Re: B&W photos now vs yesteryear

There are still a number of valid reasons why an image in black/white 'works' and in color not so much. Color can lead the eye out of a good composition, can fool you into what you perceive as the 'truth' (see green boiler photo discussions), and can make something rather grimy or grisly look 'pretty'.

Lots of reasons to limit the information in an image to just the essentials. Ansel Adams did it to concentrate on the extraordinary light in a scene. Man Ray did it to reduce things to an abstract shadow of themselves. Gordon Osmondsen uses the great tonal range of b/w to emphasize his industrial photos. Nothing better to shoot a black and silver locomotive in my estimation. Color does not add much there.

I agree that a lot of the staged shots for the photo specials are not that effective and do look like a gimmick. Same for grit and blems introduced on purpose. Worst is the attempt to look like a cheap camera with a bad lens - I just don't get that at all.