I talk about monochrome images often, but I can’t help it — I really dig black-and-white photography. Equal to that, is black-and-white with a smidge of color. Whether it is through a Gradient Map that adds a touch of brown (usually my favorite), or a subtle injection of color that finds its way in selectively, the hint of color in a black-and-white adds interest.

For instance, the hint of blue in the sky (in my photo of the lamp, left) adds drama, depth, and dimension. At the very least, the subtle color causes our brains to stop and our eyes to linger just a bit longer as we consider what we’re seeing. It’s as if we want to know, “What’s up here?”

Another thing I love, is reading through the different techniques for how to achieve this effect. For example, the following collection from our archives make me want to forgo the things I should be doing and sit down with Photoshop Elements to play!

Interested in having some fun, too? These techniques are sure to inspire:

• Dave Cross shares how to have fun by adding splashes of color to a black-and-white in Add Fun Color to a Black & White Image.
• Matt Kloskowski illustrates how to split tone in Split Toning in Elements.
• Lynette Kent guides you through how to create a black-and-white and a sepia toned image using the Gradient Map in her post, Using a Gradient Map to Create Black-and-White Images.
• Mike Rodriguez shows how to selectively bring color back into a black-and-white image in, Elements 9: Easy Layer Masks.

Yes, I think the chores can wait just a bit longer — I’m going to play!