From Amy Touchette’s article “Color vs. Black-and-White Photography: How Palette Affects What We See—and Feel” for tuts+:
One of the most fundamental decisions to make when photographing is whether to portray a subject in color or black-and-white. In the old days of film photography, that decision had to be made in advance, with foresight. Now, thanks to digital technology, we can decide after the fact, in post-production.
Instinct might tell us which palette we prefer when we compare color and black-and-white versions of the same image, but if we don’t understand what underpins those instincts, we haven’t fully grasped how to communicate with pictures.
In this tutorial, we’ll discuss features of each palette and how they can help clarify—or muddle—an image’s message.