Remember the era of black and white? If you were born anytime after the 80s, you probably don’t. That was an age of brilliant artwork, introducing the black-and-white technique that brought in a huge change. Wonder why black-and-white photography still stands its ground, while the colored era is making a buzz already? A colored photo can be easily attained, and you just need to play with a few elements. It probably doesn't do justice to the photographer's creativity. The true challenge is to bring out the best of the shades of black, white, and gray. This can be done only by an ace photographer, and that’s the beauty of black-and-white art.
The real question remains; is black-and-white photography dead or alive? Without much thought, your first reaction would probably announce it dead, as no one uses it anymore. However, a recent research states that the use of black-and-white photography is in demand these days. Black-and white film such as the Panatomic-X, Plus-X, Verichrome Pan, and Royal-X Pan are still produced and sold in abundance by companies like Kodak. There is no doubt that colored film are the preferred thing right now. Black-and-white art has its hold over documentaries, photography for museums, newspapers, old photo collections, classic, old-style concepts, industrial use, fine arts, and much more. Did you know that they are more expensive than the regular colored sheets, along with the cost of processing? Black-and-white is, and will always be classic, reminding us of the golden era. A colored paper can fade and look tacky, but black-and-white never loses its charm, and never fails to impress.
Also Read : TIPS FOR TAKING BETTER BLACK AND WHITE PHOTOS
If you look at the basic technical aspects of the black-and-white world, black-and-white pictures promise to be brilliant, as long as the negative of the film is good. They don't even harm or overexpose the picture, and provide sharpness. The problem is when the pictures are under-exposed, since then there’s not much room to play with the colors in it. The real challenge lies in getting a good exposure, so the object or the picture gets the required effect that was meant to be created. It can also be referred to as ‘playing with the shades,’ rather than ‘playing with the colors.’ So, go ahead, get yourself a folio this time in black-and-white, or perhaps a family photo for the generations to cherish. It will always be evergreen and classy!
Lovers and practitioners of black and white photography are still around. DO share this article with them.