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"What is the difference between black and white photography and monochrome images?"
Black and white photography is a subset of monochrome photography, as monochrome photography can include images with a single color, not just shades of grey.
Monochrome photography is sometimes used to describe images that are not strictly black and white, but instead are composed of a single color and its shades, such as sepia or blue-toned images.
Grayscale is a more accurate term for black and white images, as it describes the range of shades of grey that make up the image.
In monochrome printing, only two colors are used: black and the paper white, with the printer only printing black and the white areas being unprinted.
The term "monochrome" is often used interchangeably with "black and white," but technically, all black and white photos are monochrome photos, but not all monochrome photos are black and white.
Black and white photography contains variants of the color grey ranging from absolute black to absolute white.
A more accurate but decidedly less popular term for this type of image is "grayscale".
The easiest way to understand the difference between monochrome vs grayscale is to remember that all grayscale images are monochrome, but not all monochrome photographs are grayscale.
Monochrome photography is any photography that utilizes differing amounts of light instead of different colors to capture and represent images.
Standard color photography, also known as polychrome, displays colors from across the spectrum, whereas monochrome photography takes only one single color and uses a range of tones of that color.
Other types of monochrome images include sepia or other quoted images and cyanotypes, which all have one hue of color rendered in different values or luminosity levels.
A black and white image is a monochrome image using only neutral tones of grey, but not all monochrome images are black and white.
The benefits of monochrome photography include enhanced emotion, as the absence of color allows the photographer to evoke specific moods and emotions.
In monochrome photography, the trained eye can estimate how certain hues and luminances would render in black and white, allowing for a greater sense of contrast and drama.
Modern digital cameras allow you to shoot in monochrome and instantly see them in black and white, but this is not the most effective method, as it only gives you a basic grayscale photo of the subject.
Colorize and Breathe Life into Old Black-and-White Photos (Get started for free)