Why "B&W" is a Dumb Take to Have by Gavin Mannino
Why "B&W is boring" is a Dumb Take to Have
By: Gavin Mannino
2/14/22 5:30 PM EST
I remember that when the movie "The Lighthouse" was premiering at my local theater, I wanted to go really bad. Robert Pattison and Wilhem Dafoe in a psychological horror? Who wouldn't?! My question was soon answered by my friends, who I always go to see movies with, saying they did not want to go see it because it was in "black and white". I realized that a lot of people have the same opinion about movies or tv shows, "If it's in black and white, it's too old or bad." Another thing I realized is that this was a stupid take to have.
The early start for all photography is in black and white, even movies. Someone who's said that black and white is bad obviously have not seen "Casablanca" or Michael Kenna's work because they would change their mind. The photo above taken in Cours la Reine, Paris, France by Michael Kenna in 1987 is just beautiful and much more than just the so called "black and white". There are many different shades of grey, white, and black in the image, which really gives the phot depth and texture. I can practically feel the haze that hangs above the path that clouds in the distance. I can tell that it is an early morning on an undisturbed sidewalk. You do not need color to witness that, it is still all captured in the image. I think the image being in black and white is more interesting than it would have been in color because the black and white film product gives off an other-worldly feel. Although the black and white color palette can make the image appear depressing, I actually find it to be rather peaceful and soothing. My eyes are drawn down the path into the brighter section of the image, instead of being drawn to everything in the image if it was in color. Black and white might look simplistic, but that can be the beauty of it.
For an image with no color, you might think this was some rinky-dinky photo taken by some random person on an early morning walk, but you could not be more wrong. For this picture, and the many others he took in France, Michael Kenna would set up his Holga camera either in the morning or at night and set their exposures for a long duration of time, the latest being 10 hours! Not to mention how difficult it would be to have a final product that is not blurry or unfocused because of motion for being open that long. A lot of work and setup goes into taking pictures on film, which tends to go unnoticed by people who have little to no knowledge on the process at all. I learned that huge bright lights were placed very close to the actors in "The Lighthouse" in order to properly expose the actors and set when reading about the behind-the-scenes, and that the lights were blinding and hot. I read more about how hard it was filming on that set and what they went through to make the picture, I think that in doing so made me appreciate the film even more because of how much effort Robert Eggers put into making it. Sadly, people do not know this or care and still hold the same opinion about black and white photography, which is ignorant and Neanderthalic.
It's like if I baked a gorgeous cake and someone said they would not eat it because it had white icing. Is it still not a gorgeous cake that would taste the same? Some people just miss out on good things because they are quick to judge, and it is a shame. Circling back to Michael Kenna, this photograph is beautiful and is yet another photographer that I found a new love for. His composition and balance are nearly perfect and the gradients of black and white give depth and dimension to the image. The amount of skill and craftmanship that went into this image is more than any photograph I could take on an iPhone, although there are people who are convinced that the iPhone image is better because it is in color. Some people will never see this image or anything that is not in color and that is their loss. I wish on no one to not see "The Lighthouse" or "Casablanca", not even my worse enemies! Maybe, just maybe, if they would change their minds, they too could experience the vast amounts of beautiful photographs and movies that were made or taken.
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