Why Black and White?

Why do I love black and white photography?

Because it tells a story.

My personal style has always been bright colors, the brighter the better really. (I even wore a neon, green dress to prom in high school. I love bright colors!) Being able to draw focus to bright colors makes a beautiful photo, exciting. But there is just something about a black and white photo that makes me linger just a little bit longer to see if I can find the details the photographer wanted to show through the contrast of black and white.

I love the eeriness of the dark tree tops that peak through soft layers of fog. The way the wispy layers are woven through the waves of the trees that grow along the mountain’s edge. In an overcast sky, color fades away, thus having you look just a little deeper, to interpret what it is that you’re looking at.

We all know of some great black and white movies, back before color hit the silver screen. And of course, the black and white photos we have today that tell the stories of the past. Black and white media was the pioneer for art and entertainment. And I feel that most could agree, that nothing beats the original. (in most cases anyway.)

In a time where we all live such busy, chaotic lives, it’s so easy to get caught up in the day to day shuffle, that we struggle to take time “to smell the roses” as the phrase goes. However, with black and white photos, it’s easy to take a step back and pause to search for the story behind it.

So when you see a black and white photo, ask yourself, “What was it about this scene? Why did the photographer take this particular photo in black and white? What does the photographer want me to see?”

And that, is where the real story begins…