Why Use Black and White at All?

When I was a kid, my dad loved taking photos but wanted them to be black and white. I remember thinking it was some kind of grown-up thing since kids' stuff was more colorful than adults'. As I've gotten older I've noticed the usefulness in black and white photography that color lacks. Feels funny to say that less color can be better.

Take a look at this example picture. This is a picture of my late pup, Ellie. She was a good girl and I still miss her. Now what kind of thoughts might go through one's head?

Color Thoughts Black-and-White Thoughts

Cute looking doggie Cute looking doggie

Love the light brown fur What is she looking at?

Is she sad?

Black-and-white seems to have more thought-provoking properties than color. It's like the color is telling the more superficial parts of the story the picture shows. Take away the color then one might start getting deeper into the photos. Also, black-and-white allows you to see the different textures in the pictures. When editing black-and-white photos you can bring out the textures much more than colored pictures. Just goes to show you color is always necessary for a good picture.