When it comes to art, a lot of it depends on the decade and time period you find yourself in. Technology makes advancements and what was once the way to do things becomes antiquated. This is very apparent and true in the world of photography; we’ve gone from all manual cameras to automatic point and shoots, from film to digital and, the most interesting and crucial in my opinion, the switch from black and white prints to predominately all color . The first color image was created in 1861 by James Maxwell, however, color film was not available to the public until the mid 1930’s and slowly became more and more popular over time. The recreational photographers of my generation do not use black and white film for picture taking, it has become a thing of the past. The transformation from black and white to color film produces a lot of questions, from an artistic standpoint as well as a cultural one. The questions which arise in an art sense focuses on how the difference between color and black and white effect how viewers perceive the photo. Is it better to be in color then in black and white? Does a color picture take away from the image being photographed or add to it? Is black and white photography, in this day and age, really only for fine art photography?
I prefer black and white film over color film, for the most part. I feel that a picture is more effective and gripping when it is in black and white. For most of us, everything we see everyday is in color, so to see an image in black and white catches our eye in a different way, effecting how we perceive it and how much time we spend looking at it. I am more likely to spend twice as much time viewing a black and white photo as opposed to one in color-exactly why, I’m not sure. However, it can also be argued that the colors in a picture attract attention more then a black and white one would, catching the viewers attention and pulling them in, which is true in some cases. Although, that color which attracts the viewer can take away from the image being shown, especially if it is something of a serious nature. James Nachtwey is a photojournalist who shoots international conflicts and other images in both color and black and white. While viewing his black and white pictures I can’t help but think that the impact of the image would be different if I viewed it in color. The color would offer to much distraction taking away from the human emotion which comes when viewing it in black and white. When an image is in black and white you are forced to look at the subject matter and think about it more. Black and white also leaves more to the imagination of the viewer, giving the pictures a more mysterious contemplative aura.
Looking at the choice of film from a cultural standpoint offers more of a social commentary. Black and white film is still sold along side of color film and can be developed just like color, eliminating the long wait to have the prints processed; so why do most people use color? Pleasure photographers, I feel, find that black and white is to simple for everyday pictures, it is not as expressive and informing as color. People take pictures to document an experience and when documenting it they want it exactly as it was, which includes color. When showing others pictures from a certain event color allows them to go back to that event in a more specific way then black and white does. Take prom pictures for example, black and white might look classy but color gives more information; the color of the girls dress, the color of the corsage, the color of the dates tie, ect. In situation like that color offers a complete documentation of the event. Furthermore, as I said before, black and white film comes off as more simple then color. It comes from an era which was more simple then the one we live in and as a result, I feel, that the simplicity and relationship of the film to that period effects peoples choice. Today’s life style is all about the glitz and glam, bright colors and loud noises, and black and white film just doesn’t translate or reflect persona.
Photo curtsey of: http://www.cultureinside.com/ciWeb/UserFiles/Image/CI_highlights_images/James_nachtway01.jpg
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