Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]B. D. Colen wrote: >>>>>>But I know that I have always felt that Black and White has far more >>>>>>emotional impact than color.>>>>>> Hi BD, Like you, I too grew-up and learned my photography in the B&W world, primarly as a news paper photographer where B&W was all there was. Then gradually I moved into more and more colour, but the one thing I never did leave was my B&W roots. I've always felt Colour is Sensual. Where B&W is Intellectual. It shows much more of the innerself of the subject than colour. If we consider that when we photograph people in colour, we photograph their clothes. But when we photograph people in B&W, we photograph their souls! It might give greater meaning to the emotional aspect of B&W over colour. Now it isn't always cut and dried as that! However, I would like to give this as an example: A portrait studio in London stopped shooting colour and switched to B&W only. They built their promotion on B&W as it shows the inner self of the subject, placed beautiful portraits in their windows and doubled their prices! Bottom line? They doubled their business in 3 months and in 6 months they increased their prices to see what would happen. It just got better! :) So, somewhere along the line there is something special about B&W that people of the colour generations relate to to-day, that they didn't when colour was the "be all to end all medium!" Maybe they understand the revealing of the "inner self" in a more meaningful way than some photographers of the day. I feel it comes back to, "When you photograph people in colour, you photograph their clothes!" Making it senual instead of revealing the inner self of B&W. And yes folks.....it doesn't "ALWAYS APPLY!" :) Hopefully by recognizing "it doesn't always apply" might save a few from getting their knickers in a knot and taking me to task for "generalizing" the subject!:) ted