In the Flash

In the Flash

Share this post

In the Flash
In the Flash
The Cautionary Tale of Black and White Photography
May contain explicit content
This post was automatically hidden by your content settings.

The Cautionary Tale of Black and White Photography

Unpacking my distrust of monochrome.

Dina Litovsky's avatar
Dina Litovsky
Aug 24, 2023
∙ Paid
106

Share this post

In the Flash
In the Flash
The Cautionary Tale of Black and White Photography
May contain explicit content
This post was automatically hidden by your content settings.
16
11
Share
Weekend in Woodstock. 2007.

Welcome to In the Flash, a reader-supported publication about intent and creativity in photography


For my last post, I published my Somewhat Serious Guide to Photography’s Do’s and Don’ts. The reaction was overwhelming. Most of the readers were in agreement, some took issues, and one person hated my point about Gregory Crewdson’s cinematic style so much that they made a new account on Instagram just to tell me how much I suck. I appreciated the effort.

The most contentious “Don’t” on the list turned out to be the use of B&W. Photographers defended their love of monochrome with fierceness which inspired me to unpack the subject further. There are countless articles waxing poetic about B&W photography, but a critique of it is akin to sacrilege. Luckily, I am never one to shy away from blasphemy.

This post is for paid subscribers

Already a paid subscriber? Sign in
© 2025 Dina Litovsky
Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start writingGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture

Share