Mexico City: Black and White
Even though it's one of the most colorful cities in the world, some images don't need it
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A friend asked an interesting question the other day: “How do you decide which photos are black and white and which ones are in color?”
“I don’t really know” was my response. Not a good one, mind you, but at least it was truthful.
The question came up as I showed him my photo book about the pandemic. Even though the front and back cover are in color, the inside pages are black and white — an editorial choice that I made only when it went into production.
Part of it was a practical (i.e. financial) matter. Even though printing costs have come way down, color is still more expensive than grayscale. At the same time, I like the documentary-style feel of black and white. In this case, the gray of the images selected for the book matched both the time and how I felt when they were taken.
But in most cases, I don’t think about how an image will end up when I’m taking it. I’m just trying to get a photo that’s composed well and is technically proficient. How it speaks to me later — in the editing process — is a different story.
In most instances, three-fourths (or more) of the photos I take end up in color. The ones that don’t have taken the time to speak to me in some way afterward.
A couple of months ago, I published a set of color images from a January trip to Mexico City. In each case during the editing process, the photos in the set demanded that they stay in color.
For some reason, the ones in this set didn’t.
What do you think? Would these photos have been better served if they had been left in color?
I don't know any better, because I haven't seen the color versions, but I love them all in black and white. Take that with a grain of salt since my husband tells me I turn too many shots into bnws 😂
I love them in black and white!