From color to B&W

17.03.2009 | Author: Miguel Garcia-Guzman | Posted in Photography

© Wojciech Grzedzinski

Sony World Photography Awards 2009 have been published. You will find to-notch images there like the impressive work of Wojciech Grzedzinski winner of the first price in current affairs. It happens that the same series won a Wold Press Photo award but, curiously, the images were in color. Now, the same images but in B&W were awarded with the price from Sony. 

I always find a bit surprising, but understandable, that the same photo series are awarded prices across competitions. In this case I find very intriguing that the same images were submitted in color or B&W to different competitions.  I wish I would know the reason behind it. By the way, I personally find the B&W images way far more compelling. What do you think?

© Wojciech Grzedzinski

12 Responses

  1. Stan B. March 18th, 2009 at 5:23 am

    Interesting how this does bring up a host of issues. And I can only speculate on all of them. First, they do seem more compelling in B&W, but then, it”s hard to judge definitively from web quality reproductions. Perhaps one of these venues is more partial to B&W, and vice versa. It may also just be a clever way of getting two for one, each can claim the same exact quality goods while proclaiming theirs the better version (vision). It would also be interesting to know how the photographer was thinking while shooting. Was he thinking color for the commercial publications and B&W for the “more serious venues?” How was he previsualizing his images when shooting?

  2. JR March 18th, 2009 at 8:29 am

    this is a perfect subject for a critique class

  3. J. Wesley Brown March 18th, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Hmm, for me some of them work much better in color and others much better in B&W. I couldn”t generalize across the series. It should be an individual decision for each shot, but I think photographers are pigeon-holed too much these days – “series, style, color, B&W etc” and one tends to feel the need for uniformity vs. working in all ways that interest you.

  4. Jesse March 18th, 2009 at 10:57 am

    I find that whenever the color doesn”t add anything to a picture, it is generally a good idea to go with black and white. This picture is ~75% green/black, with a tiny patch of sky. Lots of shadows though. So why not!

  5. Miguel Garcia-Guzman March 19th, 2009 at 3:35 am

    Thanks for your comments. The B&W images certainly look more dramatic. It also helps that the appear to be better post-procesed at least as seen in the web.

    Besides the topic of black and white vs color, my point was on the fact that the same series are sent to multiple competitions. I understand the logic behind the interest of the photographer [the more awards the better] but in a way this tactic devaluates somewhat the significance of the awards in my opinion.

    Warm regards,

    Miguel

  6. Aline Smithson March 19th, 2009 at 5:23 am

    Hi MIguel:
    I did a similar post last year…(http://lenscratch.blogspot.com/2008/08/b-vs-color_20.html)
    I”m on the fence about this, but I think you have to commit to one or the other and stick with it…

  7. Miguel Garcia-Guzman March 20th, 2009 at 3:47 am

    Thanks much for the reference Alison. Miguel.

  8. Ellen Rennard March 20th, 2009 at 8:46 am

    I wrote a similar post on January 18, 2009 on my blog (http://ellenrennard.blogspot.com/) about two versions of a photo by Natan Dvir, a b&w (honorable mention for the 2008 Santa Fe Center”s Singular Image competition), and color (Houston Center for Photography”s 2009 Fellowship). In that case I preferred the color. Any way you look at it, digital photography creates interesting opportunities and questions. All I know is that when I”m shooting with b&w film, I see differently than when I shoot color, so I”m inclined to agree with Aline about committing to one or the other.

  9. Miguel Garcia-Guzman March 21st, 2009 at 6:31 am

    Thank you Ellen. It seems that this approach of submitting color and B&W images to different contests is not that unusual. I stand with my thoughts that it would be preferable that submissions to reputable contests awards are exclusive so limiting the photographer to one choice. But it is easy to understand the interest to do multiple submissions in various formats.

    Warm regards,

    Miguel

  10. Huimin Kuang March 23rd, 2009 at 5:00 am

    You can talk about this group of photos?

    http://www.worldphotographyawards.org/2009winners-propd_currentaffairs3.asp Professional Galleries – 3rd
    PlacePhotojournalism and DocumentaryCurrent Affairs click here

    http://kuanghuimin.blshe.com/post/3740/353025

    http://www.cdd.cn/homepage/album.asp?id=219591&m_id=28610
    changes during 18 years in the old Miao village—Basha

    thank you!
    Huimin Kuang

  11. tim d March 24th, 2009 at 5:42 am

    interesting.
    the images are quite different, they have made the black and white image much more contrasty.
    I just bought ”Recollections” by Philip Jones Griffiths, in the introduction the editor says they were surprised to see that some of PJG”s work was originally taken in colour, he was on assignment for magazines, but that PJG converted it into black and white for publication in the book.
    I can”t imagine any of his work being in colour.

  12. Miguel Garcia-Guzman March 24th, 2009 at 6:01 pm

    Thanks Tim. It is interesting to learn on PJ Griffiths book. I can”t imagine neither his work in color … perhaps it is because I have never seen it.

    Thanks again for your comments.

    Miguel

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