Colour or black and white photography?

Welcome to my latest blog, which this week takes on a slightly different appearance that I hope you like.

Today I will be taking a look at the pros and cons of colour, and black and white photography. I am a fan of both, depending on the image, so I won't be taking sides, as it were, but simply explaining as best I can why you might want to choose one genre over the other. There are of course photographers who will only shoot in black and white; others stick to colour in its full glory.

Colour, and black and white photography each have distinct advantages and disadvantages, so let's have a look at the pros and cons of each.

Colour images capture the world as we see it, adding realism and context to a scene. They provide more detailed information about the environment, making the photograph more relatable, understandable, and a true likeness of the world around us.

Colours can evoke specific and sometimes strong emotions or moods, enhancing the narrative of an image. For example, warm colours can create a sense of comfort, while cool colours can evoke a sense of sadness.

Colour photography works well in a wide range of scenarios, from vibrant landscapes to fashion photography. It allows photographers to experiment with colour contrasts, saturation, and harmony.

In many commercial contexts, colour images are a must as they attract more attention and are more engaging to a general audience, especially in advertising, product photography, and social media. However, more and more photographers who are posting on Instagram, for example, are adopting black and white photography as their 'style'.

In some cases, the presence of multiple colours can distract from the main subject or message of a photograph. The viewer's attention may be pulled in different directions, reducing the impact of the image. I often find this, and so I sometimes convert a colour image to black and white just to see if that works better; if it doesn't, then there's nothing lost, I can revert to my colour image.

Colour photography can be technically more demanding, requiring careful control of white balance, colour accuracy, and exposure to avoid unwanted colour casts or over-saturation. The camera doesn't always faithfully reproduce colours.

Colour photographs can sometimes be tied to specific eras or trends in fashion and design, making them feel outdated faster than the same image in black and white. If you've watched one of those social history TV programmes, and seen a 1970s British house interior with its browns, russets, and more browns, then you'll know what I am talking about. Black and white images often have a classic, timeless quality. They transcend trends and can evoke a sense of history or nostalgia. 

Without colour, black and white photography emphasises composition, texture, shapes, and contrast. This can lead to more striking and powerful images where the viewer's attention is drawn directly to the subject and structure.

More than anything, the use of light is key to producing exceptional black and white photographs.

Black and white images can evoke strong emotions and are often associated with a more serious or contemplative tone. The absence of colour can enhance the mood and drama of a scene.

Stripping away colour simplifies the image, reducing potential distractions and allowing the photographer to focus on the essentials of the scene.

On the downside, though, black and white images do not reflect how we see the world, which can sometimes make them less relatable or less informative. Certain types of photography, such as those focusing on vibrant subjects like flowers, fashion, or food, may lose impact when shot in black and white. 

Black and white photography definitely demands a higher level of technical skill in composition and lighting. Without colour to add interest, any deficiencies in these areas become more apparent.

Both colour, and black and white photography have unique strengths and weaknesses. Colour photography is generally more versatile and appealing in everyday contexts, while black and white photography can deliver timeless images that emphasise composition and emotion. 

In the end, the choice between the two often depends on the subject, purpose, emotion, and mood you as the photographer is trying to convey. I tend to shoot in colour, but then I might convert a particular image to black and white during editing using Snapseed just because that image actually works better in monochrome. Occasionally I go out with the intention of only shooting in black and white - see below.

There are some famous photographers who only worked in black and white: Henri Cartier-Bresson, and Ansel Adams, to name just two. Then there's the famous war photographer, Robert Capa, who shot every photograph in colour and black and white, but some of his most famous images, those of the D-Day landings, are black and white, and even with the unintentional camera movement, they remain some of the most dramatic and evocative war images ever produced.

My current phone camera, the Google Pixel 7 can only shoot in colour, but within the Snapseed editing app I can convert any image to black and white, whilst retaining the original colour photo. However, when I want to shoot only in colour I use the camera in the Lightroom mobile app. I set it to black and white and shoot away. I rarely use Lightroom for editing, but it useful to have if only for the option of shooting in black and white.

Here are three of my photographs that were shot in colour but then two were edited to create a black and white image, and the other to create a monochrome image. Monochrome can be black and white, but it can also be an image in varying tones of a single colour.

This colour photo below was recently taken at Knaresborough Castle, a town and a spot that both attract their fair share of tourists. I have many photos taken from this viewpoint, but none with so many people in shot, especially none with someone taking a selfie.

I played around, editing the photo using Snapseed, but the results were either too bland or they looked overdone.

I converted the photo to black and white and was amazed at the result. Removing the colours removed many of the distractions. The final result, although perhaps a little overdone in terms of structure, does have a more dramatic look to it. I posted this on my Instagram feed (smart_phone_photographer_53).

This next photo was taken on one of my many walks around Ripley, a lovely quintessentially English village near Harrogate. Here I have tried to frame Ripley Castle in the distance with the wall and trees in the foreground. The colour photo is OK, but nothing special. 

After cropping it, and converting it to a sepia, monochrome image, the scene now has an almost timeless, nostalgic look and feel to it. I don't think this is cheating, converting to monochrome rather than black and white; it is all in the end about removing colour and utilising shades and variations.

My final photo is again of my home town. The colour image looks too bright, too blue, too fussy, so after playing with the structure and white balance I converted it into black and white using the Looks filter in Snapseed. This is the Fine Art filter.

Anyhow, that's my take on colour, and black and white photography, plus a bit of monochrome thrown in for good measure. I would encourage you to try, if you haven't already done so, converting some of your images to black and white (or perhaps the occasional sepia). You might be surprised by the results.

Thank you for reading this blog. You can see more of my photography on Instagram and Threads at smart_phone_photographer_53. You can also follow me on Facebook at Words and Frames.

See you next time.

© Mike Young 2025.