A need for a non-partisan monochrome showcase?

<p>A lot of us digital photographers spend a lot of time working with monochrome images, and it strikes me that the monochrome aesthetic transcends the digital/film divide a lot more readily than it transcends the monochrome/color divide. I really like looking at monochrome images, but the only place I find them conveniently gathered each week is in the film-only Monochrome Monday threads. I would like to see a similar weekly showcase for monochrome that is non-partisan—open to both film and digital images. Is there enough interest here for us to make something like that happen?</p>

I would participate.

<p>I don't take a lot of b&w, but that's a very interesting idea. Hopefully it will gather some momentum.</p>

<p>Good idea</p>

Leslie, are you referring to the monochrome monday threads in the s&d forum? if so, they aren't film only.

I'd like to see a weekly B&W thread for all genres but where does one put it?

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<p ><a href="/photodb/user?user_id=7630292">Norman T Naffington</a> <a href="/member-status-icons"><img title="Frequent poster" src="/v3graphics/member-status-icons/1roll.gif" alt="" /></a>, Jan 31, 2017; 03:42 a.m.</p>

 

<p>Leslie, are you referring to the monochrome monday threads in the s&d forum? if so, they aren't film only.</p>

 

</blockquote>

<p>Oh hush. Let the OP expound on feeling persecuted a bit more before springing this. </p>

<p>:)</p>

<p>Norman--Actually, I was referring to the "Monochrome Monday (Black and white film photograph of the week)" threads featured in the "Black & White Photo - Film and Processing" forum. I probably should also have mentioned the Monochrome Monday threads in the Street and Documentary forum (thank you for pointing those out), but it didn't occur to me to do so since those are genre-specific. </p>

<p>And that's a really good point about where one puts it--I'd been puzzling over that, too. The process of elimination is pointing me toward Casual Conversations forum as a possible home, since most everywhere else is genre-specific, brand-specific, or medium-specific. Other suggestions?</p>

<p>I too often feel that color and black and white do not mix harmoniously, so tend to keep them separate. Isn't the image type (digital/film) though rather unimportant really? It doesn't come up much these days, although the film folk tend to bring it up.</p>

<p>I put "Monochrome Monday" in "Street Photography" because I couldn't think of a better place for it. It could just as easily go in "CPC" if the moderators would allow W/NW in CPS. </p>

<p>Count me in, Leslie.</p>

<p>Robin raises an interesting point. On several occasions recently I've had a response typed to someone stating "digital b&w sucks"(I paraphrase), only to fail to post because I don't want to start a debate that's ultimately pointless but also because I don't want to divert the direction of a thread and spoil it. One of these reasons I support this suggestion is that it will increase the emphasis on the photograph, and not its medium of origin and the dogma that lies behind it. </p>

<p>Back when I used b&w film I joined APUG. I didn't stay too long because there were too many people who saw that site as a platform for throwing rocks at everything digital- beyond the point of objectivity. I hold my traditional b&w work and my more recent digital b&w in broadly equal regard.</p>

<p>That seems like the perfect solution, Sanford! And looking at the guidelines for CPC, it looks like it would fit beautifully: "General photography conversation that doesn't fit elsewhere on the site." This thread would be aiming for general in terms of brand, genre, and medium; it's photography; we want conversation; and it doesn't fit elsewhere on the site. Would you be OK with starting the next Monochrome Monday thread on CPC and we can see how it goes?</p>

<p>Thats where it will go next week.</p>

<p>I shoot film and would like to participate but I do not really shoot "street photography". Mostly family photos, trips and such. Anyway I don't think my photos would work. I do shoot some landscapes as I go hiking at least once a week but that is not street as far as I would know. </p>

<p>Many thanks, Sanford! I'm looking forward to participating!<br>

And ross b, no worries--Sanford and I have a shared vision for this: all genres of monochrome photography are welcome, and it doesn't matter if it's film or digital or a combination of the two.</p>

<p>OK then I will join in and toss in some grit to the mix. </p>

<p>Good idea and good luck, Leslie and Sanford. The medium has its specific qualities and aesthetic and it doesn't matter how one produces the black and white image.</p>

<p>By the way, the word "monochrome" is more general than black and white and includes color monochrome in addition to that of toning of black and white images to create a color tone, so you may want to define (or not) that the topic is related to monochreome images derived from a black and white source (digital or film), or alternatively call it black and white photography.</p>

<p>Having an independent B&W or monochrome forum may not fly, because it would then suggest that a color forum would also be logical, instead of being implied in many other forums, so CPC is probably the place for a sub-forum on B&W photography. In my humble view, it should go far beyond just W/NW as I am sure that there is interest in discussing and giving examples of varying approaches to seeing and producing B&W images and that is often where mutual assistance to other photographers or ideas of how to use the medium are best generated. Discussions on equipment are probably well enough taken care of in specific forums, but the topic or sub-forum might allow discussion of specific B&W materials including papers.</p>

<p>Such B&W photography discussions are available of course in the press. The only journal that I am aware of that is supportive of all aspects of digital and film B&W photography, including its approaches, techniques, photographer portfolios, list of current exhibitions, materials and equipment related to the medium is the well regarded British monthly B+W Photography. Other photographic art journals mentioned above provide portfolios and artist interviews and are read by photographers and collectors, but the British monthly perhaps covers more varied topics of the medium for beginner to advanced photographers. The more general photography monthlies of Europe, North America, Australasia and elsewhere occasionally provide very good B&W theme numbers, which can also be of interest.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Good idea. I never looked at or contributed to the film-only Monochrome Monday threads. <br>

Thanks</p>

<p>Just point of fact, "Monachrome Monday" was put in Street and Documentary initially, because that's where it started. But it does make sense to put it here.</p>

<p>Re-reading Leslie's OP I gather the subject is a showcase for weekly photos in both mediums rather than a monochrome or B&W site where the approaches, techniques, results (showcase) and aesthetic of that medium can be discussed and displayed, as opposed to the more prevalent color medium that most adhere to.</p>

<p>In that case, there is nothing wrong I think with relocating here and rendering more general a weekly Monochrome Monday OP. Those wishing to specifically discuss approaches, techniques, results and aesthetic of the B&W medium will still have to do so within the various forums of Photo.Net, thereby diluting or dispersing these topics and making them a little harder to peruse.</p>

<p>I for one would really love to see the administrators inaugurate a specific "B&W photography" forum, embracing all ways to achieve B&W photographs, which are distinct in a number of ways from the more usual color output.</p>

<p>Does anyone think there might be any chance of that? Moderator?</p>

<p> </p>

<p>Arthur, that's exactly the direction I was hoping this would lead us. I figured we could get a feel for how much interest there might be through the level of participation in Monochrome Monday, and then put together a plan for a Monochrome Forum if it looked like the enthusiasm was there. Your earlier point on the distinction between B&W and monochrome is a good one; I was purposely using "monochrome" so that it wouldn't exclude toned B&W or monochrome color images--it seems to me that many of the approaches and aesthetic issues are similar among these. For the time being, we could start threads discussing monochrome issues in Casual Photo Conversations to make sure that we're not excluding anyone who might not visit one of the more specialized forums.</p>