Colour? Or Black and White?

This week, Patti has invited us to explore colour photography, as against black and white for her Lens-Artists Challenge. She’d like us to present the same image both in colour and in monochrome. Because I do very little post-processing, I’ve used the fairly limited options offered by Google Photos.

What to choose? I decided to pick images that I thought were sure to work best in colour, and see what happened if I imposed a monochrome palette on them. I was quite surprised.

First of all I looked at my images of Vitré, the charming French commune I shared with you a couple of weeks ago. Surely it’s all about the colour of the gaily painted houses there?

The Old Town, Vitré

I surprised myself. I liked both – perhaps because there’s a bit of an expectation that half-timbered houses, in England at least, tend to be in black and white. What gives the coloured image the edge in my eyes though, is the lucky chance of that figure in bright red strolling down the street. It just lends an extra focus to the shot lacking in the monochrome image.

Then I went to familiar stamping grounds. Brimham Rocks.

Brimham Rocks, North Yorkshire

I’m pretty happy with both. Those puffy cumulus clouds help to lighten the sky in the black and white image. It might otherwise have been a little uniformly grey. I’ve just popped another image in as the header photo. The rocks as seen through a conveniently sited picture frame. Trust me. The colour image is barely any different. It was a very overcast day.

The last image is of the simply appalling ferry we took from Rome to Barcelona the other year. Those rusting chimneys have their visual appeal, but the rest of the ship was like that too! Would they work in black and white? Let’s see.

Our Grimaldi lines ship. Avoid.

Hmm. I think it’s OK. The rusty pipes have sufficient contrast to work even without colour. In my opinion.

So there we have it. Are you a fan of colour, monochrome, or both? And do you have any strong feelings about what works, or doesn’t, here?

I decided to include this post in Leanne’s Monochrome Madness challenge. She can close her eyes to the colour versions.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

65 thoughts on “Colour? Or Black and White?”

  1. Sorry, hon, but it’s colour all the way. The wonderful textures of Brixham Rocks are lost in black and white. It’s a great shot, by the way. Agree with you entirely on the first. The last, well I’m a bit indifferent, but I consider myself warned xx

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  2. I think I’m turning into a monochrome fan, too, Margaret. Love the black and white ones. Not that the colour photographs are bad, on the contrary, but that last image in particular, the pipes, really looks so much more interesting in monochrome.

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  3. It’s always interesting to make these comparisons. I totally agree about the first image. That red coat is key. Considering the rocks, my immediate reaction is towards the colour version. But looking again, it’s the brooding atmosphere I see in the b & w which draws me in. The rusty chimneys seem more interesting in b & w. Makes me wonder what lays behind the image, although from the sounds of it, I’m better off not seeing any more of that ship!

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  4. ooh you have been having fun – I am glad you have shown both. I am a bit of fan of clouds and landscapes in B&W, and the first one gives the feel we have stepped back in time. Wonderful

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  5. Great choices for the challenge!
    It’s a matter of preference, I found. The ship I liked the colour, the rocks the monochrome. I like both versions of the street scene – the coloured is “gaily” while the monochrome is “gritty” – so it’s a toss-up!

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  6. Well I totally disagree with Jo. Black and white works for all three. In fact I prefer it. The red coat figure gets lost among both images, but the timber frame shows up more in the mono version.

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      1. Different people, different likes, I agree. It’s okay. People have different upbringing and born I’m different generations. It’s so understandable. I even use dark themes of my phone as a way to protect my eyes from brightness.

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  10. An interesting threesome! I’m in two minds about the first one. Were it not for the figure in red I would say definitely B&W, and if you’d only shared that version we’d never have missed that pop of red because she (he?) could have been wearing dull brown/grey etc! So I’m leaning towards B&W there but think you could make an argument for colour. The Brimham Rocks shot I definitely prefer the B&W edit although there’s nothing wrong with the colour one. And for the ferry, I’m so drawn to rust in photos that I rather like the colour but the B&W also works, for different reasons. That one emphasises the shapes, including the structures either side, whereas the colour one brings out the rustiness. I think a colour shot cropped to just show the chimneys could be very effective, but with this wider shot I again lean towards B&W if I must choose!

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    1. Oh thanks for such a considered reply, Sarah. I don’t know why I never thought of cropping the rusty chimneys. Definitely a good plan. I have the feeling that you, like me, are doing a good deal of leaning towards B/W these days – in other people’s photos if not our own!

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      1. I wouldn’t say I’m leaning any more than in the past, as I’ve always favoured B&W for some subjects e.g. street photography, modern architecture, portraits. But I’m doing more of it myself, mainly because of blogging challenges!

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  11. Here’s my opinion, for what it’s worth…

    The first image I love the soft colors, and you lose the person without the red coat being red. So that one I like better in color.

    The second image, with the tree, I think the starkness of the landscape is better without the distraction of the blue sky and clouds, so I like that one in black and white, though I went back and forth on that one. I could go either way.

    The third one, the ferry image, is EXACTLY the kind of image I like in black and white. Clean lines, simple shapes. That one is stunning in black and white.

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  12. You picked well. And surprised myself: only the rusty pipes I prefer in colour. I really liked the monochrome versions of the first two photos. They are stripped off superfluous, distracting elements with the colour gone.

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  14. Great examples, Margaret. Although I find all images very appealing, whether in color or black and white, I noticed I had some favorites in each pair. I like the Old Town in color for the additional charm the colors bring to the town. For the Brimham Rocks, I prefer the black and white. It makes the rocks stand out stronger. As for the last pair, it’s a toss for me, but I a bit more inclined to go with the color version because of the beauty in seeing rust.

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  16. Pingback: Colour? Or Black and White? – SIRGT

  18. I think it depends on the message you want to convey – I like the joy that comes through in the colored streetscape, it feels like someone I would like to go – but the black and white of the next two causes me to focus on form and detail but could slide into feeling a bit glum… it’s pretty incredible how quickly you can change the mood with your choice! Linda 🙂

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  19. So here are my two cents worth. I like the first and third in colour. I like what the colour contributes to the story and I think in monochrome a lot of that is lost, however, in the second I like the monochrome. The reason being that in colour there is too much focus on the blue in the sky, which is almost the only bright colour. So when you convert it then you see more of the subjects and don’t notice the sky as much. I hope that makes sense.

    They are all great images Margaret, very different to one another.

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  21. Dear Margaret, I love Black and White photography but in here, I am thinking same with dear Johanna. The colour ones more impressive. Thank you, Love, nia

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  22. I always appreciate the smiles you give me, Margaret. That ferry nightmare…ah yes, we have been on an Italian ferry like that! As for your images…a love your header. And the frame! As for the Old Town, they both work for me. Interesting spot of red–as you noticed. For the rocks and the ferry….b&w. The details really shine.

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  23. I think they all work well in black and white. In fact, the ship looks safer – it looks like jazzy patterns rather than rust and decay 🙂

    You ought to try flicking your camera to black and white for a day and see what comes out. It makes you see things differently. I think you’d enjoy it

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      1. that’s good to hear, Margaret.
        I don’t know what your camera is but sometimes you can do both at the same time! I sometimes shoot in b&w but have a colour version saved too. Nothing like keeping your options open 😀😀

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  25. Interesting examples, Margaret! It’s so difficult to choose, because they all work well in both versions. The Old Town looks amazing in both shots, but, more charming in colour. Love the rusty pipes – but maybe from afar…not from the vessel. The rocks I like both versions of…but they are less sinister in colour.

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