 BetterPhoto Member |
Better Photos Is black and white better than color... in a contest?
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BetterPhotoJim.com - Jim Miotke  Contact Jim Miotke Jim Miotke's Gallery |
Hi George, No - not necessarily. You may see many black and whites winning contests but this is usually because they are more successful photographs. While many people shoot with color film without thinking about it, only a small number of people serious question their film choice, along with considering many other choices. Large format photographers usually examine the image they are about to shoot upside down and backwards. When you see such a photographer peering into his huge field camera with a black cloth over his head, this is usually what he is looking at. While they do this just because it is the way the camera's viewfinder works, most large format photographers do not complain about it. This is because seeing the image upside down and backwards forces them to look at it as a collection of graphic elements, without being too distracted by the literal definitions of everything in the scene. Black and white may have a similar effect. By keeping color out of the picture, so to speak, it may help the shooters see all elements in the photo for their graphic values. Many, many color photographs win big awards, though, by capturing the graphic elements AND making the most of color.
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John A. Lind |
George, I have to agree with Jim. Contests are not dependent on B/W versus color, unless the film is specified for the contest. What they are dependent on is an image that captures the judges attention artistically. There is a certain element of luck and dependence on who is doing the judging. As is the case with any juried or judged activity within the fine arts, selecting a winner from among the very best is very subjective. Do the best you can, submit the best you have, pay very close attention to all the rules for submission, and follow those rules to the letter. If you don't win anything, don't let it get you down! There are many superb images in this world that do not win contests. The most important question is not whether someone else thinks it is a winner, but whether you have achieved *your* vision completely for an image, technically and artistically. How you answer this question to yourself is more important than what a judge or jury member might say in critiquing it . . . not that you shouldn't consider their critique (if there is one) as it may generate ideas for the future for you. -- John
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Leo Enriquez |
I personally love B&W photos!...Why?...For a few reasons: 1. Color won't distract you from the overall picture, it doesn't look "busy" with too many colors!... 2. It doesn't gives you a sense of time. "It's ageless"!...You probably took them yesterday or 5 years ago!... 3. It's a classic always!... I saw a pic of an eagle here in this website in a contest, and I understood why it won!...The pic was great!.. In order for a pic in B&W to be great, it has to give you beautiful tones of grey, and the detail on the different textures of the subject, have to be sharp and never lost!...
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John A. Lind |
While Leo makes a point about the clutter of colors. However, there are photographs that would not work in B/W either because there is not enough separation between them when rendered in gray tones. This is the reason for B/W filters (e.g. yellow, orange, red, green, cyan, etc.). They can be used to increase gray tone separation between colors. One must learn how to "visualize" how a scene will be rendered in B/W without these filters, then with them, and how they will change color rendition in grayscale. While these filters can solve many issues with color separation, they can cause other problems. For example, a yellow can create unnatural light grayscale (in the print) with blonde haired people even though it sometimes helps render a more natural skin tone. In another situation a red can create unnaturally light brick and traditional farm outbuildings (red barns) even though it can create a very dramatic separation between cloud and sky. Neither color nor B/W is an answer for everything. Which is appropriate depends on what you have decided to portray in the photograph, the message you want it to deliver to its viewers, and the photograph you visualize to accomplish it before selecting any tools, including specific film, lens, etc. -- John
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