Can Black and White Bird Photos “Work?”
“I believe that if black-and-white photography is done correctly, it can convey much more emotion and a deeper meaning than colour ever could. It’s as if by subtracting colour, the viewer is forced to add his own emotion to the images. Colour photography is like a novel that spells everything out in detail, whereas black-and-white photography is like poetry—its strength isn’t in what’s said; it’s in what’s left out.” – Heinrich van den Berg, Award-winning Photographer
When I look at bird photos on social media, there are very few black and white images. Instead, the bird photos in these groups are often oversaturated in color, some even to the point of not reflecting reality. While I find this type of processing “amateurish” - even tacky looking - others “love” these photos and they do tend to get far more likes than properly edited photos. Why is that? Is color such an important element in a photo we need to supersaturate them? How do black and white photographs compete against color? Do birds make good subjects for black and white photos?
Maybe I am swimming against the current on this issue, but I think birds make fantastic subjects for black and white photography. Black and white photographs offer the advantage of removing the “distraction” of color, forcing the viewer to focus on light and composition. Black and white photos have a timeless quality, which is probably why they are so popular in portraiture and with interior designers.
Black and white photography is present in all styles of photography, including landscapes and wildlife. The iconic black and white landscapes of Ansel Adams come to mind, and more recently the work of Michael Kenna. My first black and white bird photographs were of white birds against a dark background, with very little color in the untouched photo. Great Egrets against dark water and Royal Terns flying against a storm filled sky have all made fantastic black and white subjects in my portfolio. But what about colorful birds like hummingbirds - can they make good subjects for black and white photos?
Sure they can! But there are times when color makes more sense. If the purpose of an image is the bird’s color (like showing off the pinks of a Roseate Spoonbill or a Flamingo), then stick with color. If the purpose of the photo is line, textures, patterns, and contrasts, and color isn’t adding to the image, then it is definitely a candidate for black and white.
To help illustrate this, I’ll use a few of my hummingbird photos taken last weekend. Some I converted to black and white, while others I left in color. I’ll explain why for each.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Hummingbirds display amazing aerobatic flight maneuvers, and in this photo we see a hummingbird hovering. By removing the color, we focus more on the unique C-shape of this bird’s profile, her wings swept back, and all of her unique details. If the bird had a ruby-red gorget, I probably would have left it in color. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/4000 sec, ISO 4000.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. I left this one in color, but to be honest, it could also be a nice black and white photo. The red flowers are complementary with the green background and the green in the bird’s feathers. Leaving the photo in color does come at a cost though. Our eye is first drawn not to the bird, but to the red flowers. The human eye is very much drawn to red which is why so many black and white photos will sometimes include a red element, something like a red balloon or a red umbrella. Still, I prefer the color version of this photo. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/4000 sec, ISO 2200.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Like the black and white photo above, this photo is all about the shape and line of the bird while in flight. The motion blur of its wings tell us the bird is moving quickly as it appears to almost be falling backwards - which is very possible as hummingbirds are the only bird species that can fly backwards. The color version of this photo has two colors - greens and browns. While the gorget is full of red feathers, the angle of light was such that it looks brown in the photo. Thus the color wasn’t adding anything special to the photo. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/4000 sec, ISO 5000.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. Unlike the two black and white photos above, this photo did not capture a unique pose of the bird. The flight pose is quite ordinary. What is interesting is the ruby gorget. It’s the first thing you see when you look at this photo, and for these reasons this would not make a good black and white photo. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/4000 sec, ISO 2500.
Ruby-throated Hummingbird. There is something to be said about the drama and mystery that is present in black and white photos. While color may show the actual reality of a bird, black and white is a perception of a captured reality that appeals to our “artistic” side. Nikon Z8 with Nikkor 800mm f/6.3 VR S lens at f/6.3, 1/4000 sec, ISO 2500.
I hope you appreciate these photos. If you are a photographer, I hope you will consider how color is being used and whether a black and white conversion might be a good choice. If so, I think you’ll find it will open up new ideas of how you photograph birds in the future.
Happy birding!
