Why Monochromatic?

It has been suggested that I should think about why I have decided to concentrate solely on black and white images for this, the last , of my Courses as I work towards obtaining sufficient credits to apply for my degree. I have long been of the opinion that human beings are rarely the organised thinkers that we say we are and that much of our decisions are based on largely irrational thought processes that we then rationalise to ourselves before presenting them to the world. If this be true then what follows is, hopefully, the rational explanation of why I came to the decision that I did which, in reality, was a combination of conscious thinking and unconscious wishes and desires.

As a child all the photographs that I saw were black and white including those in newspapers such as the Picture Post. When I began to take photographs I used black and white film because colour film was difficult to obtain and was seen to be expensive. As I became more serious about my photography I continued to produce black and white images although I did dabble in colour photography on occasion but it remained something of only mild interest, largely because I developed my own images in my darkroom and black and white images seemed to be easier to obtain an acceptable finish. I don't claim this to be true just that that is how I felt. In simple terms I enjoyed black and white photography and I have little doubt that my memories of those times was a significant part in my decision about what I wanted to do in Advanced Photography. We are a product of our experiences and we tend to follow those memories of happy times when making choices.

More recent influences was being a member of a number of Photographic Societies and seeing work by other members whose primary output was monochromatic. Some of the work was quite exceptional and I often felt that I would like to produce work of a similar standard although at the time I worked almost completely in colour. It is difficult to put into words a personal reaction to any image that grabs your attention. I am drawn by the apparent simplicity of the image that belies the complex interaction between the range of tones across the image which produce the final picture. There is a clarity about the 'message' that one does not always see in colour images where the blocks of colour compete for our attention and the message is not always clear. In a monochromatic image we are drawn into a world that is familiar and yet strange because, in presenting our world as black and white, there is a conflict with the world of colour that is our everyday experience. We are invited to think about what we see.

When I am visiting a Gallery or an exhibition I am conscious that I will spend more time looking at a black and white photograph than a colour unless the latter is exceptional. When visiting the National Portrait Gallery recently I found greater enjoyment in the many monochromatic portraits than those in colour. There is a drama about a black and white portrait that is almost impossible to capture in colour without the very real risk of it seeming unreal. Again this is a product of background rather than specific based learning.

As I consciously thought about what I wanted to do for Advanced Photography I knew that I wanted to use the experience of the Course to broaden my knowledge of photography further. I also needed the challenge of doing something where my experience was limited. I was also aware that black and white photography had 'lost out' to colour as the dominant element in major and minor exhibitions throughout the World but that there was a groundswell of opinion for its return as evidenced by the decision of the Arles Festival 2013 to devote a large amount of exhibition space to monochromatic images. I felt the need to understand why; not only why the return to acceptability but also what is was in contemporary photography that was contributing to its wider acceptance.

In summary I am a product of my past and in making decisions my past has a strong influence on the final decision. Combine this with my need to face another challenge that was demanding of my time and skills the decision was probably inevitable.