Title: READ: Black & White Photography
Course: Digital Photography

Reading - Black & White Photography

Black & White Photography

Originally all photography was in black and white. Now days, our cameras can support millions of different colors so we can record it the same way our eyes see it.

So why is it still black and white photography still so often used?

According to wikipedia, "Photography was [originally] black-and-white or shades of sepia. Color photography was originally rare and expensive, and again often less than true to life. Color photography became more common in the middle of the 20th century, and has become even more common since.

"Black-and-white remains a niche market for photographers who use the medium for artistic purposes. This can take the form of black and white film or digital conversion to grayscale, with optional image manipulation to enhance the results."

Wikipedia's photography entry then goes on to say "All photography was originally monochrome, or black-and-white. Even after color film was readily available, black-and-white photography continued to dominate for decades, due to its lower cost and its "classic" photographic look...

"Many photographers continue to produce some monochrome images. Some full color digital images are processed using a variety of techniques to create black and whites, and some manufacturers produce digital cameras that exclusively shoot monochrome."

Go to THIS website and read the commentary on "Why Black and White?" by Robert Bruce Duncan. He has some really good comments and insights as to why photographers would choose to shoot in black and white instead of color. Make sure you continue reading and click on page 2 to finish the article.