Black and White Photography

Bruce Weber Photographer Sheds Light on the Appeal of Black and White Photography

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There has been a considerable, growing reverse flow in photography, towards the new black and white. Black and white photography is considered to be timeless for many reasons. One of the reasons is that shooting without color allows people to concentrate on other aspects of the image, without the distraction of color. Shooting in black and white has been the preferable choice of Bruce Weber Photographer and many others.

Bruce Weber Photographer talks about the attraction of black and white photos

Black and White PhotographyPhotography largely involves capturing moments and scenes in a visual manner. Many photographers aim to tell a story through their photos. They try to evoke some sort of feeling in the person who looks at their images. The ability to have the viewer to connect and relate to an image is possible with both color and black and white photography. However, even though colored photographs are captivating, they may detract the viewer from the message the photographer wants to communicate. As the color is removed, the image solely becomes about the components present in the frame. This enables the viewer to build the connection with ease. Black and white photography is not at all a technical limitation. In fact, it is more of a creative choice that allows people to isolate and draw attention an aspect of an image that might have been overlooked otherwise.

There are certain situations for which black and white images are considered to be particularly perfect. Such as:

  • Photos with texture: If the photographer has composed a shot with rich texture, making the image black and white would encourage the viewers to notice the texture of the components that that may normally overlook.
  • High contrast images: If a shot includes a lot of natural contrast between darkness and light sources, black and white photography can make the image look more dramatic and compelling.
  • Portrait photography: There is more emphasis on the emotions elicited by the subject, if colors are stripped off from a portrait.

Black and white photography will always be synonymous to the words classic and classy. Images shot in monochrome have the appeal that color images cannot compare to in many instances. The images shot in black and white have more depth and mystery.  Photography pros like Bruce Weber Photographer have a deep love for black and white. Moreover, images with colors may feel distracting or dated at times, orreveal too much. Monochrome makes the viewers think and contemplate about an image. Patterns, shapes, textures, contrast, lighting and shadows, are some of the factors most important to black and white images. Their smart use can make any black and white image look extremely impressive and impactful.

Owing to the perception and technical aspect of black and white images, they usually have more expressive and stylistic range than their colored counterparts. One can go for tonal extremes in black and white photography with ease. If highlights and shadows are clipped in a color image, they may look awkward. However, maintaining the same approach with black and white photos will result in stark and dramatic images.

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