In our workshop week in Paris Peter Turnley introduced us to our Paris story assignment in great detail: Our group were to creating a photo story, either in color or in black and white using a single focal length, ideally a wide angle like 35 mm. The consistency helps the viewer to see the images as a unit telling a story. Black and white was our choice to focus on the people in a timeless fashion in the older part of Paris. Take a look at the results in the Gallery on Paris.
This shared article might encourage you to consider black and white photography: 5 Reasons you Should Try Black and White article by Digital Photography School. We were very curious to find out more about color and black and white photography and resorted to one of our most favorite photographers, Jay Maisel.
We had the great fortune to spend a workshop week in New York City with Jay Maisel, one of the most famous American photographers alive. The Art Directors Club Hall of Fame, the Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Society of Media Photographers, and the Infinity Award from the International Center of Photography are some of his achievements. His workshop and many of his instructural videos opened our eyes to the art of photography and how it changes to view the world. Jay Maisel photographed mostly in black and white but experienced first hand that color might be part of the story he wants to convey in some images.
JayMaisel
Some have said that if you take a great picture in color and take away the color, you’ll have a great black-and-white picture. But if you’re shooting something about color and you take away the color, you’ll have nothing. inspiringquotes
As you can see by the two images below, not every image in color has the same impact in black and white. However, black and white photography is fascinating and for me a great way to tell a story without the distraction of color as the Gallery on Paris illustrates.
Suggestions for black and white photography can be found in the
