I’m not usually one to convert my images to black and white. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not that I don’t find a good B&W photograph striking in its own way.
When you get right down to it, I just don’t think about it. I see the world in color, my camera sees the world in color, so my images are in color. It was different when you loaded B&W film. You were locked in with no choice. That’s what the film saw – shades of gray.
Of course, nowadays, with the ability to go back and forth, there is a tendency to turn color images into B&W to make up for the fact that it’s not a strong picture to begin with. The photographer hoping the grayscale will add another dimension to an otherwise mediocre photo. The way I see things, turning an image to B&W actually removes something from the picture. The eye is no longer distracted by splotches of color in the background or the pink in a person’s skin tone. In this respect, I believe a photo has to be good enough to start with in order to withstand this stripping away effect.
All that to say, there’s something special about a veteran racing driver from Italy waiting to take the wheel and the look on his face as he focuses. I hope you agree that this deserved to be converted.
-RAE
