When To Use Black And White

Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however I
am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in black
and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.

Joe wrote:

Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however I
am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in black
and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.

I don't know how... converting on a pc takes seconds if you just want
to compare the two. As we're talking of digital photography there's no
scanning to do, just click and hmmmm. Of course to do it correctly can
take time but a quick comparison is almost instant.
--
Paul (Neurotic to the bone No doubt about it)
------------------------------------------------------
Stop and Look
http://www.geocities.com/dreamst8me/

For me the best black and white images are high contrast (more black and
white and less grays). I find low contrast images in black and white to be
boring and unattractive. However, some of these low contrast images can be
made high contrast using levels and curves.

R


"Joe" wrote in message
...
Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however
I am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in
black and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.

Joe bedacht in :

Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour,
however I am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in
black and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.



Squint. It sounds crazy, I know. But reducing the amount of light that
reaches your eyes really helps you to 'look' in black and white. It
probably has something to do with the way the retina is layered (the 'rods
and cones').

JL

In article , "Joe"
wrote:

Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however I
am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in black
and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.

There's no formula. Whatever looks best to you is what you should do.

On Fri, 11 Aug 2006 20:09:06 +0100, Joe wrote:

Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however I
am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in black
and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

I'd think that you'd need to have the ability to visualize. It's
a talent used (and needed) by film directors, music composers, etc.
A director that had to create a color version and a B&W version and
then choose the better one wouldn't get far. Blindly following a
formula wouldn't work much better. They have to have an initial
concept, and visualize in their mind's eye the best way to implement
it. Same thing with composers. Great ones visualize (hear) the
sound of their work before writing the first note. Bad ones might
take a score and try to improve it by applying a mechanical or
mathematical formula. That's frequently been done with "electronic"
music, and it rarely succeeds. Reading a book on photographic
composition would probably help a bit, as would practice. This
would help you to "understand why" some photos look better in black
and white than in color. But for it to help a *lot*, enough to
allow you to produce great B&W photos, we get back to needing the
more important ability to visualize what the images will look like
before they're made. Some can, many can't.

"Joe" wrote in message
...
Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however
I am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in
black and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

There are gimmicks. Surf for the "PEAK Mono-Tone Viewer", or "ZONE VI
VIEWING FILTER".

However, after you've shot (or converted) to B&W you find it easier to
previsualize in your head - except for certain adjacent colors that are
impossible for humans to see properly.

With Digital and a program that can modify individual R,G,B layers, you can
put curves against separate channels for interesting control.

Joe wrote:
Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however I
am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in black
and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.

My own personal feeling is that color images should be "about color".
This is determined before releasing the shutter. Careful selection and
analysis of subject matter play a part in your decision. Sometimes
color gets in the way making B&W the obvious choice. Sometimes the
subject matter makes the choice for you - colorful kites against a deep
blue sky, etc.
Personally, I think it's a good habit, and good discipline, to see your
shot - color or B&W - before you actually shoot it. It's amazing,
sometimes, when we look through our old color images to discover they
would have been just as effective, or moreso, in b&w.

On Fri, 11 Aug 2006 20:09:06 +0100, Joe wrote:

Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour, however I
am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in black
and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.

My rule of thumb is this:

If color is a significant part of the message you're trying to convey, then
use color.

If not -- especially if the image is highly monochromatic and/or the
message is built on strong patterns, textures, shapes or lines -- the
subject is a good candidate for B/W.

Pete

Justus Lipsius wrote:

Joe bedacht in :

Some photos look better in black and white than they do in colour,
however I am yet to understand why.

Does anyone know of a way of judging which photos would look better in
black and white, without converting the photo and seeing the results?

Strange request, I know.



Squint. It sounds crazy, I know. But reducing the amount of light that
reaches your eyes really helps you to 'look' in black and white.


Also looking through a dark red filter helps..
--

Stacey