As you probably already saw, a lot of stuff on this blog is black and white. And there is a reason for that: I fucking love it and you should too!
What is some artsy fartsy feature for the majority of snapping dslr owners out there is actually a key point in defining characteristics of an image. The reduced colors make you actually watch out for what makes an image. How often did you see some bright and colorful images with flashy bokeh that gained thousands of instagram likes. Quite often I recon, but the problem is: There is no message in this immage, no reason for it to exit other than being flashy. If thats what you want for your artistic work then fine, you’ve made it.
But if you actually want to develop your style I can only recommend to start shooting in black and white! Yes, SHOOT in black and white, not translate in in post. Set your camera to monochrome and go bananas! Experiment with natural light and studio light. You will quickly see how you become more aware of lighting and its effects since colors wont distract you anymore.
Shooting monochrome will make your images get more connected to its subject, you can capture emotion and moods more effectively and on a personal level. I think black and white photography has a grave importance in the future art world because it not only helps the artist to focus on the images main elements, it also helps the viewer see what is important. Only if we can guide our viewers to what we want to tell and express we can actually gain any interest in our works.