Photographic history re-run

“It [monochrome photography is definitely a rising trend among people,” says Prashant of the renowned photography duo Bunty-Prashant adding,“One of the major reasons behind the comeback is that they have a universal appeal,not just limited to the photographers,or to people who like seeing black and white or sepia-toned pictures,but to everyone who prefers to go back to the basics of photography. And while it is assumed that black and white,or sepia-toned photography mainly involves the usage of just one or two colours and the shades in between,it is a lot more than that. Enhancement of technology paves way for experiments and eventually leads to the shift.”

Another factor that involves the shooting of monochrome pictures is that unlike shooting colour pictures,a lot more thought and effort has to be put in to making single tone pictures. As professional photographer,Sameer Belvalkar puts it,“A thing with these pictures is that just like the olden days,they come across as royal and classic,and are a stark reminder of the pictures of the old world. As a result more and more people are fascinated by things that are out of the ordinary,or that are aesthetically appealing.” He also mentions that the stark reality and the raw portrayal of emotions make these pictures a favourite with everyone.

The number of people who are clicking photographs,has also gone up ever since the inception of the digital camera and the significant reduction in their prices. And what has happened as a result of the same is that today,instead of sifting through hundreds of photos to find a handful of stunning shots,one now has lakhs of pictures to choose from,to do the same.

“Critics might raise a lot of questions that with amateur photography becoming a field in itself,the creative aspect of photography is lost,but that is not the case,” says Rahul Deshpande,another professional photographer. Deshpande says that the creativity content has remained the same,with the only difference being that more and more people are clicking more pictures. “Clicking pictures cannot be bad for the profession. However in order to click very good monotone pictures,factors like shadow play,grayscale,RGB factor,depth of vision,aperture settings,and even lighting methods need to be studied. So even though more and more people are getting back to these types of pictures,it doesn’t necessarily mean that the creativity aspect is going to be compromised,” he adds.

It might be difficult to gauge whether the return of monochrome photographs is a good thing or if it has merely left the creativity of photography redundant,but the very factor that people are veering back towards the classic and old school looks does signal the return of the old world,in parts at least.