[Bassat]

Please don't hurt me. I just don't get it. 50 years ago, I shot B&W film because it was cheaper than color. Today, the opposite is true, mostly.


Backstory: I'm primarily shooting film these days. I have absolutely no desire to step into a darkroom, ever again. I pay TheDarkRoom.com to develop my film. They do my scanning, too. I keep toying with the idea of shooting some B&W film, but can't get over how much latitude I have in LR when starting with color scans. I don't see giving up the flexibility of color originals just to spend more money on less flexible B&W film. Can the gurus of monochrome please attempt to enlighten me?

[fehknt]

for me: (1) fun and stretching my 'seeing' to be black and white instead of color, (2) easier for home darkroom, (3) can process reversal or negative with the same film stock, (4) still cheaper in large format.

[aaacb]

i've also noticed that at the local shop where i send my c41 film, bw is at least 2x the price.

i use bw film it because 1) it's a less intimidating way to process my own film at home, for fun and novelty; 2) it's interesting to see different tonalities as they come from the film stock, as opposed to me converting to bw some color film. just to be clear, as a hobbyist i shoot film for fun so if that doesn't sound like a reason then it's evidence that it's all up to preference; for tinkerers, there's a whole world of experimenting with bw film developers, but i have yet to try anything beyond pushing 2-3 stops

[photoptimist]

LOL! We're going to give you 10 lashes with a camera strap, dip you in stop bath, and then leave you wallowing in fixer!

My photography teacher thought color was a cheap stunt for turning a crap photo into something passable (much like the fad of over-saturation).

Sure color may be important to some subject matter -- monochrome apples don't look as tasty as red ones -- but to a first approximation, the human visual system really is a high resolution black-and-white system overlaid with low-resolution color. It's the patterns of light and dark that we really notice and then some bits of the scene get splotches of color.

Thus, some argue that the B&W image really gets at the essence of the subject and the scene. It shows the relationships of the objects to the lighting. It brings out the structure, the textures, the tonalities of highlight and shadow without the glossy dross of color.

Ultimately, it's a personal preference. If B&W images don't speak to you, then maybe there's little reason that you want to speak in B&W.

[blackcloudbrew]

This is a fair question. For me, which is really what this is all about, I prefer the look of B&W in film, and color in digital. Add to that, it's fun to process my own B&W film and that's really it.

[photolady95]

I like B/W film because I can see the flaws in my photos better than in color. Plus I like b/w better for the below quote.

It brings out the structure, the textures, the tonalities of highlight and shadow without the glossy dross of color.

[stevebrot]

I generally shoot mostly B&W, partially because I find it suits my artistic expression and also because of the quality aspect over monochrome conversion of digital. Color, is more expensive, even if I do my own processing, and unless I am working in Ektar or or the new Ektachrome, it is mostly novelty/lomography style shooting. Since I do my own processing and scanning, I also have somewhat greater control over outcomes with B&W than with color.


Steve

[ccbl]

My thought is that constraints induce creativity, so shooting with black and white film makes you think in black and white and get creative within that limit.

If you shoot in color you think in color. Maybe you convert it to black and white later, but it's a different mentality and it makes the photo different.

Also, if I know I can use a photo as either color or black and white I'm less discerning about certain elements of my subject. If I know it will only ever be black and white, I'm more careful about shape, values, lighting, and composition. Obviously if I was a terrific photographer I would be disciplined about those things even when shooting in color. Since I'm thoroughly mediocre, black and white film is ideal for exercising those skills.

And it looks cool. It might be a lack of post-processing prowess, but my color-to-BW images never look as good as actual black and white film images.

[Alex645]

I keep toying with the idea of shooting some B&W film, but can't get over how much latitude I have in LR when starting with color scans. I don't see giving up the flexibility of color originals just to spend more money on less flexible B&W film.

It's really a good question and depending on my mindset, I sometimes will shoot color film with the knowledge I may be using Nik Silver Efx Pro to convert it to B&W. This is presuming I want to use Lightroom and not the darkroom....which is sometimes true and sometimes not true for me. But when I do that, it's because the color in my photo doesn't "work" and I'm hoping in monochrome I got a keeper through serendipity.

So to me it comes down to commitment, intention, and a vision when shooting, not when post processing.

Also as an art educator, I'm hyper aware of the elements of art, which are typically identified as these seven:
Line, shape, color, value, form, texture and space.
Color is only one of them, but hues can easily overpower the qualities of the other six. When the color is eliminated and essentially becomes value only, it forces the photographer to really see the other six elements. If I know I'm shooting color film, even if I know I can eliminate saturation down to value, I am distracted.

....but in art, there is no single solution, no one single correct truth. The only true answer or reasoning is your own, especially if it is unique and special.

[ChrisPlatt]

I could ask the opposite: What is the point of color film? I prefer black and white 99% of the time.

I shoot color maybe once a year, on my often cancelled annual Fall leaf-peeping trip Upstate.

Chris

[carlb]

Even though I don't shoot film any more, I always feel that I "see" photo opportunities in B & W more than I do in colour. I also think that you have to work a bit harder to get a good B & W shot compared to colour because you can't just rely on the colours to carry the photo.

[Paul the Sunman]

For me (a mathematician by trade) photography is very much related to geometry. I can focus on geometry more clearly without the often extraneous distraction of colour.

However, this comes at a cost. My wife cannot look at one of my B&W shots without making a hurtful remark about it not being realistic.

[tuco]

Getting your BW film developed and scanned by a lab is like shooting out of camera JPEGs in digital. If you get a densitometer, a one degree spot meter and develop your own film, there is so much more to BW than you realize.

[stevebrot]

Getting your BW film developed and scanned by a lab is like shooting out of camera JPEGs in digital. If you get a densitometer, a one degree spot meter and develop your own film, there is so much more to BW than you realize.

It may even be enough to learn the art of film developing and learn to work with whatever meter one has at hand (having a gray card in the other hand helps) and learning to read the scene.


Steve

[photolady95]

And you don't need a darkroom to develop the film, just a dark place with no light seeping in; you only need a darkroom if you're going print your negatives. I missed the smell of the chemicals, too.