Blow Photo Issue 12: Monochromes

Takes on a topic that is so general and pervasive that there is a danger of missing the mark. the topic is monochrome, that is, photography in black and white or dominated by one colour. monochrome holds an exalted position in photography. people declare they “prefer black and white” as if declaring themselves vegetarian or atheist. from where does this bias find its source?

Scientists would point to our nature. looked at through gestalten principles, monochrome simplifies and aids visual grouping. this was known in war when colour blind men were employed to more easily spot the enemy behind camouflage. what the brain understands, it prefers.

The view of the art academics is also enticing. monochrome they say is a photography that appeals to the elite. they find in its abstractness, synchronicities with abstract knowledge, which they prize in their education. the academics point to monochrome as the choice of historical record, which also includes news and documentary. the absence of colour creates a sense of authority and authenticity. monochrome generalises and conceptualises. colour on the other hand is immediate and subjective.