The psychology of "quitting" colour

[Me Leica!]

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A few months ago I decided to experiment with shooting black and white only for a period. While I could of course have just used any camera and converted the pictures, I wanted to give myself zero room for backing out (and I don't shoot film and the Phase One monochrome-only body probably costs more than the total of every camera I've ever used), so I picked up a second hand Monochrom 246, used it for a while, then sold it. (And it properly blew my mind; I remember reading the venerable Ming Thein when he described the Monochrom as having "acuity that goes beyond that of a Foveon sensor" and thinking "no way", but I'd say that at the very least it matched the Foveon, and I speak as someone who has used the Sigma Merrills a lot).

I went back to shooting a mix of colour and (converted ) BW, but the time I spent with the Monochrom left a lasting impression and I've started considering doing it again, on a far longer term basis. I don't like having multiple cameras, so this would be a pretty significant step. I would never say that I've got "bored" of photography, as I enjoy it too much, but I think a major step like working in BW only could send me off in new directions.

The main question / point I wanted to put to the good people here is: for those who shoot the Monochom (or the Q monochrom) only (i.e. who don't shoot colour at all), did you find there was some kind of "process" by which you eventually gave up colour photography? Was it an instant decision? Did you (or do you) still sometimes see a scene and think "that just begs for colour"? Or have you been able to make a clean break with colour photography? I'd love to hear people's thoughts on this.

This is more of an abstract discussion than a technical one, but I hope it will get some responses going.

[Jeff S]

I started photographing seriously in 1974 and shot b&w film almost exclusively for decades, printing in a succession of home darkrooms. But occasionally I shot color slides, when the mood presented, or when the occasion required, and outsourced the prints. My visual mindset adapted accordingly. But I never shot simultaneously with b&w and color film.
 

In 2009, I fully transitioned to digital and, for the first time, combined b&w and color work, both shooting and printing, depending on the scene. But b&w was always shot intentionally, not as a color conversion experiment.

I missed shooting with a b&w-only mindset and eventually bought the M Monochrom (and have since added the M10 Monochrom). While I still have an M10-R (and SL2), I never take them with me when shooting with a Monochrom.  That way I’m never distracted by looking for potential color pics. The Monochroms get far more use than my color-based cameras;  however, I still occasionally shoot color, and the SL2 serves other needs than my M can provide… zooms, weather sealing, etc.

This approach works for me.

Jeff

 

[pegelli]

I am really a jack of all trades (and thus by definition a master of none), so I never gave up film for digital and I won't give up colour even though I now also have a M246 monochrom.

But I do echo Jeff S's comments above, B&W is in 95% of the cases a conscious decision at the moment of taking the photo and only in limited cases an afterthought when I'm processing the photo on my computer. Except for vacations and multi day trips I take out my M246M or a colour body, never both. And in the rare event I take out both I put grossly different focal length on them to look for instance for B&W wide angle and colour tele (or v.v.). But my FOMO (fear of missing out) makes it impossible for me to dedicate fully to B&W or colour, or even skip film, allthough I rarely shoot colour film.

I understand this is not a direct answer to your question, but I hope some of these thoughts will help you make up your mind to see what works best for you.

[Me Leica!]

6 minutes ago, pegelli said:

I am really a jack of all trades (and thus by definition a master of none), so I never gave up film for digital and I won't give up colour even though I now also have a M246 monochrom.

But I do echo Jeff S's comments above, B&W is in 95% of the cases a conscious decision at the moment of taking the photo and only in limited cases an afterthought when I'm processing the photo on my computer. Except for vacations and multi day trips I take out my M246M or a colour body, never both. And in the rare event I take out both I put grossly different focal length on them to look for instance for B&W wide angle and colour tele (or v.v.). But my FOMO (fear of missing out) makes it impossible for me to dedicate fully to B&W or colour, or even skip film, allthough I rarely shoot colour film.

I understand this is not a direct answer to your question, but I hope some of these thoughts will help you make up your mind to see what works best for you.

Completely understand what you mean about the "FOMO". Oddly, when I had my "trial run" with the 246 earlier this year, I don't recall thinking, even once, "man, I wish I had a colour camera with me".

My thinking is that I've shot most of the things in colour that I would want to shoot in colour. Typical example: autumn leaves. I live in Japan, where the autumn foliage can be extraordinary (and the cherry blossoms in spring), but I've shot it pretty much every year for nearly 20 years. So unless nature decides to come up with a new colour palette to replace the yellow / orange / red, I'd just be repeating myself. Same with festivals here: they are very colourful, but, again, I've shot dozens of them. And while there is little point in shooting autumn colours in b/w, you could still do so with festivals; you'd just have to be working on posture, gesture, facial expression, light, etc. And because you won't get the colour, you have to make the other factors count that much more.

So I don't think it's a case of "I'm missing out on colour"; I think it's "how can I make compelling pictures without colour?"

[Ouroboros]

The majority of my personal photography is, and always has been since 1971, with black and white film.  I use film across various formats from 35mm-5x4" but I also convert a lot of my M10-R output to black and white, a decision I usually make in advance as I prefer working to a pre-conceived plan rather than hoping something will turn up.

I no longer make prints in a darkroom, despite the occasional idle thought about setting up a wet printing workflow again I'm unlikely to pursue it as I prefer the flexibility and increased creative options of my 'hybrid' workflow of film capture and digital output. 

I'm open-minded about Leica Monochrom cameras and I sometimes toy with the idea of buying one, but I like film and nothing can replicate the film aesthetic or creative process.   For me, this goes far beyond simple instant gratification of shooting digital black and white that I feel could divert or even erode the interest and enjoyment I get from making images with different combinations of film, developers and processes.  I have no reason to change my path toward a black and white print.

Probably not the same 'psychology of quitting colour' that the OP refers to, but it's mine.

[williamj]

I shoot black and white film almost exclusively. Like many people, back in the day, I started with colour film because it was easy to get negatives developed and printed. And with the kids, the grandparents wanted to know what they looked like, and colour answers that question best. But I felt the tug of black and white, especially when you look at books of photography over the ages and so I learned all the stuff. It takes time to learn the techniques and it takes time to get good at it because it's a different way of seeing the world.

The way I look at it now is if I want to answer the question what does it look like I will shoot colour but if I want to answer the question what does it feel like I will shoot black and white. I've also found that colour reproduction can be disappointing even in these days. Nowadays I am more interested in my response to what I see than in describing it in a photo.

I guess you can say that's how I migrated from colour to black and white.

[Me Leica!]

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56 minutes ago, williamj said:

The way I look at it now is if I want to answer the question what does it look like I will shoot colour but if I want to answer the question what does it feel like I will shoot black and white.

I like that, that's a really interesting way of putting it.

Edited November 6, 2022 by Me Leica!

[pedaes]

1 hour ago, williamj said:

I shoot black and white film almost exclusively. Like many people, back in the day, I started with colour film because it was easy to get negatives developed and printed. And with the kids, the grandparents wanted to know what they looked like, and colour answers that question best. But I felt the tug of black and white, especially when you look at books of photography over the ages and so I learned all the stuff. It takes time to learn the techniques and it takes time to get good at it because it's a different way of seeing the world.

The way I look at it now is if I want to answer the question what does it look like I will shoot colour but if I want to answer the question what does it feel like I will shoot black and white. I've also found that colour reproduction can be disappointing even in these days. Nowadays I am more interested in my response to what I see than in describing it in a photo.

I guess you can say that's how I migrated from colour to black and white.

Welcome to the Forum!

[Jeff S]

3 hours ago, Me Leica! said:

So I don't think it's a case of "I'm missing out on colour"; I think it's "how can I make compelling pictures without colour?"

For me, given my b&w background, that challenge would be easier than asking “how can I make compelling pictures in color?” There are relatively few color photographers of the past…Saul Leiter, Ernst Haas, and some others… who grabbed my attention. Their style and approach didn’t require pretty, ubiquitous scenes involving sunrise/sunset/autumn leaves that one can find on postcards.  Ernst Haas was also the rare photographer who excelled in both b&w and color.  Ansel’s attempt at color was dreadful IMO.  
 

I’m unlikely to ever find a compelling color ‘voice’ as I have with b&w, particularly because I don’t devote the same amount of time to it, nor do I have the same passion for shooting or printing it.  Nonetheless, I enjoy it enough at times to still keep a foot in those waters, and enjoy the times when something worthwhile results.  But I’m just an aging amateur enthusiast.

Jeff

[Luke_Miller]

When I started in photography B&W (film) was the only practical, and affordable option and I shot everything in B&W.  Eventually color film became affordable and, enjoying color for the first time, I shot everything in color.  Fast forward to modern (digital) times and I have color and Monochrom bodies. I don't do "walking around photography" so when I leave home I have a specific set of shots I'm going for.  If B&W works best for those shots I take a Monochrom, otherwise a color body.

[pegelli]

7 hours ago, Me Leica! said:

So I don't think it's a case of "I'm missing out on colour"; I think it's "how can I make compelling pictures without colour?"

Let me play advocate of the devil, isn't the question "how can I make compelling images of different/new subjects"?

B&W is just one means to that end, different subjects in colour and approaching colour differently (more subdued, different light, .....) might be another.

[Olaf_ZG]

9 hours ago, williamj said:

what does it feel like I will shoot black and white.

I like this …

[Photojournoguy]

Interesting psychological topic!

I shoot exclusively M10M and nothing else since end of 2021. Picking up the camera was both my first experience with a monochrome camera and first time I ever held a Leica - so first-timer combo of rangefinder experience in addition to color-less photography.

My reasoning was:

1. I am a hobbyist and have zero commercial or financial pressure to cater to anyone whims but my own (family documentary work)

2. I reviewed my all-time favorite images in the four years prior, which was easy to do as I made annual books of my work and was easy to filter and sift through in Lightroom. Through this, I discovered that 85% of my favorite shots were B&W. If it were 50% or less, I would've waffled and figured my entry point into Leica would be a color model but what I connected to emotionally the most was B&W captures, and it was easily discernible through the exploration of my artistic voice (again, not having any financial pressure to perform for others, I just naturally gravitated towards B&W).

3. In the weeks deciding if I was going to take a Monochrom plunge or stick with color, I realized that my heart said Monochrom and my head said color (for that flexibility and 'just in case' moments). I also realized that as this is my hobby, my heart wins the day as I'm only fulfilling my own desires at the end of the day and the only person I have to 'report to' is myself.

4. I kept my Sony kit (A7III and lenses) on standby in case I either didn't want to be 100% committed to Monochrom or the rangefinder experience. I was smitten by the rangefinder and the tonal depth of my Day 1 downloads that I never again picked up by Sony kit, which was then relegated to webcam status for work calls. I held onto the kit for six months to see if the honeymoon period would come to an end and my mind would come to its senses, but never did and, at that point, sold all my Sony kit.

Worst case, I get tired of Monochrom at a small loss and pick up a color M. My original plan was years from now to pick up a color M anyways as a complement and, ignoring the financial aspect of that, at the moment I cannot imagine doing that, as I simply love the Mono experience too much. And as it helps my artistic vision come to life, it feels a part of me rather than forcing a restraint on me - I recognize it's simply part of what makes my imagery part of my identity.

I've begun to offer family documentary work to others and my first response always includes my dedicated B&W output so no one is caught off guard (also my site is all B&W to further avoid any confusion with what to expect after seeing my portfolio). Since it's a passion rather than money maker, I don't care who books and who doesn't (one specifically didn't want 'just' B&W and that is totally fine - I'll just keep enjoying my niche and whoever wants me to capture in my own voice will accept me as I am. Very easy to say when I don't need to put food on the table with imagery...

[Me Leica!]

11 hours ago, Jeff S said:

For me, given my b&w background, that challenge would be easier than asking “how can I make compelling pictures in color?” There are relatively few color photographers of the past…Saul Leiter, Ernst Haas, and some others… who grabbed my attention. Their style and approach didn’t require pretty, ubiquitous scenes involving sunrise/sunset/autumn leaves that one can find on postcards.  Ernst Haas was also the rare photographer who excelled in both b&w and color.  Ansel’s attempt at color was dreadful IMO.  
 

I’m unlikely to ever find a compelling color ‘voice’ as I have with b&w, particularly because I don’t devote the same amount of time to it, nor do I have the same passion for shooting or printing it.  Nonetheless, I enjoy it enough at times to still keep a foot in those waters, and enjoy the times when something worthwhile results.  But I’m just an aging amateur enthusiast.

Jeff

Good point. Leiter was a painter, as well. And Jay Maisel - another photographer who is highly respected for his colour photography (and who openly states his admiration for Haas) - studied painting (as well as studying colour under Joseph Albers). Maybe there's some kind of connection between painters and people who became especially known for working in colour. (Course Cartier-Bresson studied under a painter as well, but in his time BW was pretty much the only thing going).

While I am, like yourself, an amateur enthusiast (wouldn't call myself "aging" just yet lol), I find that after a while you could probably "run out of things to say" when it comes to colour, but because black and white forces you to emphasise everything else (because there's no colour to take the attention away), there's potentially more to challenge yourself with. What I mean is, nice colour could distract from weak composition, etc., but black and white doesn't let you get away with that. It's almost like singing with and without a microphone, perhaps (not a musician, so that might not hold up, but as an analogy it might get the point across).

[cboy]

Interesting topic.Back when I was shooting bw film imo felt there was real conscious difference in mindset between colour vs bw film since there was no live view to show how the a coloured scene would appear as a black and white image. Often I would squint my eyes, an artists tool in painting, to see the gradation in tonal value rather than the sometimes distracting hue. Especially in bw printing doing exposure value tests there's strong emphasis on the tones. Yes in colour film you would consider tones, but different in the sense of colour theory and in terms of warm vs cool ,or complementary vs harmonious.

[Jeff S]

54 minutes ago, Me Leica! said:

. Maybe there's some kind of connection between painters and people who became especially known for working in colour. (Course Cartier-Bresson studied under a painter as well, but in his time BW was pretty much the only thing going).

 

Lots of other examples of painters, and other artists, who were similarly talented, but lesser known, as photographers. This includes Charles Sheeler, Ralston Crawford, Morton Schamberg, Constantin Brancusi, and so on.  A good eye sometimes transcends artistic genres.  Often the artist used one medium to inform the other.  Anyway, a much larger topic that has long interested me.

Jeff

Edited November 7, 2022 by Jeff S

[Jeff S]

34 minutes ago, cboy said:

Interesting topic.Back when I was shooting bw film imo felt there was real conscious difference in mindset between colour vs bw film since there was no live view to show how the a coloured scene would appear as a black and white image. Often I would squint my eyes, an artists tool in painting, to see the gradation in tonal value rather than the sometimes distracting hue. Especially in bw printing doing exposure value tests there's strong emphasis on the tones. Yes in colour film you would consider tones, but different in the sense of colour theory and in terms of warm vs cool ,or complementary vs harmonious.

Yes, quite a different mindset, as color hue and saturation have no effect on black and white tonality; only brightness/luminance matters.  
 

A Monochrom camera, or b&w film, helps me avoid being distracted looking for color pics. But when I’m using a color-based digital camera, I’m often tempted to find both color and b&w compositions. That of course wasn’t the case back in the day when I’d occasionally shoot color slides/negs.  My issue, not the gear.

Jeff

[pippy]

14 hours ago, Jeff S said:

...A Monochrom camera, or b&w film, helps me avoid being distracted looking for color pics. But when I’m using a color-based digital camera, I’m often tempted to find both color and b&w compositions...

As someone who, habitually, 'thinks' in monochrome an approach which I've adopted in order to focus the mind completely if, as is normally the case, I'm carrying both the Monochrom and my 'colour' camera is to fit B'n'W Contrast Filters (usually Yellow, Orange or Red) on all my chosen lenses for the day - even when using these lenses with my colour-capable body - and do the neccessary conversion work in post-prod. I've posted such images in the forum previously.

In that fashion if I do happen to come across subject matter which needs to be captured in colour I can simply remove the filter for the time required to grab the snap. It's a solution which I've found to be very useful in keeping my BnW mind-set fixed. One thing, of course, which helps me to maintain this mind-set and not become distracted by looking at any such 'colour-capture' is the fact that the MD - my 'colour' body - doesn't have a screen...

Philip.

Edited November 7, 2022 by pippy

[Jeff S]

36 minutes ago, pippy said:

As someone who, habitually, 'thinks' in monochrome an approach which I've adopted in order to focus the mind completely if, as is normally the case, I'm carrying both the Monochrom and my 'colour' camera is to fit B'n'W Contrast Filters (usually Yellow, Orange or Red) on all my chosen lenses for the day - even when using these lenses with my colour-capable body - and do the neccessary conversion work in post-prod. I've posted such images in the forum previously.

In that fashion if I do happen to come across subject matter which needs to be captured in colour I can simply remove the filter for the time required to grab the snap. It's a solution which I've found to be very useful in keeping my BnW mind-set fixed. One thing, of course, which helps me to maintain this mind-set and not become distracted by looking at any such 'colour-capture' is the fact that the MD - my 'colour' body - doesn't have a screen...

Philip.

I never carry my Monochrom with another camera, just as I never mixed color and b/w film back in the day. In those instances, keeping a b/w mindset has been simple; no distractions possible. I’ve been predominantly a b/w shooter since 1974, and printed only b/w in my home darkrooms for decades until transitioning to digital in 2009.
 

Digital provided the first opportunity to do my own color printing, in addition to b/w. Early in that transition, before getting a Monochrom, I intentionally mixed color and b/w, depending on circumstances.  But over time, I longed to get back to my b/w roots, and the Monochrom served me well.  When I carry a color-based digital camera, I can still look exclusively for b/w scenes, and embrace that mindset, but the issue is that I haven’t yet made the full commitment to shoot b/w exclusively. I still find myself occasionally wanting to explore color.  

Recently I’ve gone out with just my color-based camera, with the intent to shoot only color.  It mostly works, but I lack the same passion for color photography.  Black and white possibilities still creep in to my brain, bolstered by the knowledge that color channels provide me with even more b&w PP flexibility than my Monochrom workflow. 😳
 

I could solve this by committing exclusively to black and white, but I guess I’m just not ready to do that.  My work likely suffers to some degree as a result, but I do this stuff for fun, not as a professional.

Jeff

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[pippy]

1 hour ago, Jeff S said:

...Recently I’ve gone out with just my color-based camera, with the intent to shoot only color.  It mostly works, but I lack the same passion for color photography...

I do this stuff for fun, not as a professional...

If I'm going out with just one body it will usually be the (colour-capable) MD and, by its very nature, find that I'm more productive as a result.

Funnily enough I've never once gone out with the intention "to shoot only colour". In my case I know that it wouldn't work and it's because of the same reason you mention above; I lack any true passion for colour photography. It doesn't really interest me at all as far as my own personal work goes. That has not been a conscious nor deliberate decision; I just seem to prefer monochrome.

Philip.