Why Black and White Photographs Are (Sometimes) Better

If you look at Google's home page it's very simple: really just a blank page with a search box in the middle.

The reason for this is that Google understands exactly what service it's providing, namely the best search engine, and anything that's superfluous to that mission has been cut away so only the essentials remain.

The same principle can be applied to a photographic portrait: what's essential is the expression of the human face, a look in the eye, a pose, the line, the light. And all of these essentials are shown in a black and white image, with extraneous information like the colour of a the sky or a shirt cut away.

Of course, when it comes to something like photography no rule is writ in stone, and lots of time colour is not just appropriate but fantastic. So while many people do like the 'classic' black and white or sepia look I always provide a choice so you can decide what suits best.

A Little Note About Style

It's true that though I like environmental portraits I also like pretty tight closeups.


The reason I guess is there's nothing more interesting and compelling than a human face, and also nothing more unique to each individual. A closeup can be quiet, intimate and personal like the one above, but also sometimes in your face (pun intended).

All in the Family

My entire extended family consists of um, one other person (cue violins please), but if yours is any bigger (and it would almost have to be) getting a genuine family portrait every few years is a great idea.

Now if only there was a surefire way to make babies smile on cue....

What the Other Guys Give You

Somehow I don't think that when Leonardo finished the Mona Lisa he did this:

It wouldn't have occurred to him to make an 8x10, 5x7, 6x4 and a few wallet-sized versions. Instead he made one version and only one.

School photographers and Wall-mart do package prints like this, and really there's nothing wrong with it if that's what you want. But if you prefer a truly memorable heirloom portrait that will still be valued by the family fifty years from now, the standard package of prints probably isn't the way to go.

Duotone Prints

The image above may look like it's in black and white but if you look really closely you'll see it's actually in subtly different tones of one colour (in this case: yellow).

This is what's known as a duotone print. Not every sort of portrait and background lends itself to this approach, but when they are appropriate they can be spectacular.

This is just one choice to bear in mind if you want a truly memorable and unique heirloom portrait that can be handed down through the family.