Black-and-White or Color?

I like black-and-white pictures. I deliver most of the pictures to you in color, and some (maybe 5%) in black and white. Some pictures can be very nice in black and white, especially the ones with beautiful natural light. It is timeless and graceful. It could also create a dramatic or dynamic effect. Black and white works well to tell brief stories and anecdotes. UPDATED: Since 2017, I have delivered 2 options: one with images in color (that could include 5% black and white). The other option is to download all images in black and white.

Timeless Pictures

Photography history started over a century ago with black-and-white pictures. For over 100 years, the best photographers used only black and white. Why? Well, the major reason is probably because color pictures were expensive, but also because it brings something timeless. So even now, the best and most famous photographers still shoot in black and white when it makes sense. Let’s think about Richard Avedon, Irving Penn. Funny fact: did you know the first colored images were synthesized from potato starch?

Texture and Noise

Noise in black and white becomes texture. Little nuances of light become material to play with. Let’s think about Edward Weston’s photographs of vegetables (famous pepper)! Usually I do not add noise to pictures (I even try to avoid it!). But in black and white, this texture becomes something interesting! A portrait made near a window, with soft light from a cloudy day, will reveal the shape of your face in a different way than with strong frontal flash light. A beautiful black and white with soft natural light will be full of details, elegance and magic.

Bad Light and Black-and-White

It’s not glamorous to say this, but I will confess something to you: I also like black and white because it can save pictures with flaws! What??

• Let’s think about a flashy color that I don’t want. For example, at the church, just behind you and your beloved, stands your mother-in-law with a red jacket (by the way, I want to ask all mothers-in-law to excuse me for always taking them as an example, it’s just for fun). So you are in the church, and behind you someone with a flashy red jacket. I can open my aperture to blur the background. But still, even if we don’t clearly see the red jacket, we will feel it! Because it’s deep red! So, how to save the pictures? Black and white is the solution!
• Let’s think about a difficult situation where I would have different types of light with various temperatures: natural light from outside (blue), artificial light from an incandescent bulb (yellow), and third, chemical light from a fluorescent tube (green). Even with the best camera, I cannot neutralize “bad” color. What does this mean? You may have green skin if you are under the fluorescent tube. Or if I fix the color on your skin, it’s the background color that will change and become strange (like overly pink). So can you guess the straightforward way to fix that without changing all the light bulbs of your wedding venue? I will convert some images to black and white once more.

I Like Black and White but I Also Love Colors!

Most of the pictures you will receive will be in color. I think it’s closer to reality where ordinary people see life in color (forgetting colorblind people).