TTG Plus > FAQs > More on FAQ #807

  • 1. Why aren’t black-and-white (monochrome) photographs disqualified by the Trust Test for misrepresenting the appearance of the scene depicted?

    Because “misrepresentation” is judged by the standards of respected international news agencies (as per P7), and black-and-white photographs have been a trusted staple of news photography for more than 100 years.

    Black-and-white photographs long ago became a part of the public’s photographic literacy.

    Many of the most widely trusted photographs in the world — including many images that shaped history in the 20th century — have been in black-and-white. The public would not accept a trust-driven label like TTG if the label disqualified all of those trusted photos.

    Some documentary photographers have said that their photos seem to be more trusted when in black-and-white than in color.

  • 2. Multiple ways to get there

    Black-and-white/mono photos can qualify as TTG (assuming they fully meet the Trust Test) whether they were shot with a monochrome digital sensor, with black-and-white film, or with color film/sensors and then converted (see #806) into black-and-white.

    Since the turn of the 21st century, countless news photographs in every corner of the world have fallen into that last category: they were photographed in color and published in black-and-white.

  • 3. A long past and a long future

    Contrary to popular belief in our color-filled culture, there is nothing “elitist” or “exclusive” about monochrome photos.

    Anyone in the world — including smartphone users — can easily make (and put online) TTG-eligible monochrome photographs, even if the image was originally recorded in color.

    Monochrome photographs have been around for almost two centuries, and one-color images have been valued for all of human history — from ancient cave paintings, to Asian calligraphy and ink-and-brush paintings, to various cultures’ pencil and pen-and-ink drawings — including innumerable works by accomplished artists who had full access to color tools.

    Thousands of newspapers, especially in smaller markets, still print all or most of their news photographs in black-and-white.