Improve Your Scrapbooking: Use Black-and-White Photography for All the Right Reasons

It is wise to ask yourself why you are interested in taking black and white photographs for use in your scrapbook pages. If you are using black and white photos because you, like Ansel Adams, express yourself well through the visual language of rich contrasts, you are using black and white photography for all the right reasons.

If you find that you are usually shooting color photographs and later grayscaling them to avoid clashing with colorful patterned papers that you want to use in your scrapbook layouts, you are on shaky ground. Don't get me wrong, lots of people are doing this, and it is a valid approach. I am not suggesting that it isn't; any way you want to scrap your own memories, is a valid approach. It is not my intention to tell you how you should be scrapping. What I intend to do in this article is present some alternative options for you to consider, so that using grayscale photos does not become a crutch for you. Use of black and white photos should be a deliberate choice because it is the best possible way to convey your story, not just an easy fix for patterned papers that clash with your photos.

Color Confidence Helps Scrapbookers Match Photos and Patterned Papers

My first suggestion is that you develop your color sense to the point that you are able to feel comfortable with your choices when you pair color photos with patterned papers. Once you have some color confidence, you'll realize that you don't need to rely on printing your photos in black and white in order to make them match your patterned papers. You can develop your color sense by reading about color theory, and by studying layouts and projects made by other scrappers who have outstanding color sense.

Realize That Themed Scrapbooking Papers Might Not Be The Best Choice

My second suggestion is to avoid forcing your photos to fit into a theme.

Let's take, for example, photos from a birthday party. When you scrap those photos, your first impulse might be to select patterned paper that says "happy birthday" all over it. If you take that approach, it is likely that the colors in the paper will clash with the colors in your photo, frustrating you into grayscaling your photos. To me, this would clearly be a case of the wrong paper choice. Don't you want to remember the birthday party in color? Ten years from now, you probably won't remember what color the cake was, or how gorgeous and colorful the presents looked with their cheery ribbons on top, unless you print your photos in color. Removing the color just for the sake of having the photo match a particular scrapbooking paper is not recommended.

You have 2 options that would be more effective. One option is to change the colors in the paper. This can be done using your choice of supplies: chalks, walnut inks, tints, paints, etc. It is a bit time consuming, but I do this frequently, and sometimes it can produce fantastic results. The second option is even smarter. It simply involves selecting different paper to use in the first place. Don't select the paper because of its theme. Select it because it looks good with your photos and truly enhances them. It doesn't matter what the intended theme of the paper was; what matters is how it ends up looking in your scrapbook when you are finished with it. You can always add stickers, stamping, or other embellishments later to emphasize a birthday theme.

Conclusion:

If you aren't careful, going too crazy with the patterned paper can distort the memory you are trying to preserve. Color photos tend to enhance the memory and remind you of what the scene really looked like. Black and white photos have the potential to cloud the memory and make it hazier in your mind than it would have been if you'd stuck with using color photos. (UNLESS you are using black & white for all the right reasons.) I encourage scrapbookers to make a conscious effort to use either black and white or color photography in a well-considered and effective manner so that their precious memories are preserved.