Processing a photo in black and white changes the way you approach the image. At least it does for me. I find that I’m paying more attention to shape and form, to light and dark, undistracted by color. Working in black and white also changes how I view the interaction of elements in the scene. I suppose I view them at their more fundamental level - size, shape, texture… again, undistracted by color.

What happens when you switch into color after working in black and white? I did just that with a seascape photo and I was surprised how much improved the photo was from its raw form. I don’t think I would have arrived at the result I did without having first worked in monochrome.