The Art of Black & White

Over the last few years, black and white photography has been increasing in popularity for contemporary portraiture and wedding photography. Many people like the striking contrast and artistic quality of black and white and it is true to say that some of the best photographs in history have been in monochrome. From the photographer’s perspective, black and white simplifies fussy backgrounds and draws attention to the intended subject – it is therefore perfect for reportage style photography.

I am however a huge fan of colour; I like the vibrancy and ‘life’ of a colour print. Colour evokes mood as much as monochrome and looks amazing for wedding photography – from icy whites through to vivid carnival colours.

With the advent of digital came the option for photographers to choose how they presented their prints, however not all photographs are suitable for black and white and some are simply made for it!

Often the picture itself will dictate how it looks best. One good example of this is a photograph taken during Susan’s recent portrait session (details in my previous blog entry below). In black and white this particular shot becomes elegant, intense and evocative of another era. The eyes are all! I hope you like it.