Quitting Colour Photography
By: Bradley Allen
Tags: Photos, Art, Creative Process, Creativity, Photography

Quitting Colour Photography

Back when I was a wedding photographer, I would sit editing images for hours and hours. Eventually, I would entice my girlfriend into my office with a cup of tea so she could cast her eye over my edits as a final check before they were uploaded to a gallery and fired across to the happy couple. Without fail the most common feedback I received (apart from horizons not being quite straight!) was that there were just too many black and white images. Next came the inevitable debate where I fought for the black and white pictures, and she explained that, though I may love black and white, my clients may not want so many of their memories in mono. Now, of course, there are wedding photographers out there who do shoot entirely in black and white but, wanting to appeal to a broader market, this was not me.

But now I am no longer a wedding photographer.

And I love black and white photography.

So that’s what I’ve been shooting in 2020.

(please note these are my personal experiences working with black and white, your mileage may vary, other colours are available.)

By removing the distraction of colour, I can focus on other more interesting (for me) factors such as texture, tone and contrast. Sure these things matter when shooting colour photography but often I find that colour trumps all and the other factors become secondary components of a colour image.

Even when I was a wedding photographer and I knew that eventually my images would be converted to colour I would always shoot RAW with the Fujifilm ACROS preview on in the EVF because it made me think more about light which is, after all, the absolute keystone of photography! You just can’t get away with a flat image in black and white as much as you might be able to with a colour image because light and tone is all you have to distinguish parts of a photograph. No longer could I rely on a pop of colour to save an image which wasn’t that interesting. I also found that seeing the scene in black and white before I even placed my finger on the shutter button forced me to think more about the composition. Now I feel that by removing the distraction of colour I can focus on other more interesting (for me) factors such as texture, tone and contrast. Now, of course, these things matter when shooting colour photography but often I find that colour trumps all and the other factors become secondary components of a colour image.

In general, I found that when you have fewer tools in your belt, you make sure that you use the ones you do have more effectively!

I also believe that forcing limitations on yourself can lead to better work. There is such a thing as the “paralysis of choice” wherein there are so many possibilities, and options that we struggle to create at all or what we do create does not live up to our true capabilities. Taking away some of those options often leads to a more freeing experience. In this example, by taking away colour, I feel a bit freer to explore different light and composition.

As a side note to the black and white love — limitation doesn’t just end there! You can try limiting yourself to a set focal length. Start a project with a niche subject. Shoot only in your house. By taking away the possibilities, we are forced to get more creative!

Finally, and maybe this really is down to what I’m going to call “The 2020 Experience”, I love the fact that black and white photography gives me a way to look at the world as nobody sees it, it’s a step away from reality (and who wouldn’t want to take a few steps away from reality in 2020). For many, photography is a way to document reality as it was in the moment they squeezed the shutter button, but over the years I have become less interested in documentary photography, and I am more interested in trying to create beautiful images with beautiful light. (Maybe one day I’ll come close to this goal!)

So that’s why I have quit colour photography. That’s not to say I won’t have a photo fling with colour again in the future, but for now black and white is the way!