I had an interesting conversation recently about color photography.

It started when a friend was showing his daughter my Instagram account and asking if she’d be interested in having me shoot her senior pictures. One of the first questions she asked was, “Why are all his photos black and white?”

Fair question.

We tend to think of black and white as some artistic choice photographers make when they’re feeling dramatic. But color has a voice of its own. It tells you how to feel about a scene before you’ve had a chance to think about it.

A bright summer afternoon feels different than a gray winter morning. A red dress means something different than a black one. We read all of it whether we realize it or not.

That’s part of the reason I gravitate toward black and white portraits. Strip away the color and there’s less for the eye to wander toward. You’re left with expression, posture, light, and emotion. The person becomes harder to ignore.

That doesn’t mean color is unimportant. Sometimes it’s the most important thing in the frame.

My wife pointed this out while looking at two versions of my Art Is War image.

The color version felt bleak in a bright world.

The black-and-white version felt empowered in a bleak world.

Same photograph. Same subject. Same words.

Different story.