Why were all the previous photos in black and white?

Color vs. Black and White

The first photo most people take is probably in color. Intuitively, taking a color photo is much easier than taking a black and white photo because the result more closely resembles the object you see in the viewfinder. Of course, the photographer must take into account certain differences between how an object appears and how it appears in a color photograph. However, this is generally easier than predicting what monochromatic shade an object's color will turn into.

Perfect black and white photography is far more interpretive and subtle than color photography, and less natural and realistic. It is for this reason that black-and-white photography has become an artistic expression method for photography fans, and is often seen in "excellent works" and gallery displays. At this point, it can easily be connected with the black-and-white photography of the past. On the other hand, apart from its use in news photography such as newspapers, where most of the reproduced images are still in black and white, professional photography is dominated by color photography.

Color photosensitive materials and processing processes are inherently much more complex than black and white. This is why a reliable color photo processing process was discovered almost 100 years after the advent of photography. Even now, color processing is expensive and laborious to apply. Therefore, before the 1970s, photographers mainly learned black and white photography techniques and gradually developed into color photography. Today, a large number of the chemical complexities of color photography are closely related to the manufacturer's film, paper, pre-mixed solutions and standardized processing procedures. This is mainly because color printing is more demanding than black and white printing because of the need for color balance. Carry out external identification and control. Therefore, it can be seen that black and white photography is a better starting point for learning, at least when it comes to darkroom work.