From Monochrome to Color: A Shift in My Photography Journey
I’ve been photographing in black and white since I began my journey back in 1999. I shot color as well, in fact, I think I shot more color film than black and white back then. I was in love with the colors of Fuji Velvia 50 (to this day, there is still no better way to view photographs than from a slide in a projector). However, as I transitioned to digital, and finally gave up trying to shoot over-saturated HDR landscapes or highly stylized composite portraits, I discovered black and white again.
What sealed the deal was taking a workshop from Alan Schaller in 2019 in San Francisco. I love his high contrast black and white street photography and began to apply some of his techniques to landscapes. It culminated in purchasing a Leica M10 Monochrom and my deep dive into monochrome truly began.
Over the next few years I shot almost everything in black and white. I created a post-processing workflow I became comfortable with and even made a YouTube video showing my process. I entered some of my pictures in contests and had a few on display in galleries.
However, anyone who knows me or has been following my Substack posts, knows I can’t stick with one thing for long. Figure out a process to get the most of my monochrome images? Check. Have my work on display in galleries and receive praise from my peers and potential customers? Check. Time to move on.
Am I suggesting I had mastered black and white photography? Absolutely not! There is no such thing as mastery in photography (although there are a few photographers who have come close). Rather, I took my love of monochrome as far as my interest allowed me, at least for now. We all know it’s just a matter of time before I come back around to a colorless world.
The biggest issue I have with shooting color is I’m in love with saturation. If it were up to me, we would live in a Dick Tracy stylized world: big bold primary colors. And while that is my first instinct, even I realize just how over-the-top such audacity can be. I believe this was a big reason for my delving into black and white for so long because it was “safer” and I didn’t have the need to constantly tinker with white balance, vibrance, saturation, calibration, etc.
Looking back, though, I think dealing with monochrome tones all those years taught me how to work with colors better, even if it was subconsciously. The final piece of the puzzle came from taking a workshop with Teresa Freitas in San Francisco. My color work hasn’t been the same since she showed us what to look for while out shooting, how to process it afterward, and to just go out and be yourself. Of all the workshops I’ve taken, it was by far the most supportive and informative I’ve experienced.
This shift to mostly color coincided with my attitude change in respect to what I shoot, or more accurately, what I decide to show to the public. I just don’t give a shit anymore. I mean, I’m human, so obviously I care what others think of my work. The people I listen to are those I’ve made connections with, not a bunch of bots or nameless keyboard-jockeys hitting the “Like” button and moving on after two seconds. If I wanted to chase that type of affirmation, all I would have to do is post a bunch of high-contrast black and white silhouettes. They’re pretty much guaranteed to generate a positive reaction.
Now, I’ll post a bright yellow metal post with red bottle cap on top and whether anyone gets it or not, I’m satisfied because it’s the authentic me. If I see colors out in the wild, regardless of subject, I’m gong to shoot it, and most likely, share it. This is the type of stuff I’m interested in. And if no one else cares for it, that’s okay. First and foremost, it’s for me.
I’ve noticed I seem to be more excited to go out and shoot when I’m looking for color. That goes for post-processing as well. Whereas, before I felt a little out of my depth and unsure of the direction to take a particular photo in terms of color processing, I now have the tools and the confidence to bring the raw images from my camera to life.
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