In the early days of photography all images were "Black & White." Since color wasn't an option you worked hard to make the image the best it could be using the technology available at the time. And believe me, people did make the best of it. There are still images created back in-the-day that are considered "classics" and continue to be emulated (consider some of the famous Ansel Adams prints).
In this digital age, photography has made a 180 degree turn. Cameras are readily available, relatively inexpensive, and by default take all images in color. Sure, you can convert them to Black & White in photo editing software but you have to think about it before doing so. The photographer has to make a judgement call as to which image to change (is it a "good" or "bad" image to convert) and then go through the exercise to carefully process it to bring out its best qualities. While that may be fine for the seasoned photographer, many of us just don't take the time to see the possibilities of what that image can become and find it easier to leave it "as is" and go-with-the-flow.
This is also true about life… It's so easy to label something as "good" or "bad" ("black" or "white") rather than really giving it thought and looking at the whole picture. I find myself guilty of this more often than I'd like to admit. When I see or experience something, I'm quick to label and fit it into its own little box. However, most of what we experience can't be categorized as just "good" or "bad" or "black" or "white." They are just situations that are part of life. They are a whole bunch of complex things that we somehow allow ourselves to get caught up thinking about in terms of only "black" or "white." By doing this we often miss out on the various depths or "color" of things. So we take things at face value and attempt to classify them into general categories limiting ourselves and the world around us.
Becoming more experienced with taking photographs really involves exposing yourself as much as possible, taking more shots than you may think are necessary, and experimenting. The same can also be applied to life. Experiment by getting out of the box and not categorizing things as "good" or "bad," "black" or "white." When we remove the limits on ourselves we open up the world around us to amazing possibilities.
Until next time,
-Jack
p.s. Which image do you like better, color or b&w? Let me know by sending me a comment.
View the large "Color" image here.
View the large "B&W" image here.
See more images like this at Jack Maloney Photography
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