APOGEE PHOTO MAGAZINE: Decisive Moments

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Decisive Moments:
Why I Like Black-and-White Photography Best

by Bill Miller

I prefer black-and-white photography, and I employ the Zone System as developed by Ansel Adams as my guide for film exposure and processing. Don’t get me wrong; I also like making color photographs. In fact, I use new matrix metering for black-and-white and color when appropriate, but not nearly as frequently.

I realize that photography buyers usually select large color prints of recognizable objects for the walls of their homes and businesses. Black-and-white photos in advertising and journalism appear to be in decline all over the world. End users demand color. Black-and-white wet darkrooms that were hidden away in basements, bathrooms, and garages are being replaced by dry digital “darkrooms.” Local photo labs are no longer equipped to process and print black-and-white pictures.

Why do I like black-and-white photography when it seems that everyone else is mesmerized by color and digital? There are many, many people with tastes similar to mine—especially those who are interested in its value for artistic expression such as photography students, hobbyists, and artists. Their reasoning may echo my own.

First, digital photography is not the same as traditional film-based photography. Digital photography is neither better nor worse. It’s simply another subject with an entirely different technology and vocabulary. Comparing traditional and digital photography is like the old cliché about comparing apples and oranges. Digital photography is making its own place and doesn’t need to ride the back of traditional techniques.

Second, I like what we can do with black-and-white that we can’t do with traditional color photography and can only begin to approach with digital. That is, we can strip away the veneer of color and make the black-and-white tones support the images we make. Black-and-white photos use shades of gray and the full tonal range, from pure black through pure white, as form and elements of design. The photo may be a nearly literal representation of the subject, but mood and form take on new importance when the color is removed. The grayscale of black-and-white can create abstract photos that are presented as though they were paintings.

The black-and-white works of Brett Weston and Wynn Bullock are perfect examples of creative visions that use the black-and-white process to make the artists’ statements. Even great photojournalists such as W. Eugene Smith employed black-and-white. His images become art both because of the content and his use of techniques that made each of his photographs more dramatic. Smith’s great photography was improved in much the same way as the popular film noir styling improved the mystery and horror films of the nineteen-thirties, forties, and fifties.

What’s the future of black-and-white photos? After all, it’s simpler to make digital photos with increasingly easier-to-use cameras coming out every day. However, traditional black-and-white techniques will survive and flourish because of the high quality and beautiful tonal range of well-made black-and-white silver prints—quality as yet unmatched by inkjet printers.

Bill Miller is a photographer, teacher and writer. He is the founder of PhotoTreks and conducts workshops in the Oregon area. You can learn more about Bill and his workshops by going to www.empnet.com/imageworks/PTREKS/

Travel the Blue Highways of Central and Eastern Oregon as you learn photography and develop your own personal creative vision. Learn photography in locations that will inspire your creativity and excite your senses. To see what we have for you, visit: http://www.empnet.com/imageworks/PTREKS/ For stock photography of Central and Eastern Oregon visit Central Oregon Photos at; http://www.empnet.com/imageworks/COSTOCK/ Contact us at: imageworks@empnet.com

Decisive Moments: Why I Like Black-and-White Photography Best

Decisive Moments:
Why I Like Black-and-White Photography Best