“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!” ― Ted Grant
 

I photograph a lot in color, but many times I later convert the images to black and white. Sometimes a photo simply feels like it needs to be black and white. My mom grew up in the day of black and white films and photography so she prefers color. A lot of people do and I I’m sure some question why I feature some of my images in black and white.

To me, some photographs need to be in black and white so the viewer can focus exclusively on the emotion or subject of the image.

With a color photo the viewer may find their eye drawn to a distracting element instead of the main subject. For example. If I share the photograph of a young boy playing at a splash pad and he’s wearing bright orange floaties on his arms, the viewer may lose sight of the real message of the image and instead find themselves fixated on the  brightness of his clothing.

This will cause them to miss the idea behind the image, which is of a child enjoying summer and water and the reminder of how important it is to keep the child alive inside us. 

“Black and white are the colors of photography. To me they symbolize the alternatives of hope and despair to which mankind is forever subjected.” – Robert Frank