Hi! I'm new to this group as well as the hole of Fstoppers so this is my first post :)
I wondered what peoples opinions are on when to use black and white in portraiture?
I generally just use it to cut out distracting colours or to de-clutter the background.
Are there any other rules people use when considering black and white vs colour?
Thanks! :)
Opinions on Use of Black and White in Portraiture?
B&W certainly works and works well for portraits. It creates drama or nostalgia in many circumstances. No rules for me. Fact is, if I manage to get a neat shot regardless of genre, I'll usually make a B&W conversion as a matter of course just to see if it works. Ya' gotta' love the digital world!
From a person who still shoots B&W film: I have done numerous portraits in black and white and I love them because they are clean, simple, and nostalgic. I don't think there would be any rule of when or when not to use color photos. In my case I use color pictures when the detail of that photograph (someone's eye-color, hair-color, clothing or anything else) is more prominent and pleasing in color rather than in grey-scale. It all comes down to how you want the images to look like and what you intend to present in that photograph.