Why Black and White Pictures?

May 8, 2019 1:46 PM

I've noticed that collections of naughty pictures (such as on the late, lamented Tumblr) curated by (self-described) women tend to feature mostly photos in black and white — sometimes black and white copies of pictures I've seen in color. These are not art photos, so what's up?
posted by Native in Exile to Computers & Internet (7 answers total)

Well, specifically for Tumblr anyway, they started using a really stupid algorithm to identify nudity in photos, which seemed to just interpret "big swathes of tan" as "naked people." So if this is something you've noticed on Tumblr in the past 6 months of so, I'd guess it's something people are doing to trick the algorithm.
posted by showbiz_liz at 1:52 PM on May 8, 2019 [12 favorites]

With black and white you don't have to worry about the color calibration of the screen. No problems with the "what color is this dress" or "what color is this shoe". It makes it easier for everybody to be seeing the same image if it's only shades of grey. Or it's just artsy-fartsy.
posted by zengargoyle at 2:00 PM on May 8, 2019

Naughty pictures in B&W are just generally seen as classier and more flattering. You ever hear the line “What’s the difference between pornography and erotica— the lighting”? This is like that.
posted by SaltySalticid at 2:07 PM on May 8, 2019 [20 favorites]

Seconding SaltySalticid. Issa vibe. Make a standard porn shoot photo b/w, maybe crop out part of the face, and you get something that transcends the original.
posted by wemayfreeze at 2:52 PM on May 8, 2019 [1 favorite]

Yeah, it is an aesthetic choice. The number of filters to work with black and white are less overwhelming than color, so you reduce the choice paralysis when working with photos. Also, fewer adjustments needed with black and white vs. color because skin tones are off or there is that one thing that throws you for a loop. What would be considered a weird discoloration that distracts in a color photo becomes something intriguing with black and white photography.
posted by jadepearl at 3:09 PM on May 8, 2019

black and white hides skin flaws like cellulite and stretch marks better than unretouched color photos do.
posted by poffin boffin at 3:12 PM on May 8, 2019 [9 favorites]

Black and white makes it easier to photoshop inches off ones waist / whatever else you may want to change.
posted by batter_my_heart at 5:34 PM on May 8, 2019