After giving it much thought, I have decided to feature more black and white photography here and when I exhibit. My reasons are the same ones cited when I wrote a few weeks ago about about creating a gallery here of sailing images in black and white--and more. Black and white photography today harkens back to many of the greatest practioners of the art--from Ansel Adams, to Edward Weston, to Dorothea Lange, to Dianne Arbus, to Henry Cartier-Bresson. At the same time, as spectacular as color photography can be, black and white is elemental, stark at times, rich at times, but almost always more artistically  expressive and layered.

         In thinking about it, I realized that many of the photographs that my viewers like and purchase the most are in black and white. The most popular is my shot of the Island Heights Yacht Club partially submerged after "Superstorm Sandy."  It is actually a simple shot, originally taken in color.  But only when converted to black and white does the image "pop." In black and white the image has an emotional punch that is not conveyed by the original color image.  My image of a Cuban Butcher that received special recognition at the recent Guild of Creative Art juried show in Shrewsbury has a similar impact not matched by the color original.

         i am not alone in my feelings toward black and white images.  I have several hanging at my office at work. Most of the people who comment on them, or I ask say, they prefer the black and white to color for many of the same reasons as I have mentioned. 

         Aside from two upcoming shows that I will write about soon, my "show" season of outdoor art exhibits is almost over for the year. Next year when I resume showing at least a third of my images will be in black and white. I'm still thinking about which images to show and how I would display them, but the more I think about this, the more excited about it I become.  I believe there is a big market for superior, fine art black and white photography, and I intend to see if I am correct. Stay tuned!