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Hello, .

Our personal preferences drive the creation of our work and are what makes our work unique.

However, this writing's main point is the importance of our personal preferences, the materials we work with, and tonality.

Let's start with a couple of quotes from photographers about color and a couple of definitions.

Here's a quote from Ted Grant, who's got something to say about making pictures in black and white: 'When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. When you photograph people in black and white, you photograph their soul!'

On the other hand, according to William Albert Allard:

'In my photography, color and composition are inseparable. I see in color.'

Definitions

Exposure latitude is the range of light intensity that a camera can capture while holding detail in the blacks and the whites.  

In other words, It's like the camera's ability to record bright sunlight and dimly lit rooms in the same image.

Light-sensitive material is any material that records light and

refers to any surface or medium that can record the light that falls on it.

In photography, this could be film, a digital sensor in a digital camera, or a substrate we print on.

Tonality is the perceived brightness or darkness of a created photograph. Many people think of this as over-exposure or under-exposure, but thinking of exposure as the only means to control tonality is limiting.

Okay, now that we have that over, here's today's photography food for thought. 

The opinions stated by the photographers quoted above about color and B and W remind us that photographers' opinions about photography are as varied as their work. And the choice between choosing color or black and white (B and W) is primarily about aesthetics.  

The opinions stated by the photographers quoted above about color and B and W remind us that photographers' opinions about photography are as varied as their work.

Choosing color or black and white (B and W) is about aesthetics and the freedom to express ourselves.

Before digital photography, we had a choice of making pictures using B and W or color film.

And if I'm correct, the two photographers quoted above, at the time of the quotes, are referring to working with film.

And while there have always been personal preferences, sometimes the film we used was dictated by the clients we worked with.

When I started working professionally as a photojournalist, newspapers were only printed in black and white, so I used a lot of black-and-white films. However, the magazines I worked with required color transparency, aka slide film.

During that stage of my photography studies and practice, I learned a lot about different films.

Little did I know that this learning about film would prepare me well for using the sensor in a digital camera.

Also, I preferred a color slide, also known as color transparency film, for my personal work. 

Color transparency film has a limited exposure latitude and requires precise exposure decisions. It's a great film to learn about the importance of getting our exposures right, specifically for one thing in our picture. 

Once transparency film is developed, the final product is a frame of thirty-five millimeter (35mm) film in a cardboard or plastic mount. 

Color negative and black and white negative films have a much broader exposure latitude than slide films.

Regarding camera operation and exposure decisions, light-sensitive material shouldn't concern us beyond aesthetic preferences because it's always about getting the tonality we want for a specific thing.

Exposure decisions are always based on controlling tonality for a specific object in our picture, and exposure latitude doesn't save us from being sloppy about tonality control.

That said, the exposure latitude of the light-sensitive material recording the image shouldn't be considered.

Furthermore, aesthetics aside, with the availability of digital cameras, we can choose between setting our camera to record in color or black and white. 

When it comes to digital cameras, making pictures in color is a good practice because we can always convert the image to B and W later while keeping the original color version.

And since the sensors in most digital cameras are made to record color, not B and W, this ensures that the file quality is the best it can be.

In other words, we maintain image quality by making pictures in color.  

And by the way, the digital sensors in our cameras are similar to color transparency film when it comes to exposure latitude.

So, aligning our exposure to control the tonality of a specific thing in our picture is essential.  

On film cameras, once the film is in the camera, the ISO can only be changed if we put in a new film with a different ISO.

When using film, we can only control the tonality with the exposure controls of aperture and shutter speed.

When working in manual exposure mode on digital cameras, we can use aperture, shutter speed, and ISO to control tonality since we can easily change ISO on a digital camera.

But we use exposure compensation to control tonality if working in aperture or shutter priority. 

Upcoming photography classes are listed below.

Use whatever camera or light-sensitive material you want. 

Take a group class or private lesson with me.

I've got Introduction to Photography classes scheduled and remember that any of my classes can be taken as a single private lesson or a series of private lessons, so don't hesitate to take advantage of them. 

I hope you've been studying and practicing your photography.

The ways to study and practice photography with me are below.

Call me if you need help determining the best course for you.

I'll help you be a better photographer—study and practice photography with me. 

Currently scheduled classes are below.

Smaller classes mean better learning, so class sizes are limited to 5 participants plus me.

But smaller classes also mean spots fill up quicker, so sign up soon. 

And what if the timing doesn't work for you in any of my scheduled group classes? Private in-person or online lessons suited to your schedule are always an option. 

And remember, we learn and improve by doing, so practice making at least one picture daily.

That's all for now; thanks for reading! 

Sam