It’s ironic that, in a world of digitized intensity, simple monochromatic black on white continues to hold such massive appeal. Actually, black and white has seldom diminished, aside from the 1970′s, when colour became ubiquitous in television, photographic print and fashion. Then, mono became briefly synonymous with ‘moth-eaten’. But not anymore.
I recently had the privilege to shoot Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest tower. It’s a spectacularly majestic structure on which colour is a constantly changing characteristic. Yet, for me, the most successful images are those we shot in black and white. Somehow, the image is transformed into something altogether more genuine, contemplative, deliberate. And therein lies a rationale for the appeal of mono images – they force the viewer to see the image with fewer distractions. Maybe we’re able to process the visual information better when the image is unornamented, less complex. Perhaps like choosing colours for our cars (silver, white, grey and black are, according to DuPont, the most popular choices), we are all looking for a little less visual saturation in our lives.
Hi Gregg,
really appreciate your blog and this article in particular. I do indeed believe black and white is sometimes the best way of depicting a scene, as it forces you to look beyond the ease of colour. However, would you have any idea about where to have black in white film developed in Dubai ?
Best regards,
Daniel
We are expecting more post Greg.
Black & White or colored pictures really makes no difference, what matter is capturing the essence of the object and communication the story.
If black & White works better as it hides certain details and focuses other then black & White is better, it the contrast of colors and the vividness of the object is of the essence than a colored picture is more lively and tells a better story
Hi Gregg,
Very nice monochrome work. Makes me want to go stick some b+w film in my camera as I have not done so for years. I have at least been playing around with pinhole photography recently, something I wanted to do for some time now.I seem to be going in the opposite direction of everyone else who is moving forward with digital technology. Soon I’ll be making daguerreotypes!
Here is a link to my take on the Burj – http://www.dominicpote.co.uk/portfolio/dubai/ (last image).
Still keen to meet up with you sometime and to discuss possible collaboration… Best wishes. Dominic Pote (Uk)