Why can black & white photography be so intriguing? It can look more classy than color I guess.. But does this mean black & white works for every picture? Neh, definitely not. If used wisely though, it might have some treats up it’s sleeve.

In my opinion black & white photos work great to bring extra attention to your main subject. The absence of color makes sure, that your eye has an easier job in deciding what to look at. Although a big red sweater in a color photo might scream for attention, black & white eases the eye and let’s it decide for itself. It is important though, that there actually IS a main subject. For example: People.

Portraits can work extremely well in black & white. I’d like to share a shoot which I shot last Christmas. My sister-in-law was playing the piano with her dad. They were so consumed with playing, I believe they didn’t even notice me. They really had fun together, which I think especially the last picture shows. It also shows how concentrated she was in getting the tune right . Click here to see the full shoot.

The pictures you just saw – in my opinion – proved that black & white photography can be very attractive. Leaving out the colors really made these pictures about them, playing the piano, together.

Besides people, there are obviously a lot of other subjects that work great in black & white. Do you know some good examples, please do share in your comment below!

Thanks and till soon,
Sjoerd