[Leica] Power of B&W?

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant)]

Power of the B&W Image?

I have always believed in the power of black and white photography even
when it wasn't in vogue for a couple of decades.

Recently while watching a TV program produced from B&W stills of President
John F. Kennedy it merely strengthened my resolve, that there isn't
anything more powerful than black and white photography, whether in print
or TV!

The message from this program was the immense power of B&W imagery.  There 
isn't any argument whatsoever of the intellectual intensity in the Black
&White photograph.  Simply because, it's all "content"!

What you see is what you get!

There are no frivolous colors to distract; the content is the motivation of
each picture. I have no problem with colour, the point is, B&W creates more 
decisive images than colour.

Colour is sensual.  Black and white is intellectual!
Think of it in this manner:  When you photograph people in colour; you
photograph their clothes.  But when you photograph people in black and
white; You photograph their souls!

Colour TV has contributed to people becoming immune to violence, as the
6 o'clock "news reality" and the TV "shoot 'em up sitcom" look the same!
Because of colour TV and printed pages of the past 25 years, a generation
of viewers have become basically immune to the "content impact" of the
black and white look of life in relation to human beings.

The impact of the B&W photograph will always be here, simply because of
what it does;  touch our mental emotions. If that were not the case, then 
many
manufacturers, Calvin Kline, Mercedes and IBM to name a few, wouldn't be 
using Black and White imagery to promote their products!

Black and white is intellectual. It makes us think!
What think you folks?

ted
tedgrantphoto.com