JDSPhotography

Origin Of Black And White Photography

Just like in TV or film, black and white photographs were developed first, much prior to the birth of modern color photograph. The history of modern photography is much printed in monochromatic images, which are basically images in black and white. In those times, the photograph was rendered in dark and bright patches, which were utilized in the creation of black and white effects. The dark parts appeared at times to look gray or even brownish in color.

The Decline of Black and White Pictures

The very firt color photographs were take in the mid 1970’s. This started the quick downfall of the black and white photograph. Needless to say, there were many obvious reasons for this quick dwonfall of the black and white photograph.

Many manufacturers were creating better and better color film and they making them cheaper and cheaper. Because of the obvious growing popularity og color photographs, the number of quality black and white film developers were becoming more and more scarce. For good reason, the general public loved the color photo and less and less photographers were inclined to take black and white photographs.

Because of the various factors affecting photography in general, the use of black and white film continued to lose popularity. The general publis was just no longer interested in the old black and qhite photographs and opted for the highly more vibrant and exciting color image. The shift from black and white photography to color photography was so rapid that black and white photography was being more and more repressed.

The Ressurection Of The Black And White Image

In more recent times, the black and white photo has again, regained much popularity with the general public. More and more people are seeing the simplistic beauty that only the black and white image can offer. Today, we see a growing number of black and white photos being used in advertising.

Because the color photo has been so dominant since the 1970’s, people have become overly accustomed to viewing everything in color. Because of this, the use of black and white photography has essentially become an extremely popular art-form for many photograhers and graphic artists. As a graphic designer myself, I must say, black and white photography is here for the long haul!