One of my great loves is black and white photography. Having grown up shooting, developing and printing B&W film, the transition to digital (for me in 2001) was a revelation, and since then, the cameras and software have improved by leaps and bounds. It is now much simpler and much less messy, time consuming, and smelly, not to mention environmentally friendlier.
Sometimes I'll just do the odd image as a B&W, but today, I set my camera to the B&W setting, and intentionally shot all the images that way. In reality, since I shoot RAW files rather than JPEGs, they are all still in colour, but having the camera set to the B&W setting is useful for helping you to "see" in a tonal palette of greys rather than colour.
I find B&W the perfect medium for street photography. Colour can be a distraction within an image, whereas a monochromatic image allows the viewer to see and concentrate only on the intended subject.
Architectural details look wonderful in B&W too, as you are portraying the details, lines, geometry and textures in the most simplistic, yet satisfying manner.
As I walk, I keep my camera in my hand, with the strap around my wrist, ready to hold it up to my eye in an instant to capture a moment. It's that momentary pose that fascinates me.
The interaction between people, the symmetry of the body language.
The moment of capture is always best when candid... the minute people realize they are being photographed, they cease to have that personal aura, and most begin to project something not really themselves.
The relaxed, unconcerned, unknowing capture is what I strive for.
It's all so endlessly fascinating!
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