Although I almost never photograph anything in black and white, sometimes I find that certain images become more interesting when they are stripped of their color. Patterns, shapes, and textures become more pronounced, and the mood of the photograph can change once the color isn’t competing for the attention of the viewer.
Succulents and other plants that have interesting structure and contrasting lights and darks work well in black and white.
Black and white can emphasize the bold, straight lines of architecture.
You can change the mood of a photograph by removing – or fading back – the color.
Strong shapes and textures translate well into black and white. Pronounced shadows can add even more interesting patterns to your image.
And, not all black and white photographs are really black and white. Although these are color images, the blacks and whites are what first caught my eye.
I think most of us love photographs that are rich in color. Every once in a while, though, try adding shades of gray to some of your images and see if you like the results.
Do you have black and white images? Join the fun on Terri’s Sunday Stills photo prompt and see what others have shared.
Retirementally Challenged 
Hi, Janis – These images are incredibly stunning. You have a true eye for design and deeply understand what works best for B & W photos. Each of these photos would make a wonderful framed print!
Thank you, Donna. It was interesting deciding which images work better in color and which work in B&W. Fortunately, with digital images and modern editing tools, it’s so easy to play with.
Love the palm fronds. And that next to last image just pops off the page. Striking.
Thank you!
These are truly “wow” photographs! I really love the photo of the bottles. I also find the succulents more dramatic in black and white. You’ve encouraged me to do some experimenting in black and white. 🙂
Oh, I hope you enjoy experimenting! Black and white can definitely add drama and intrigue.
Really stunning shots, Janis! Thank you for sharing.
Deb
Thanks, Deb.
I LOVE your black and white photos. So stunning.
Thank you! It looks like we both had some from New York… a city that begs to be rendered in black and white.
A great phrase, Janis, “….more interesting when stripped of their colour.” The concept of “mood” is evident in black and white photos and movies. I will play with fading back the colour in my photos. The little statue (?) is very intriguing. Is there a story? The shades of gray is a concept that continues to surface in this prompt. Great photos and an interesting post, Janis!
No story about the statue except that I saw that little vignette in a tasting room of a winery and was inspired to take a picture. I like the way that fading back the color, just leaving a hint, looks in certain photographs.
Janis, all of these photos are magnificent, but the first four were especially impressive to my eye. So many times I’ve looked at a plant and seen, well, a plant. Your photos depict plants as what they truly are – nature’s works of art. Nicely done!
I think that succulents are especially great to photograph close-up since they are so structural. Fortunately, I have quite a few in my yard who are willing models.
Well written and beautifully photographed. I’ll show it to my daughter, who is doing a photography course. Thank you.
Thank you! There are so many great photography courses – on line and in-person. I hope your daughter is enjoying it!
These are truly lovely black and whites. I love the spot of red that jumps right off that one shot. Applause on your photography skills.
Thank you, Judy. I imagine you have some great photography subjects right in your yard.
You’ve done an excellent job of explaining and showing what makes a great black/white photograph. Thank you!
Editing tools makes it so easy to play around.
Fascinating monochrome images! What many people don’t know is that every simple photo editing software can change colour images into b/w.
The editing tools we have today are truly amazing. I still remember the hours I used to spend in the darkroom developing images… and the smell of the chemicals.
And the chemicals were also a health hazard.
Janis, You’ve done a great job explaining and showing your beautiful B&W photos. Thanks for sharing.
I’m glad you enjoyed it, Natalie.
Janis, well done. For some reason, architecture seems more surreal in black and white. Thanks for the tour. Keith
Older cities – like NYC and San Francisco in this case – especially lend themselves to B&W, I think.
Agreed. I think it is the shadows. As Yogi Berra once said in his unique way about the shadows in left field at Yankee Stadium, “It gets dark early out there.” Keith
I agree with the above comments, Janis! Your eye for design and contrast works incredibly well for all of these images. The stark b&w is amazing but I think my fave is the wine bottle with figurine for its kiss of color!
Thank you, Terri. I love how your prompt inspired some bloggers to experiment with black and white. It’s so much more than just two hues.
When I took a photography class in college, everything was in black and white and I came to love what you can do with it. I find the photos more moody. Back then everything was done on film and we all developed and processed our own prints so color was out of the question.
I took similar classes. I loved watching the images slowly appear in the solution. I enjoy the ease of digital and editing tools but there is also something missing from the process.
The expense and angst of developing only to find out the pictures are over/under exposed. Love digital. I have a lot of respect for the old time photographers.
I really enjoyed looking at your photos and you have inspired me to ‘play around’ with black and white. Thanks
That’s so great to hear! I hope you enjoy your “play.” The wonderful thing about digital is that if you don’t like it, you can easily switch back!
You explained perfectly why I love black and white photography. I do love color, too, but images are often more interesting to me in black and white. Not every image, of course. But as you said, for evoking a certain mood, or for highlighting texture or patterns, black and white is wonderful.
Because it is so easy to get a quick idea how a photo would look in black and white, I hope more people are inspired to experiment. Like you say, not all photos work in B&W, but you slowly learn what and why some do.
Janis, these are really good examples of exquisite black and white photography. “The mood of the photograph” is exactly what sets BW apart from color. Well done.
Thank you. I’ve always wanted to capture fog in black and white. I’ve seen some great examples of how it evokes moody – and sometimes ominous – feelings.
This is a fun photography challenge, Janis, as I have seen several bloggers take it on and post their own views about this artsy twist and their own interpretations with their photographs. My favorites are your architectural ones. In nature, I usually prefer color scenes – because nature can be so vibrant. When it comes to urban themes, the B&W can really set the scene.
I agree (except I really like succulents in black and white). I think architecture – especially old structures – and the grit of an urban scene often works well when the color is dialed back.
These are great fun shots Janis and you certainly have an eye for details and have captured some great images. I love the bit of colour in the last few as it adds a whole new dimension and draws the eye in.
Thank you! All of Terri’s prompts are fun, but I especially liked this one.
Janis, those photos in black and white are superb. I love the architecture. Your explanations add so much to the viewing experience as well. So well done! 🙂 the chair with all the faces on the rocks. Where is that? Too funny! 🙂
Isn’t that interesting? I took that shot in Spanish Village, which is an artist’s colony in Balboa Park. There are so many great things to photograph there.
I love Balboa Park. You could spend days there and never take all the pictures you wanted. Here was one day spent with friends in Balboa Park. https://tchistorygal.net/2013/01/08/my-favorite-attraction-live-bronze-statue-in-balboa-park/ Not nearly the pictures you posted, but it was a wonderful day.
It looks like you and your friends had a great time there! I try to visit Balboa Park as often as I can (it’s only a few miles away). I hate to admit it… but it’s been so nice during the pandemic since the crowds are almost nonexistent. I wonder if that bronze “statue” was suppose to be Kate Sessions, the “Mother of Balboa Park.” She was a horticulturalist and landscape designer who introduced many of the trees and plants to San Diego in the late 1800s.
I never thought about it, Janis, but I bet you are right. She wasn’t talking, so she didn’t share her story. My dad lived in San Diego, so I went many times over the years he lived there. It was one of his favorite places to hang out. He was a photographer, too.
Hi Janis, your photos are stunning. Love the textures, the lines in the architecture, and how shadows can add more interesting patterns. Lovely post, Lauren
Thank you, Lauren. It was a nice exercise to pull some images from my archives and play with all the great black and white editing tools.
Lovely photos, even if one quite clearly isn’t all black and white. You’re a rebel, my dear. 😄
That’s me: a cool kid and a rebel 🙂
I’ve always thought so.
Janis, viewing black and white images our eye sees for a better the details of the photo and not distracted by colour. Many people over do the colour.
I enjoyed your chosen images. Architecture certainly seems more dramatic without colour.
I really agree with your impression that color is over done. Just because there are “saturation” and “vibrance” editing tools doesn’t mean they have to slide all the way to the right. It’s fun to play with black and white on certain images.
That’s what it is all about Janis, just having fun and having a go. I am sure even the best photographers best work is achieved by sheer chance or thinking outside the square.
The bridge shots are stunning!
Thank you! I took that walk over the Brooklyn Bridge way back in 2005.
Very nice Janis. I have only used vintage black-and-white photos in my blog and one 1920 Model A Ford after going to an exhibition of Model A vehicles. You’ve inspired me and I’m going to try as well.
I love the old b&w photos (I have a few family albums full of them). I hope you enjoy playing around with your editing tools!
You’ve inspired me Janis. I love those old photos too and when I was young, my mom sat me down and told me who every family member or friend was in the album, so that was nice.
Lucky you! I have multiple old pictures of people and I have no idea who they are.
Hi, Janis — Strong, lovely photos! I particularly love the curlique — maybe an iron gate? Photography is a nice way of being present in the world and also shaping the world.
The metal spiral was a sculpture I saw and photographed in Seattle. I loved how the industrial materials (metal, bolts) contrasted with its organic shape.
I particularly like the windows with the reflected shadow of the awning and the palm leaf.
Black and white photography has a beauty all of its own.
I loved those windows too. I like to think that the architect designed it with the play of shadows in mind.
I wonder if he did.
I love your application of black and white, Janis. The textures really stand out when not overwhelmed by colors. You have inspired me to take more black and white photos myself.
That’s great to hear! It’s interesting to go back into your archives and see what existing photos work well in black and white.
Good idea. Thanks! I am thinking that some of my old Mexico pictures might look good, especially the colonial architecture shots.
Absolutely! Have fun!
You have some real beauties here, and such a broad range of topics and styles. Winter always pulls me toward thinking in B & W.
You are right. I’ve even seen some amazing winter/snow pictures that I THOUGHT were black and white, but turned out to be color. Where I live, we don’t have the snow and gray, gray skies (not that I’m complaining) so I don’t get to take advantage of the natural black and white back drop and mood of a cold, winter day.
Beautiful black and white photos, Janis! A few years ago, I wanted some black and white photos to hang up in a gray and black bathroom. I printed some photos I had taken of very old barns, sheds, and outbuildings I had taken while on el Camino de Santiago in Spain. They turned out great! I love them in B&W.
Those sound like the perfect subjects for black and white photos. I’m getting ready to re-paint our powder room and was thinking about decorating with some of my B&W photos too… thanks for the nudge.
Beautiful images, fantastic choices for the “fade to grey” 😉 Your desaturated images are also sublime. Fabulous post. Happy to have found your blog- cheers- Autumn Jade
Thank you for the visit and the comment! Although I don’t create a lot of black and white photos, sometimes I find that taking away the color enhances the image.
Good images. Sharp and the light effect also proportional.
Thank you for the visit and the nice comment!
They are stunning!
Thank you!
Amazing photos, Janis. I especially like the architectural ones because of the interesting lines and angles, and a,so that one at the bottom with the chair and faces on the rocks.
Jude
Thank you, Jude! I really like architectural images in black and white in general, but older structures most of all.