opinions.....

I wasnt clear.... I am referring to photography with this question

Strigidae.. hope I got that right....

I have been using film for years but just recently made the jump to digital...
I understand you affinity for film and I agree.
But unlike a lot of folks with new digitals that rely on programs (photoshop) to make their photos good I still rely on the lessons learned from film.

Just because I can take a thousand pics ( im not professional) I dont. I make the same effort with composition on digital as I do with film. I choose my subject as opposed to shooting 3000 pics and choosing and or cropping a good photo out of it.

So as I understand your aversion to digital there are still of us digital users that adhere to the purist ( film) way as much as possible.
digital isnt a crutch its a conveniance..

again its only my opinion

For the record I still shoot b&w film at times but right now my wife is learning with film beforeill have her go to digital as she loves photography. since she aspires to more than just snapshots I asked her to start and learn on film.
Just wanted to throw that in there.....

Answer 1

Black and white is more difficult, by far. I can't remember what photographer said it (maybe Adams), "Almost all photographers start out taking black and white photos because it's easy. Then they graduate to color photographs. Then they graduate again back to black and white." (I'm paraphrasing, obviously.)

Black and whites easily produce "good" photographs, but the truly special black and white photos are almost always better than the best color ones.

*xors

Answer 2

Oh what a loaded question!!!! Sure to spark much debate and arguement!

I've been shooting for years and find that color transparency is the most difficult film to shoot, but once you master it you can shoot anything. Maybe.

That being said, I still have more difficulty with black and white film than anything else. I have found that I have to test the film, to find its true speed for my equpment, metering style and development.
I always develop my own black and white-never give it to the lab. The results of your tests are invalid if you don't do the development and printing yourself. Consistency is the bedrock of well exposed, developed and printed black and white images. And while I have seen some very good digital b/w prints, nothing beats fibre for a full tonal range print. Nada.


I have found the following to be true: color negative is the easiest film to shoot, it is very forgiving to exposure mistakes. Unlike the person above, I can get true blacks in color negative, but I have to print the work myself. The preprogrammed printing of a cheap lab will not yield a good print, let alone a perfect one. A custom lab will make a perfect print, but it costs more than a box of paper.

I also find black and white more difficult to use in an aesthetic sense. As pointed out, in b/w one is dealing with the graphics of the image-color doesn't enter into it so we are just looking at shape and tone.

Finally, I find black and white more difficult because I don't see in black and white. My vision is color based-i still use the shape, the gradation of light, but the color comes into it so I have difficulty making meaningful images in b/w. On occasion I have had that "Ah Ha" moment when the image I was seeing was b/w, but those moments can be counted on one hand. I have friends who say they can't deal with color photography for the reason - they don't see the world in color. So in the end, I think it is an individual preference.

i also agree that one must use all the techniques of the old school of photography in digital. Just because the camera records the image on a card doesn't change the fact we are writing with light. Photoshop can't fix everything and I have found that less is more in that department. Filters are your friends, so is your light meter and so is that old technique of "pre-visualization." The brain is still the most important piece of gear in the bag.

Shoot often, shoot well my friends.

Answer 3

I am a professional photographer and I think that people think that people like B&w pics because there imaginatyion makes the picture perfect.. they look at the pic. adn dont see flaws but with color they see where there is. I think that a bad color can be a good b&w pic "sometimes". although this is my opinion also. Color picture to me you have to make shure the picture is almost perfect to make it look perfessional.About the comment of Photoshop... I use photoshop.... not to make it look good. But with the added technology adn the digital filters other hotographers used I use it to correct small flaws that my customerswant fixed. It would be alot easier if they didn't ask but it is another way to make more money if you know what I mean. I do agree with starting out with film though.... It is a good way to learn.... Digital is cheaper in the long run but film is one great way to get fablous pic... It also teaches you to take more better pics with the film you have adn not take a 1000 pics and get 50 good ones.

Answer 4

I hope you're talking shooting film and not digital.
I have nothing against digital but for the purist, there's NOTHING like working in B/W film.

For composition and balance B/W and Color are the same -- for me, so that's an opinion.

I agree that B/W is more dramatic. Color photography, by nature, cannot produce pure blacks.
B/W also produces "crisper" focus and special effects.

My only argument against B/W is tonal range.
If you shoot a flower with very subtle colors that have the same tonal quality, the color film and your eye can tell the difference. B/W cannot, it blends the color difference into a uniform gray.

Have you ever tried handcoloring B/W?

Oh! I find your on-screen name quite funny! I'm sitting here in Colorado Springs, CO. I spit on their grass everytime I pass their property.
.

Answer 5

"But unlike a lot of folks with new digitals that rely on programs (photoshop) to make their photos good I still rely on the lessons learned from film."

I'd like to respond to that one statement, our paths have crossed before and so I am not surprised to see that you are still harping on this subject of old school methodology vs new school methodology. I don't know why I take offense. Maybe because I work so hard, taking 100's, 1000's of pictures with my digital camera. Sometimes I get it right the first time and the pictures don't have to be touched up, for an example of this see my 360 blog. What you see there is unedited with some minor adjustments to the brightness, -5 or -10 maybe. Nothing else. So not all of us have to rely on photoshop but when we need it, it is there. I am proud to be new school and not old school. To answer your question, I take a color picture and unsaturate it, not very difficult. But I know how to compose; I learned from some of the best on the coast of Maine~

Answer 6

humm B&W vs Color photography and Film vs Digital these battles will always be around and will always be a topic of discusion. I am from the old school , photog since 82, i like B&W because u can evoke feelings and emotions, u look more at the texture of the image. You can print of diffrent types of paper and can control the contrast better. B&W is more artistic and to me Color is more for display. I lov both mediums and it also depends on what you are going for when photographing a subject. you should enjoy both mediums.......thats my word

Answer 7

I am an up and coming artist. And the most difficult thing for me is seeing color. Then the mixing of color is also tricky. Once you figure out if your going to use color, You have to see the warm and cool. Then decide what color to use, then mix the right color, and the right intensity and hue. When using black and white you have line and value. Not half the problems as color. Another consideration, is what are you using? Oil, Acrylic, pastels, pencils? Then you have ink, and gouache, or watercolor. But definitely color has more considerations.

Answer 8

it is a incorrect question. The movie corporation, like maximum others, is racist. Black directors can basically get funds for their action pictures from white jerks who want them to make exploitation. yet black directors have been making in-roads. Did you spot; 2 quickly 2 furious, From Hell (johnny depp movie) The Italian activity, guidance Day, King Arthur, Biker Boyz, To Sleep with Anger, coach Carter, Swing little ones, save the final Dance, Deep conceal, devil in a Blue dress, Out of Time, extreme Crimes, Tears of the sunlight, The exchange Killers, The Negotiator, ineffective Presidents, Roll bounce, Undercover Brother, Eve's Bayou, The Piano Lesson, 4 Brothers, Shaft, Drumline, incredible 4, Taxi, adult men Of Honor, Antwone Fisher, frightening movie, First Daughter, wish Floats, Crossover, Love Jones, Barbershop...??? Black directors all.

Answer 9

I agree. When composing a photo. Color is prominent. When shooting black and white you have to put that aside and focus on contrast, textures, shapes. I find a good B/W much more challenging.

Answer 10

for digital photography I can easily go either way
for film photography I only do black and white
I think my best black and white shots come from film cameras
I think you can still make a colored digital shot look dramatic
I took this shot at night check it out