Black and White photography

What's old is new again. Isn't it interesting how black and white photgraphy is so popular again? Even with the proliferation of digital cameras that only take color pix, there is a tremendous interest in the old school. Before color came about, photographers developed their own film and made their contact sheets and prints. It was all done inhouse. Then with color film, they had to send it out to a lab for processing and printing. In many ways, this was much cooler because it freed up a lot of time, although it increased the overhead due to lab processing charges. Basically the photographer became a runner for the lab...a middleman as it were.
Now the situation has come full circle. The digital photographer "develops" his own "film" in his darkroom (Photoshop), shows the proofs online, and prints on his Epson 2400. He only uses the lab for very large prints or for proofing.
And now, eveyone wants black and white prints. Creating a great b&w print is not that easy. There are at least ten ways to convert a color image to b&w in Photoshop, and only a couple of them are really great. And they rely on some decisions by the photographer to pick the best contrast settings. Then there's the challenge of printing on a printer that was designed for great color. It takes a lot of reading and testing to achieve acceptable or great results, but it is possible.
Update August 14, 2014
Well, things are looking up for black and white photography. Anyone can make a decent B&W photo on their smart phone using Instagram filters or other apps. It's a wonderful thing. And it's much easier for the pro photographer to make a beautiful print that rivals traditional silver and chemical methods. Photoshop itself has several great ways to convert a color file to black and white, and there are a few wonderful plugins that produce amazing results. And Epson continues to advance the state of the art with new printers, inks and papers.
The bottom line: Black and White Lives!