Even though colours add a new
dimension to photographs, giving it life and energy, there are some photos that
look better in black and white. You drain all the colour out of these frames
and they still amaze you. They are a lot like charcoal drawings. Even though
there are various shades and varieties of paints with which you can express yourself,
the depth and intensity of a charcoal drawing stands unparalleled.
But not every photograph looks
good in black and white. Here, the composition of the frame has to be very
strong and the only reason that it looks good without colour is that adding
colour to the frame dilutes the intensity of the photograph.
Try to not have too much clutter
in the photograph. Many objects means you will have many many shades of grey in
the photograph and unless the subject of the photo really stands out, the composition
will not be very clear.
Here are some of my black and
white shots…
Sealdah, Kolkata
Gangasagar mela transit camp, Kolkata
Chhat puja at Babu ghat, Kolkata
Kumartuli, Kolkata
random timepass at home :P
Winter fog at Maidan, Kolkata
Streets of North Kolkata
Kumartuli, Kolkata
Then again, people generally don’t
take photographs keeping at the back of their mind that they have to take a
black and white shot. Good black and white shots are hard to get. So whenever
you take a photograph, think once about how the photo would look in black and
white, and if you’re lucky, you will have created an amazing black and white
shot.
Keep clicking!
-Shutterbug.
