A chequerboard of emotions

There is a certain sense of rustic appeal and an aesthetic feel attached to black-and-white images which draw viewers towards them. Black-and-white photographs has an inner meaning and a depth of understanding which is sometimes not easy to fathom, yet so simple that once can easily relate to them. The beauty of such photographs is their ability to help discover a whole new character in a familiar subject.

Black-and-white images are a representation and an inter­preta­tion of reality which never go amiss. In this digital era, more and more photographers are taking to black-and white-photography to bring out magical elements.

Sriram V, a City-based freelance photographer, feels that black-and-white photography has always existed and the onset of digital photography has only made it more flexible and easy. “In black-and-white photography, the focus is more on the subject and the interplay of shadows and light. The best thing about this technique is that it does not distract you from colours and presents a raw picture of the reality. Black-and-white photography offers immense artistic freedom where the end product is the one that matters. It mainly concentrates on the subject and a good portrait reveals more than what is depicted, as it traces a deeper meaning and looks beyond the superficial impression,” he says.

Black-and-white photography is the most satisfying and challenging field of artistic photography, says Rachna Shukla, a fine art photographer, whose images try to reflect the transcendent, the fleeting and the oblivious; rendered within the frames of memory. In her last solo exhibition, 'The Fleeting Stillness', she showcased some of her landscapes in black-and-white that provided moments of rest and quiescence to the incessant and weary. She has worked with dark-room techniques and the traditional camera and techniques that are completely different from the digital format with regard to fonts and printing. Rachna’s photographs are like paintings and there is a spectrum of the audience that gets confused with her photographs for paintings.

For Rachna, what appeals most about black-and-white photography is that it is quite complimentary to modern style of living. What you see is what you get.

Black-and-white photography is closely related to the artistic aspects of photography. From an aesthetic angle, something which is obvious is not catchy while the unique is attractive. Black-and-white photography aims to oversee the obvious scene.

Rachna says, “This kind of photography has an underlying appeal and can be considered as a form of art if it is done the right way. People who don’t know much about art can also appreciate monochrome images as it easily connects to human emotions, sometimes much more than coloured, which is the exact documentation of the scene.”

 Digital photographers mostly comprise youngsters as they are attracted to the colour images but Rachna suggests that for those who want to take up photography as an art form, black-and-white seems to be the natural option.

 Some of the trends in such a technique are journalistic photography, wedding
photography and street photography. Pranav S, a student from Kristu Jayanti College, feels that monochrome photography is the most basic form of photography which is an essential stepping stone for anyone who is interested in pursuing the artform. It helps one recognise the concept of exposure, lighting and sharpness. Black and white has the most versatile colours which can capture an artist’s insight and also the most intricate form of photography. Anoop Jain is a full-time professional who indulges in photography during his free time. His experiments in black-and-white photography are of capturing the sunset and greenery landscapes. He feels that the vision of seeing the end product is very crucial in black-and-white photography to bring out the right emotions. “Black-and-white images help you get the depth and the right shadow of an image. Such images appear more timeless than coloured images. Capturing a perfect click in black and white completes 80 per cent of your editing job as getting the right click in monochrome photos matter a lot,” he says.