I have always been a little scared of changing pictures to black and white as I felt that the image was lost a little- however in the last few weeks I have started to really enjoy looking at and editing my own images to black / white or sepia etc. Here is one of my favourites that I feel is now nicer since I have changed. Do you have any images you think are better in black/ white that its colour?
Black and white can take the life out of a picture but it can also give it a bit more magic, I think :) there's something otherworldly about it, it doesnt always improve a picture but on the right ones it can look amazing. I took this portrait yesterday and I chose to upload the black and white version because I thought it made her look timeless.
I think the colour version looks less 'professional' but then again it has life and breath which you can't have otherwise in the same way... So I think it's about choosing your moment, every shot is different and some will suit colour, others b&w :)
For me it's the opposite - I default to black and white, and there has to be a reasonably compelling reason for me to use colour (lately I'm about 60/40 between the two). I love how black and white draws more attention to the elements and composition of the photograph by simplifying things. this portrait was okay in colour, but I just love it in black and white.
Wanted to make it a more clasic picture:
The wall was to strong in coulour in this one, I wanted the focus on the boy loosing his baloon and the people around him:
And I like black and white in portraits:
I adore b&w photos. They can make a portrait look timeless or add to the drama of a landscape shot. It also generally works well in street photography.
If you view Robin Warners (@robinwarner) project you will find so many fantastic b&w portraits (as well as just as many full coloured ones)
These are some of my more recent ones. I'm thinking of using one of my albums this year for just b&w photos.
I absolutely love b&w! I tend to take all my photos is color but like to see how they look in b&w because I usually love them in b&w more often than not. Here are some of mine.
I definitely think Black and white can be awesome. One thing I've learned is to make sure your contrasts stay correct. I've done it with a few images over my project.
This looks black and white but only because of where it was taken. I really like it though and I took it with my iPhone a while back. I posted it today in honor of the Packers winning season, since this was taken at Lambeau Field...
And my Angel in the window at sunrise, from my collection of Christmas decorations....
I shoot quite a lot of b&w, though I will often tone them to a toned monochrome. I believe b&w intrinsically shows more feeling, as it is all about the quality of the light rather than the colour spectrum.
I love black & white or sepia, especially when taking pics of my little boy & girl. How do I add pics of my own to this post?? New to this, just joined today :) xx
@jinximages Can you only share pics that I've already uploaded on 365? It only lets me make one album at the min so can't upload anymore other than my pic for today? #confused
@jennalou If you have an image somewhere else, such as on Flickr, you can still share it in the thread - you just have to use the right html coding. The image does have to be online (and sharable) however.
Hope this works... This was a pic I took of my little boy on holiday, he'd just come out of the pool after playing all morning an was so tired. He sat on the lounger an watched the other kids playing, mesmerised. I always tend to use black & white or sepia when takin pics of the kids x http://www.flickr.com/photos/73309643@N07/
@jennalou Jenna - with Flickr, go to the photo you want and click on the share button above it. You will get a little window pop up with some code in it. Below the code you can change the code type to HTML (from BBCode) - do that, and then copy the entire code from the window. Paste that into here, and presto!
I haven't done a lot of experimenting in b&w yet, but I do love it. @asf The first one is just beautiful, definately suited to b&w. @nicolecampbell Absolutely, definately one for b&w. That's an awesome perspective, well done on such a great shot while mobile!
This is one of my recent favorites. I used an ND filter to create the smoothness of the water and to be able to do long exposures during the day, and then converted the image to black and white because I FREAKING LOVE BLACK AND WHITE dammit. :)
Like a few have already said, B&W with kids/portraits can be wonderful ... my two bubs have beautiful blue eyes but in b&w they are just stunning sometimes ... this image (from today) is just a snap in colour ...
Funny to come by this post now as I don't usually alter to b&w, but for today's pic it just felt right! The day was very hot and the picture looked a little too hazy in the distance in colour, so I played around with it and feel that it has more depth in b&w...I'm pretty happy with the result
Not technically all black and white but the selective colour of the flower makes it much more vivid, the background was a sickly horrid grey/yellow colour.
@asf -- - thx very much Amy and I know what you mean - sometimes I'm not sure whether to convert to B&w. One thing that helps is if very little color to begin with then just go bw. Other times use if trying to create a mood or timeless feel.
I don't do black and white or sepia very often, just because I love color so much -- but sometimes switching to b&w or sepia removes some of the "busy-ness" of the shot, and lets you focus on what is really important. This was one of those shots:
I love B&W photos! I think you pick up all the detail that is somehow missed in colour. I have recently had a play at focal b&w for effect - for example in this one of my late father and my mother...
I find plants are better in black and white as you get to see the texture clearly. But with sometimes the original colour has a stronger effect. So it depends on the opition and kind of plant.
My photo from today was a cactus in B&W. Sorry I'm new and don't know how to put the image so here's a link. http://media.365project.org/1/2282988_ajlmnsz235_m.jpg
@jaimee365 Thank you! Your dog looks gorgeous - the monochrome has really made his eyes and expression stand out! @renelou@kirstymcl Lovely shots, and great idea - love the notion of getting rid of distractions like that! @tabithasyear At the bottom of your photo's page is a box with a 'share' code in it... if you cut and paste it onto a discussion board it should come up with the picture. Should....!
@asf To everyone who submitted a B & W photo. They are all awesome! I love black and white for its purity. It especially makes skin look luminescent. But it also heightens the effect of everyday items, is timeless, and creates a completely different atmosphere then color. And Amy, thanks for creating the category. And @Danae, it's your medium for sure.
I love B&W photos most of all because the successful monochrome image is kept mostly simple, emphasizing composition, lines, light-vs-shadow. When I start my new project, I'll like focus primarily on B&W, simply because it forces you to think even more carefully about all the fundamentals of photography. In the meantime, here are a couple of my favourites from 2011.
@asf: I had the same feeling and also had problems to convert to good b/w. Having seen some good examples some days ago I started my personal challenge to start a b/w week. After 4 days, I think my best 2 are:
I often find myself changing photos of people to black & white, don't know why, but I tend to prefer them like that.
Heare are a couple from this month
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I think the colour version looks less 'professional' but then again it has life and breath which you can't have otherwise in the same way... So I think it's about choosing your moment, every shot is different and some will suit colour, others b&w :)
This one because the background was too loud in colour.
It enhanced the detail in this one:
And it made an already grey day look less drab in this one:
The wall was to strong in coulour in this one, I wanted the focus on the boy loosing his baloon and the people around him:
And I like black and white in portraits:
similar story here
In this one it nullified the cars, which with the different colours would have distracted from the focus of the picture.
With this one it really brought out the textures beautifully.
If you view Robin Warners (@robinwarner) project you will find so many fantastic b&w portraits (as well as just as many full coloured ones)
These are some of my more recent ones. I'm thinking of using one of my albums this year for just b&w photos.
and this one...
and this one!
ok and one last one:
I just love b/w : ]
Here is another one that I posted in b&w and color. It was funny because different people liked different versions. I was partial to the b&w myself.
And my Angel in the window at sunrise, from my collection of Christmas decorations....
And another:
And just one more:
I really do think that b&w can be so much more expressive than colour.
I took this photo today.
@asf The first one is just beautiful, definately suited to b&w.
@nicolecampbell Absolutely, definately one for b&w. That's an awesome perspective, well done on such a great shot while mobile!
This is one of my recent favorites. I used an ND filter to create the smoothness of the water and to be able to do long exposures during the day, and then converted the image to black and white because I FREAKING LOVE BLACK AND WHITE dammit. :)
Or pictures that are nearly b&w by nature anyways:
Not technically all black and white but the selective colour of the flower makes it much more vivid, the background was a sickly horrid grey/yellow colour.
This selfie from last January didn't work at all for me in color. B&W helped portray the fear better then the color.
because the weather and sky were dreadfully grey to begin with. Making the scene itself b&w improved the mood from dreary to peaceful
because removing the color seemed to strengthen the contrast between new & old in this scene
and since we're at b/w topic @emmaroobers was doing her whole first year in b/w & sepia, she has some really good photos
@asf Thank you! I found it quite hard once I had changed it but it somehow worked well enough to leave it like that :)
My photo from today was a cactus in B&W. Sorry I'm new and don't know how to put the image so here's a link.
http://media.365project.org/1/2282988_ajlmnsz235_m.jpg
Here is mine, and I hope I am posting it right! This is my dog, Lincoln. The focus is off, but I love it anyway, and it looked better in b/w.
@renelou @kirstymcl Lovely shots, and great idea - love the notion of getting rid of distractions like that!
@tabithasyear At the bottom of your photo's page is a box with a 'share' code in it... if you cut and paste it onto a discussion board it should come up with the picture. Should....!
Occasionally I get an idea for a shot and have every intention that I will process it black and white before I even shoot it, like this one:
I like this one in b&w because of the dress she is wearing.. it is black and white.
And a bit of monochrome:
Heare are a couple from this month