The world’s first permanent photograph was produced in 1826 by the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce. The technology at the time only allowed the scene to be recorded in tones of grey. This is usually referred to as a black and white image. It was not until the 1960s that colour film was affordable for snapshot photography.
Some photographers regard the era of black and white as the ‘golden’ age of photography, and continue to shoot in black and white today. In part, this is nostalgia. We look back and see many iconic images from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries displayed in rich monochrome tones. In our minds, we associate black and white photos with important events taken by professionals.
But there is more than just reminiscence to explain black and white photography’s enduring appeal.