Do you choose colour or true black and white?

This article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.

We tend to want to see every detail everywhere. But that is not always the best choice. Sometimes showing shape is more than enough.

The colours in nature are so beautiful. The fresh green of spring. The shades of brown and beige on old wood. The sparkling blue sky between fluffy clouds. Plenty of reason to show it all in your photo.

Do you have a subject whose shape is what makes it so attractive? Then showing all those colours may not be the best choice.

The subject is the old branch sticking upwards. Its shape stands out nicely against the cloudy sky. In the background, there is an imposing conifer.

The vegetation in the foreground makes a good base. It forms a nice diagonal leading to the starting point of the branch. The branch points towards the conifer, creating a pleasing visual flow in the photo.

Despite all that, the photo is not really striking. The shape of the branch does not really come into its own because there is so much to see. All those other things draw attention away from the shape. Even though that is what attracted you to it in the first place.

I chose to make a black-and-white photo. One with strong contrast that makes it almost pure black and white. Now the shape stands out, without anything drawing attention away from it.

You may think it is a shame that the colours and clouds are no longer visible. And that is understandable. But remember that you do not need to, or may not even want to, try to fit everything into one photo.

If you want to show the clouds, make a nice composition in which you show them. If you want to show colours, choose a landscape photo in which the colours come into their own. They can easily exist alongside this black-and-white photo of the branch.

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