I have always thought of black and white photography as an abstract medium and colour photography as a psychological medium. American photographer Elliott Erwitt said, “With colour you describe; with black and white you interpret.” If it’s true that colour appeals to our emotions and leaves less to our imagination, then it makes sense for us to be judicious in using it.
This can have a lot to do with how the photo is framed—how much of a particular colour, or colours to leave in or crop out. When I view a scene, then, I look for ways to combine colours–for me, it’s about balance. Sometimes a tiny splash of red is enough to counteract a sea of green, or a little orange goes well with a lot of blue. There are no hard and fast rules here, but the conscious combining of colour is something to keep in mind when you’re out taking photos.
On Instagram there are dozens of filters to choose from, each giving the image a certain look, but it seems the most-used Instagram filter is “normal”–that is, roughly the colours our eye sees. And that’s good news for an old-school guy (like me!) who believes that colour is something to be observed, not added with a filter.
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“Autumn Playground” appears on Photo Vogue
I have been thinking (and practicing…) on this a lot. I generally don’t want to use filters eaither. I think it is a stylization. No matter if we use a color filtr or we transfer color photo in bw in post process.
What do you think about shooting in color and turning them in BW (BW is actually another filtr)…
I have no problem with converting colour to black and white. I shoot only in colour mode and convert maybe 10% of my photos into black and white.
I see. BW is sort of a filtr too.
Anyway, may I ask what camera are you using mostly on everyday shooting these days?
I already found exif from your camera. So you shoot with Canon EOS REBEL T3. And may I ask on lens?
Its been quite a long time since I used DSLR. I used to shoot with entry level dslr Canon and Nikon, too. Than I switched to compacts.
Now, I feel like I completely forgot how to frame with viewfinder as I have been shooting using LCD screen only for many years…
So I am standing before camera buying decision (I hate this…)…. Sold Ricoh (happy for getting rid of it) and unfortunately Olympus OMD, too.
I quite enjoyed Olympus mirror less, which had good quality output, but the viewfinder was strange so I never used it.
Don’t know if I would be capable to get used to frame only with optical viewfinder. Not only because of the different feeling, but I think it is very different kind of process…on LCD I see reality in 2D and so I compose and build the frame. In viewfinder it is a 3D feeling and I don’t see the scene same….. So I think my photos would differ according to used method…
I have mostly always composed through the viewfinder, so that’s all I really know. It’s interesting what you say about the results being different with different cameras. I have photographed some with an LCD screen and I found that I viewed scenes differently. Partly it’s the ability to hold the camera high or low, and at any angle. With my DSLR, I have the option to compose with the LCD screen, but I never use it. The lens on my camera is the kit lens that came with it — a 28-85 zoom. It’s all i really need.
Thanks. LCD shows final image, how camera processor interprets it, and my eye looks at this lcd…with optical viewfinder, there is no electronics between eye and subject…
Just thinking out laud. Hope you don’t mind.
Tried optical viefinder in camera store today. Just to feel the difference… almost forgot how it feels.