Pictures Without Colour

When I took these pictures back in November of 2016 they were delivered to the client in full color. Most of the time you have a good idea of what your client is looking for so you develop a workflow around delivering that expectation. However once the work is delivered and the client is satisfied you know have the freedom to be creative.

Looking online you will find many a wedding photographer working exclusively  in black and white. Its a style that works well in western styled weddings partly because so much of the event is dominated by bold black and white. A groom in a black suite and a bride in a white dress. Monochrome pictures remove the power the colors forcing the viewer to focus on shapes and value (how dark or how light something is). The success of the image is of course heavily dependent on the subject matter and composition.

However in a traditional Hindu wedding, colour is very important both in terms of religious significance as well to the photography. More likely than not a photographer is going use the vividness and variety of colour to create impact.  So I am going to shift the paradigm a bit. I converted to black and white some of the photographs from this very traditional Hindu wedding.  Without the bright and vibrant colours the focus of the image changes. It is now more likely that the photo will engage you based on the emotion displayed and the photograph’s general composition.

Its also possible to totally change the mood of the photo. For example the lighting in the venue was not ideal. All of the natural light was behind the subjects and where there was light it was an odd mix of florescent and daylight. Changing to black and white instantly solved those issues.

Finally I gave the pictures a bit of a sepia tone. It makes the photos look old or at least old fashioned which in this case is good thing. It gives the pictures a sense of of timelessness and tradition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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