Changed my mind about shooting black and white after a trip to the old train depot

I always thought black and white film was boring, like why take the color out of things you know? But last weekend I went to the abandoned train depot downtown with my Pentax K1000. That place has peeling paint and rusty tracks everywhere. I shot a roll of color at first but nothing popped. Then I grabbed my expired Ilford HP5 and walked around the engine house. The shadows from the broken windows and the texture of the old brick just looked so much better in monochrome. The grain gave it this gritty feel that color totally missed. Now I get why people chase that look. Anyone else find a spot where black and white just makes more sense than color?

2 comments

2 Comments

skyler_kim151mo ago

Totally agree with that pattern you noticed. Black and white can strip away the noise and let you focus on shape and light instead of getting distracted by color. It's like how listening to an old vinyl record can make you hear the music differently than a clean digital file.

nathan8511mo ago

Read somewhere that black and white photography messes with your brain the same way old movies do. Makes you slow down and actually look instead of just scrolling past.