Color or Black and White?

How do you decide whether to process, print, order, or upload an image in color or black & white?  When showing your clients their proofs, should you show each and every image in both color and black & white, or should you hand select just a few as examples?  Will all images look good converted to black & white?  Are there secrets to making your black & white images more dramatic?

Have you ever asked yourself these questions?  If you have, you are not alone.  I'll attempt to answer a few of these questions in today's post.  

To a degree, whether or not an image looks better in color or black & white is a matter of personal opinion.  Just like some people prefer modern furniture over more traditional decor, your taste will largely dictate the answer to this question.  

Black & white images tend to have a nostalgic and almost timeless feel. At first glance a black & white image gives you the impression the image was taken in another era.  So, if you are going for a more timeless affect, black & white may be the choice for you.

Some argue that the absence of color also frees the viewer to focus more on the subject matter and the emotion being portrayed.  Others will argue that an image's color is what brings the subject to life.  What do I say? It depends on the image.  To illustrate this I'll show you an example where color works best and then an example where black & white clearly wins out.

While, this is adorable in black & white, you can't help but feel that something is missing. 

Ah, that's much better!   

A color image needs lots of primary colors to make it pop.  In this image above the red of the little girl's lips, the green of the backdrop and in her sparkling eyes, the yellow of the squirt gun, and the blue of the trigger all play along with each other to breathe life and energy into the image.  

With this much going for it as a color image, it would be a shame to print it any other way (in my opinion). This image is all about a little girl having some care-free fun in the sun on a gorgeous, sun-shiny, summer day.  That feeling was completely lost in the black & white version above.  

In this next image, there's too much going on color-wise.  The busy colors overwhelm the senses and take away from the expression on the children's faces.  In color, the shadows that give this image such great dimension are underplayed and lose their dramatic affect.   

Unlike the image above, where the color emphasized and complimented the little girl's energy and enthusiasm, the color in this image seems to be at war with the calm, serious demeanor of the three siblings.  Taking away that visual conflict allows the image to tell the story - the children's eyes and facial expression now demand your full attention and completely draw you in.  The shadows become more evident and add much needed depth and dimension to the image.

So, now that you understand that not all pictures work well in a black & white format, you will understand why I do NOT show my clients every picture from their session in color AND black & white.  Instead, I only highlight the ones that have "the wow factor" once converted to black & white - giving them just a few examples so they know what other creative options are available to them.  

In addition, when a client asks me if they can see a particular file in black & white I also try to warm them before I show them the conversion that not every image works well in that format.  If it does not, then I explain to them why.

What makes a black & white image a success then?  Several things, but first and foremost there must be a wide range of tonality.  If an image contains both light tones, medium tones, and dark tones, it has a better chance of being a successful black & white image. Without a high range of tones, the image will appear flat.  

Black & white images also look best in high contrast situations.  Look for dramatic lighting with deep shadows and bright highlights.  Just make sure to expose properly so you don't lose details in those shadows and highlights.  Underexposing an image causes a loss of detail in the shadows.  Overexposing an image causes a loss of detail in the highlights.  

Sure, you can "fix" the exposure post-process, but you can't regain information that wasn't there to begin with.  The best black and white images have well-defined detail even in the darkest of shadows and the brightest of highlights.  That's why a proper exposure is so key!

Also, keep in mind that tones are different than colors.  A pastel blue falls in the lighter tonal range.  Navy blue falls into the darker tonal range. Yet, bright colors do NOT mean they are darker in tone.  Take these two pictures as an example.  Pay close attention to the bright neon nail polish.

The nails are what catch your eye in the color version!

They all but disappear in the Black and White.  

This is the perfect example to show your clients.  Bright colors may not provide the punch they're after once the image is converted to black & white.

If you know your client wants a black and white family portrait, but they don't all have the same "color" shirt, simply advise them to pick colors from the same tonal range instead.  Navy and black will look very similar in tonal range once converted to a black & white image.  If you tell them to all where the same color, you can end up with a wide range of tones that can really distract from the faces in a group portrait.  

Here's how it works.  Imagine a picture of a fair skinned child wearing a light hued t-shirt sitting on a faded concrete sidewalk under an overcast sky.  This scenario will most likely NOT make for a great black & white image.  The tonal range is almost non-existent.  Everything is grey and dreary.  All the colors and tones blend together to make an undefined portrait that lacks contrast, interest, and drama.  

In contrast, if you put a dark skinned child on that same lighter toned sidewalk the image is suddenly full of tonal range.  The contrast between the darker tones of the child's skin and the lighter tones of the grey sidewalk introduce shape and form to the image.  Dramatic lighting that casts well-placed shadows or sparkles of light to your image have a similar affect.

This brings me to the last tip.  By paying close attention to the shapes and forms in your image,  and being diligent to include both, you can significantly improve the success of your image.  Learn to imagine the scene before you as if it were black and white already.  Are there enough geometrical elements to make the image work?  Are there enough different tones to make each element in your image distinct from one another?  If you are drawn to the color in a scene, imagine it with the color removed.  Will the scene still work? These are questions to ask yourself (especially in nature photography) when seeking out your next black & white masterpiece.

Now, if you are still struggling with whether or not your image looks better in color or black and white, do what Terry suggests.  Make two 8x10 prints of the same image - one color and one black & white.  Hang both prints on a wall next to each other where you will see it frequently throughout the day.  Whichever one you get tired of looking at first is not the one for you.  Take it off the wall.  The one left hanging is the one you put on your website.  It's the one you show your client.  It's the one that works - for you.  After all, it is still a personal opinion.

I'll leave with two images from a recent session (actually an impromptu session within a session -  if you want to get technical).  

Meet Michael - a very cool guy.  You tell me.  Which one do you like better?  The color image, or the black & white?  Why?