An Appreciation of Black-and-White

What is it about black-and-white that makes it such a compelling visual medium? In terms of pure visual enjoyment, there is the beauty of the tonal values-the shades of gray and the deep blacks and bright whites--that express the play of light and shadow. The tones are versatile, and can represent a stark or subtle ambiance with equal power. Black and white also allows us to see without the distraction of color; this often means that we can approach the heart of a matter, or of a design, in its purest form. For the digital photographer, black and white offers a great deal of creative freedom.

There’s no question that color printing is the dominant form of printmaking for digital photographers today. Indeed, when color became available on a mass scale in the middle of the twentieth century, there were those who claimed that black and white was a medium whose time had passed. For the snapshot photographer and mass-market photography, this was mostly true. But the dedication to black and white among artistic, fashion, journalistic and, increasingly, commercial photographers continues to grow.

All photography, color or black and white, is an abstraction and an illusion. The heart of the abstraction is in the representation of a three-dimensional world in a two dimensional space--the print. But black and white images are particularly evocative, and hold a special place in the cultural and social history of the past one hundred and sixty years. We all share in the range of feelings that black and white photographic images bring forth, from the nostalgia we feel when viewing old family photos or classic black-and-white movies. We also think in black and white as a recorder of our history, especially when we bring to mind the news photos and portraits that have become icons of their age.

Even with these old associations we also see black and white as a very modern medium, as it communicates abstraction with ease, even if just in its monochrome rendering of a colorful world.

This ability to express and communicate a wide range of feelings is what makes black and white such a fascinating medium in which to work. It is in many ways a free form that encourages interpretation and variation, but it is also a discipline that takes study and work to get right. It is accessible, yet when explored deeply is as challenging as any visual form of art.