Black and White Lives

Despite the constant rumors of the death of black and white photography, great black and white photography persists. Recent examples being the MoMA 2005 show of the work of Lee Friedlander as well as Bonni Benrubi’s representation of Abe Morrell and Matthew Pillsbury are extraordinary examples of the black and white darkroom photography of the future.

Although most photographers continue to work primarily in color, myself included, it is fascinating to watch black and white transition into digital photography. First with Cone’s Piezography and MIS Ultratones and now as Epson Ultrachrome K3 finally provides inks that make high quality black and white prints without having to choose a third party ink. I watch my students choose to experiment with the black and white option available on so many basic digital cameras and the excitement they experience creating their first black and white photographs and it makes me feel certain that black and white will survive with or without film and darkroom papers.

all rights reserved © 2006 Paul Light