So i was 'skype-ing' with my parents earlier today and i got into a rather surprising debate with my dad (of all people) about the effective appeal of coloured photos when compared to black and white ones. Now i'm not necessarily biased towards either form of photography but going through my work, thus far, one would say that i prefer to process most of my photos in black and white. I guess its says a lot about my monochrome personality? i dunno, i'll leave that to you.
I guess i can break this explanation down to what a photographer really looks for when he/she looks through his/her lens. I personally love having a definite subject to frame. Once the shutter goes off, the rest of the picture depends on how it is post processed to emphasize the subject even more.
I guess i can break this explanation down to what a photographer really looks for when he/she looks through his/her lens. I personally love having a definite subject to frame. Once the shutter goes off, the rest of the picture depends on how it is post processed to emphasize the subject even more.
Lets take a look at the two pictures above of my good friend, Ali Kilisli, during his graduation. Best part of the photo was that he had no clue i was clicking his picture, nor did he know i was even in the room yet. The coloured, untouched, image looks good on its own but given the context of the occasion my subject was going through i wanted the shot to have more of a nostalgic feel to it. Hence i switched it to black and white while working ever so slightly with the contrast.
The photo, now, has that air of a dignified accomplishment that gives it the edge when compared to the flatter look of the coloured image.
The photo, now, has that air of a dignified accomplishment that gives it the edge when compared to the flatter look of the coloured image.
Lets divert our attention to photos i strongly believed should always be left in color rather than black and white. The photo seen on the right is an untouched version where as the one below is slightly processed. I think this picture should be left in colour since the green color is just soo natural and contrasting against Zoe (kitteh!). The coloured nature of the picture sorta plays an illusion of you actually being right there waiting for the cat to pounce on something. A black and white version would have stagnated the action-like profile of the photo.
The 'action' based rule is not set in stone but more of a guideline, according to me, to follow. An exception to the very rule can be seen in the photo below. Even though there is no serious motion taking place, the photo does not exhibit many types of colours so a minor contrast and vibrance adjustment renders this photo to work very well as a coloured image.
Finally, lets talk about split toning a photo. I'm not a big fan of split toning and feel like it's used as last resort to salvage a photo in post processing. That said i have used the feature and it can be seen in the portrait below. I wouldn't have minded turning the whole picture black and white but the lighting was pretty poor (i was still a 'shutter n00b' at that point) and i wanted to give the photo a warmer feel. Enter split tone and a tinge of light golden enabled this photo to look more appealing.
I think coloured photography suits landscape shots while black and white photography suits hots with people in them. But that is just one persons opinion and you are free to do whatever you want to do with your photos post process. It would be utterly rude of me to make your decisions for you. I enjoy doing my work the way i want and so should you.
Adios..
-ABK
Adios..
-ABK
