The colour on this shot and some of my very recent photos-see below-set me wondering why I ever do black and white photos.Go back a few decades or more and it was obvious why so many photographers shot black and white film-colour was expensive and difficult.That reason totally disappeared with digital photography.But black and white has made a major comeback in recent years.It has always been seen as more"arty" and "serious" than colour and that position has if anything been reinforced in recent years particularly with Leica releasing the M Monochrome camera which only shoots monochrome.
Many photographers including myself often use black and white as a cop out-to make a photographs look "better" and to give them "gravitas".I have decided to try and avoid doing so in the future.
This post will be well received by friend Patrick in Belgium.In the 12 years I have known him and the number of his photos which have appeared on the blog not once has he sent me a black and white photo or expressed any enthusiasm for any of the black and white photos which have appeared on the blog.Patrick is a colour man.
And if you are reading this and consider yourself a street/urban photographer who shoots in black and white for the atmosphere take a look at the work of a brilliant urban photographer,Fred Herzog, who shot over 100,000 Kodachrome slides of life in Vancouver over a 50 year period.Very inspirational.A small selection of his work is in a wonderful book Fred Herzog Photographs see also Fred Herzog
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