Black and White vs Color photographs - Part 2: When to Use | Bergen County Photographer

Last week, in Black and White vs Color photographs - Part 1: History, I spoke about the history of black and white and color photographs. This week I will talk about when and how to use both black and white and color photographs.

One of the things that digital photography brought is the ability to choose if we will be portraying our subjects in color or black and white after the fact in post-production, not before as it used to be during the film days. This brings a whole different array of opportunities for photographers.

The first thing to think about when deciding if a photograph should be in color or black and white is how much the color contributes to what you are trying to show on your photograph. If your goal is to show the colors of a rainbow you obviously want a color photograph, however color can be distracting, your eyes tend to gravitate towards it and that can take attention away from your main subject.

Cannonball - Color - © Flavia Markiewicz

In this image the colors are distracting

Cannonball - black and white - © Flavia Markiewicz

In black and white this image is more pleasing

We see in color; therefore, color photographs tend to feel more real than black and white and to achieve a color photograph, use complimentary colors. By taking a look at the color wheel, you can see that the complimentary colors are opposite each other. For example: red and green, yellow and purple, and blue and orange are examples of a pleasing and harmonious look.

Girl in Blue Hat - © Flavia Markiewicz

In this image, the girl’s blue hat against the orange background creates a harmonious look

Colors or the lack of them, are often associated with time. Black and White photographs tend to be connected with the past while a color photograph predominantly orange reminds us of Fall.

Fall Girl - © Flavia Markiewicz

In this image the predominantly orange background reminds us of the Fall season

Even though color photographs were invented later, and became the norm, black and white is still widely used. It depends on what the photographer is trying to convey to the viewers. Color or Black and White is a personal choice. Photographers should understand the strength and weaknesses of each color technique in order to make an informed decision that will nourish the art.