My War With Color - Part 2

  My last blog post sparked some criticism and some good responses, but as expected very little came from social media and most by email and in person. There were those who don't or won't understand why someone today would still want to photograph only in black and white; the mostly young. Then there are those who say black and white should be film; the mostly older. I'll listen to whatever someone has to say but they should always be prepared for a response that they don't want to hear in a straight forward manner that they might take offense to. The smallest group were those that truly understood what I was saying and whom I've known for a while, some as long as 20 years. They are the ones that provided answers to questions and challenges while adding questions of their own.

  When gear dominates a conversation I have a habit of tuning it out after a couple of minutes but sometimes there are good debates and questions that warrant my full attention. First was the return to film. Film is how most of the photographers over the age of 40 began photography and it's something I continued on an off until the year 2017. I would like to return to black and white film photography but reality isn't on my side. The reality of the cost to shoot, develop and print film today. I could breakout a calculator and add up the cost for one year but it would most likely give me another ulcer. Besides that, my favorite papers were discontinued a long time ago as well as some of the film. Also even though I've done it I believe that at least for me negatives shouldn't be scanned and printed digitally, the film process should continue right to the end of the darkroom print and since I no longer live in a loft with a darkroom that's just one more obstacle and expense that makes the return to film a fantasy. So that leaves digital photography.

 I have no real problem with digital photography and beginning in 2001 I was using film and digital at the same time. For most of that time I was only a black and white photographer and the process of converting the color digital photos to black and white wasn't that big of a deal for me. Things did change in 2005 when I bought my first Ricoh GRD digital camera to go along with the film Ricoh GR1s. I never used the cameras RAW files and only shot with it's in camera B&W jpeg setting and from the beginning I was very happy but since that camera I haven't been able to get what I wanted out from any newer camera's B&W simulation, so it was back to converting color to black and white. As I stated in my last blog post I have tried the switch to color but for most of the time it just doesn't work for me.

  Now as far as gear goes you could put any camera in my hands and I would be able to take photos but now my problem is with the process, the process of converting color to black and white. The only way to resolve that issue is with a monochrome only camera and I'm shocked that so many photographers don't understand the importance of such a camera. Those who have no problems converting color to b&w I'm kind of envious but for me it's become something that I almost despise doing. Comparing it back to film photography it's like shooting Kodachrome and developing it and printing in black and white. Maybe this is a sign of getting to be an old photographer but I want the process of taking the photo to printing it to be a simple one, and for me right now those color RAW files from my Fuji are like a 4 foot high speed bump in the road in front of me. A decade ago when Leica loaned me their first Monochrom camera I did a mockup of and add with the Leica camera and an all monochrome printer made by Epson. To me it seemed like a logical step but I never received a response from either company. People like to throw around the word niche when it come to certain products but when did black and white photography become a niche ?

  Where this all leaves me is by the end of this year I'm hopping to have this situation worked out so I can concentrate on just taking photos.