when to choose black and white?

[ltcvnzl]

Hi, often I set my camera on black and white while photographing – I think I can see the photo better in the camera screen this way, not sure if it's wrong or it just doesn't affect anything at all. So when I'm editing I often check the photo both ways and I have a hard time deciding each way to go. There is any tips on how can I value those options? My impressions are that I get more sharpness and texture in B&W but I lost some nuances of light.

Example:

There isn't much color in the photo at all, I get much more texture in the B&W one, but I wonder if it isn't more interested to let in colors because it is interesting to look at something almost-naturally in grey tones, and also the yellow-ish tone in the light part brings a bit of warm in contrast of the blue-ish part in the darker areas?

 

[goodguy]

I like the bottom colour photo, just my taste.
I too many times will try B&W after I process a picture in LR, most of the time it doesn't do justice to my pictures but in some cases B&W will have its own beauty and I will save both versions, in even more rare occasions I will only keep the B&W versions.
I use to love B&W much more but in time I saw (for me) the colour version is better, when I had both versions after few hours or few days the excitement of the B&W wined down and I saw the colour version is far better and I deleted the B&W version.

 

[photo1x1.com]

These two are pretty similar and it is hard to decide which one I like better.
I for one never use B&W in camera. I always shoot RAW and then I have the choice to create B&W while editing. That way you also have different options on what color should be darker. For example landscapse often look best when the blues create a pretty dark grey.
In general I hardly ever use B&W. Many wedding photographers do though - for a reason. When you have bad lighting conditions (like mixed lighting, low lighting, etc.) B&W almost always looks better than mixing yellow lights (especially LEDs) with daylight comming in from a window.

 

[john.margetts]

I like monochrome pictures but I very rarely convert a colour picture to mono. I decide on mono before leaving home and use film - usually Fomapan 200 Creative.

A successful mono picture depends on tones the same way a colour picture depends on colour. If you are not seeing the picture in tones before you touch the shutter release, you are unlikely to end up with a good mono picture while sat at your computer.

Sent from my A1-840 using Tapatalk

 

[chuasam]

I always shoot in RAW and only muddle with Colour Grading when I really like an image.

 

[Braineack]

I'll usually convert to B&W when a shot was taken in a situation where it's too hard to fix the colors. Otherwise, even in low-color shots, I'll keep the color.

 

[dunfly]

I Shoot RAW and convert to Black & White in post processing if I think it makes a better image. Is there any advantage to shooting Black & White in camera?

 

[JustJazzie]

I feel I save B&W for images that include higher contrast and sharper or visually important lines/edges that I want to emphasize. I'll admit, I've been doing less and less B&W than I used too. Perhaps I should add some more back in!

 

[jcdeboever]

IMO, a good image is good either way.

 

[Shafty]

If the image is **** BW is a cheat way of making it good (IGNORE WHAT I SAY)

 

[waday]

Is there any advantage to shooting Black & White in camera?

If you have an EVF, I find that selecting black and white in camera (while using RAW+JPEG) sometimes helps with composition.

 

[fmw]

The black and white doesn't have more texture. It has more contrast. That is adjustable.

 

[snowbear]

If I have the digital, I will almost always have color photos. If I have one of the film bodies, I am probably going to end up with B&W.

 

[rosh4u]

Firstly, before you snap image decide that you want color image or black & white as it can help you to better snap picture. Black & White images doesn't have texture as it mainly have contrast background which is adjustable. B&W has its own beauty which is incomparable to color images but every time comparison cannot be made.

 

[benhasajeep]

If you have the capability to shoot RAW I would do so, if you can't decide. When you shoot B&W in camera your just applying a software change just like in post processing. If you shoot RAW, in post processing you can go in any direction you want after seeing the picture on a screen the first time. Can keep colors, go to Black and White or something in between.