Beyond color: The timeless beauty of Monochrome photography

The invention of photography immediately gifted the world with a style of photography known as monochrome.

At that time taking a photo was an arduous process that required the most concentration, if one desired to create a unique photo.

Monochrome photography refers to capturing images in shades of a single color, typically black and white or shades of gray, to create a timeless and classic feel in images as well as highlight the key elements of a photo such as texture and contrast.

This form of shooting is used by photographers to express their artistic prowess, with great names such as  Seydou Keïta, Malick Sidibé, and Ansel Adams featuring as iconic contributors to this field.

In an interview with The Star, Ted Waira, a graphic designer and photographer, said monochrome photography has a lot of purposes.

They include creating a classic, timeless quality that can make a photo feel more enduring and meaningful.

"It also sets the mood and tone of a photograph. By removing color, black and white photos emphasize the mood and tone of a scene," he noted.

Further, he said they convey a sense of drama, melancholy, or serenity in a way that color photos might not.

For many people, black-and-white photography is associated with the past, this can evoke feelings of nostalgia or sentimentality. 

According to Waira, this medium is a powerful form of artistic expression, as it allows the photographer to focus on composition, and texture without color, the perfect medium to practice one's creativity.

“As a graphic designer and photographer, I had to study a module called Colour Theory and I learned how different colors evoke certain emotions and what message they send. As an artist, I took up monochrome art and used it as a challenge, to challenge our creative minds and see the art beyond the confines of color, it also just happens to look really cool.” 

This style of capturing photos has proven to be a powerful tool for artistic expression, and its popularity shows no signs of waning anytime soon.