Black & White or Color?

Black & white or color? This is not usually a question for me, I don’t see the world in black and white I see in color. Strong vibrant colors are what capture my attention and are what make getting up for sunrise worthwhile. However, I am increasingly finding that there are times when black and white seems better suited to what’s in front of me. The image above is a great example – it was quite a stormy morning, with impressive light on the horizon. When I took the photo it was with black and white in mind, there was very little color in any case. Which got me wondering, other than the obvious images where there’s little color anyway, how to choose between black and white and color? I could imagine wanting to use black and white when color is not important to the photograph, when it’s a distraction and when you want to emphasize texture.

When would you choose black and white over color? Why?

Friday Inspiration: Joel Tjintjelaar

I’m continuing on with my theme of photographers that shoot long black and white exposures today with Joel. Joel has an interesting website that has features tutorials for those people interested in pursuing the long exposure images that he’s known for.

I first became aware of Joel’s work through the Nik Software ad for Silver Efex Pro. In fact the video below is a Nik Software promotional video in which Joel discusses his intent and the process for realizing it.