In photography, an image can be shot or post-processed in either full-color or monochromatic, but which is the best option? Granted there are some images that achieve their impact by the use of full-color, like a sunrise or sunset, since they typically achieve their beauty in the colors of the sunrise or sunset, but what about other images, should they be shot or post-processed in full-color or monochromatic? Ultimately, many times to shoot or post-process in full-color or monochromatic depends on whether or not the client is open to the possibility of monochromatic images, but also a few other factors that need to be considered in making the decision.
First and foremost, an image does not have to be black & white or sepia toned to be monochromatic because a monochromatic image by definition is an image that utilizes only one color, and only tints and tones of that single color. Moreover, in this photographer’s opinion, an image does not always require the use of full-color to give it impact, and in fact, some images can be much more powerful in monochromatic than full-color. Again, a sunrise or sunset many times will be the exception to the rule, but other images can actually lose their impact with the use of full-color because the use of full-color can actually result in a distraction from the photographer’s intent, and the subject matter of the image itself. In this case, by eliminating full-color from an image and thus, simplifying the image by shooting or post-processing in monochromatic, the removal of full-color from an image can actually place the viewer’s focus on the subject matter itself, and the result can be especially important in portraits, as well as other genres of photography.
Secondly, another primary consideration for shooting or post-processing in monochromatic, is the emotions, mood and atmosphere that can be captured in an image. Through the use of the tints and tones of a single color in conjunction with the image’s composition, light, textures and details, a monochromatic image can really prove to be more power than that of a full-color image, because it moves the viewer’s eye through the image by highlighting and the use of shadows in certain areas of the image, and in doing so, can even isolate the highlighted areas to make them stand out that much more. Thus, a monochromatic image can be much more powerful in conveying the emotion, mood and atmosphere of a subject in a way that a full-color image simply cannot because of the monochromatic’s use of a single color in an image. Another consideration with regards to the emotion and mood of the image, is the emotion and mood that is associated with various colors. For example, the color red is associated with love or anger, the color blue, sadness, the color yellow, vibrancy, the color green, growth, etc., and the use of each in an image yields a different emotion or mood, a different feeling in the image.
In conclusion, it is this photographer’s opinion, that the monochromatic image can many times be more powerful than a full-color image because its’ simplicity of using a single color and the tints and tones of that color, the emotional impact that can be achieved through the shadows and highlights of that color, and the actual color selection itself, results in the viewer’s eye being directed to the subject matter and the photographer’s intent. This in no way discounts a powerful, full-color image, but rather answers the question of whether an image is to be full-color or not to be full-color, monochromatic, and more importantly, the belief that this photographer maintains in that an image does not have to be full-color to be powerful, and in many situations, monochromatic images can be more powerful, especially in portraits!