Black and White vs. Color

Black and white pictures and color pictures illicit very different reactions from a viewer. Different individuals have varied preferences as to which is more appealing. This may relate to what each type of image represents.
Color in photographs can symbolize modernity and innovation. They depict much more variety for the eye to take in. They can capture brightness much more effectively. Black and white photos can represent an older time, a more basic and personal relationship withe the artist and his or her equipment. The results can display themes of antiquity and a feeling of past versus present. Though the eye is only taking in tones tints and shades, the contrast between light and dark can be drastic where needed.
With the advent of modern technology such as the digital camera and photoshop, the line between the two styles has been blurred. Most young photographers can choose either genre to shoot in on one camera. There are those who still choose to shoot without digital assistance and leave their work to the darkroom. I tend to prefer black and white images to color. Though the disadvantages are many, the final product attained can deliver more emotional content and more depth than the average color image. This of course is not always the case. There are, as always, exceptions to the rule. But for the most part I find something to be lost in modern color photography, and will always lean toward those dramatic black and whites.

Color Association

As a society, we associate certain colors with certain aspects of emotion, life and culture. I asked five of my friends to participate in an experiment in which I named a color and they were to respond with whatever words they associated with said color. The responses were as follows.-
RED- stop, danger, anger, fire, heat, energy, hyper, dance, rose, wine, blood, violence, riot.
ORANGE- hazard, construction, roadwork, warm, neon, highway, pumpkin, Halloween, fall, pizza, orange, burn.
YELLOW- sun, light, bright, slow, yield, lemon, sour, school, taxi, yawn, sleep, raincoat, summer.
GREEN- go, move, nature, tree, plant, leaf, grass, yard, environment, recycle, mint, vegetable.
BLUE- sky, sea, water, ocean, lake, pond, river, stream, fly, cool, splash, rain, flood, ship, fish, waves, surf, night, bed, cold, winter.
PINK- girl, feminine, flower, youth, dainty, baby, soft, dress, bright, birth, pregnancy, children.
BLACK- dark, night, coal, ink, full, flat, covered, blind, evil, death, funeral, tuxedo, suit.
WHITE- light, empty, clear, pure, open, endless, virgin, blank, wedding.

The results for the most part were answers I would expect to be common for the average person, red to illicit stop for example. There were some interesting responses one could attribute as random and based on the individual's subconscious, but they were in the minority. In this experiment, most participants gave the same or similar answers.