Can't see in color

[StuartR]

I am with grant here -- color and black and white are both equally suited to photographing "content" as you put it. I think many people like black and white better because it is automatically removed from the way we see the world on a daily basis. By that I mean that the lack of color serves as an automatic cue that tells the viewer they are looking at "art" and not reality. Since color is how we (those of us who are not color blind) see the world, the photograph has to be striking in its content for the viewer to make the leap from viewing everyday reality to viewing "art". Highly graphic compositions, unique content or striking colors are usually necessary to coax the viewer into appreciating the photo. In this sense, I think it is often more difficult to work in color because there are more obstacles to overcome. Not only do you have to cue the viewer to look at the scene artistically, but you have another variable to deal with in the content of the image. In the right hands it can be wonderful, but if you are using it haphazardly, black and white is a better medium, as it will do part of the job for you.


For what it's worth, I think the extreme low saturation or extreme high saturation techniques function similarly to black and white. The most difficult color films to use are probably the most natural ones, like Astia, EPN and so on.

 

[StuartR]

All that said, I usually carry both at any given time. Often both will work for the same scene:

 

[back alley]

can't say that i agree that b&w makes it art but i will admit that colour makes it a postcard.

 

[StuartR]

oh come on. Do you really think that? There is some amazing color photography out there. Real art. To deny that is just to be curmudgeonly.

 

[back alley]

you're not the first to call me an old crab...😉

you want the truth?

colour entertains me for the moment. it grabs my attention but it does not hold it.

the shots you posted are great, i looked at the colour ones but studied the b&w.

i'm not saying this is a universal truth or that it's the way it should be.
i'm saying that's how it is for me.

i have never been interested in colour work. i have shot colour but only for money or when volunteering and it was a requirement.
my first good camera was my little oly 35rc and it has never had a roll of colour film in it. i bought it around 1970 or so.

joe

 

[Peter Klein]

If you want to see some amazing things done with color, take a look at the work of Ernst Haas. He was a pioneer in using color for its own sake.

--Peter

 

[amateriat]

If you want to see some amazing things done with color, take a look at the work of Ernst Haas. He was a pioneer in using color for its own sake.

Funny (or perhaps not) that you mention Haas. He's been something of an influence on my approach to the color work I actually do. He never used any filtration outside a polarizer, but the man knew color, truly paid attention to it. What's interesting is that he was amazing at black-and-white (via a twin-lens) well before he took a stab at color, which brings up yet another controversial question: can it be said that the most visually captivating color photographers likely cut their teeth with dazzling black-and-white work first? Can it be said that you can't easily get to the one without a strong grasp of the other?


- Barrett