Why, you might ask, did I photograph this white camellia blossom in a white dish on a black background in color rather than in black and white? Great question! These days, I often make the decision to choose monochrome or color early, starting with my choice of camera (Monochrom M11 for black and white, Leica M11P for color). Of course, there’s nothing to stop me from changing my mind “down the road” in post-production; I’ve often photographed in color and later created a monochromatic version in Photoshop.

In my book Creative Black & White I explain that subject matter that is largely without color often makes for good monochromatic imagery. Using this frame of reference, the White on White would seem to be a good candidate for monochrome. Why did I choose otherwise by eschewing the Leica Monochrom camera (and monochromatic conversion later in the process)?

Every photo represents an idea. Sometimes the idea is interesting or experimental. The idea can be visual, experiential, theoretical, personal, or some combination of these. A banal and boring idea leads to a banal and boring photo, and an interesting idea may lead to an interesting photo, even if the viewer cannot easily identify the idea behind the image.

The idea that White on White represents is one of subtlety; indeed, it is about a kind of subtlety itself: exploring the different and subtle gradations of “color” that make up black and white. This is an idea that I felt could best be explored in color (although I have at other times explored this idea in black and white).

The monochromatic choice (same basic idea but using grayscale): Egg and Egg White.