April 21, 2026

025 Cole Thompson & John Barclay On Color vs. Monochrome

1 hour

In Episode 25 of Shutter Nonsense, Michael and Jeffrey are joined by Cole Thompson and John Barclay to talk about color versus monochrome photography, and how to know when each one makes sense. The conversation goes way beyond editing choices and gets into vision, intention, creativity, and why black and white can be either a distraction-free tool or a deeply personal way of seeing.

Along the way, they talk about learning to see in black and white, how personal vision shapes the work we make, the difference between photographing for likes versus photographing for meaning, and why this choice often goes much deeper than simple aesthetics. There’s plenty of humor in this one too, which is probably exactly what you’d expect when these four get together.

Join the Shutter Nonsense Patreon community to participate in post-episode conversations and share your own photography experiences! Available to free and paid members. www.patreon.com/ShutterNonsense

Highlights:

Cole explains why black and white is not a style choice for him, but simply how he sees the world

John talks about using both color and monochrome, and how he decides which serves the image best

Michael and Jeffrey reflect on using black and white as a beginner “save” versus making a deliberate creative choice

The group discusses whether color or black and white is actually harder to do well

A conversation on vision, imitation, and finding your own voice as a photographer

Why color can sometimes overpower a photograph instead of helping it

The role age, experience, and older darkroom exposure may play in how photographers connect with black and white

A bigger conversation about social media, likes, and making work that feels personal and meaningful