How to take street pictures in color?

[Hsg]

The simple rule that you can follow is that color street photography does not mean it has to be 'colorful'.

 

[jsrockit]

How do I use color in street photography?

Why not look at those who have done it well before you?

 

[airfrogusmc]

Why not look at those who have done it well before you?

That is always a great place to start....

 

[Hsg]

And the lab where you process color film has the final say on your hard work...

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Thanks to all of you who put words and links here. This might help me.

Yes, I have seen Fred Herzog's marvelous photography on large prints at Vancouver gallery before Olympics and it is still something I like a lot.
But just looking at others and going out and just starting taking it was not helping me so far...

This is why I started this thread and asked for thoughts.
I appreciate comments like Lynn made and others, where it is something more than "go out and shot"...

And the C-41 "lab" is ... at my basement, in case if you missed my Smena-8M thread 🙂

 

[Maiku]

Kevin,

I presented Herzog's photos as a starting point. He really inspires me.

I like B&W because I like the medium. Though as I move more towards digital I am becoming more interested in colour.

I think the key is finding the colour control. Color does not have to be bright, saturated or vibrant. The colours can be desaturated and muted. The more I try to stick with RAW photos the more I concentrate on the colour wheel looking for contrasting and complementary colours. Light is also playing a huge part as is a polarizer and/or ND filter.

The method to my street photography has always been composition first, light second and exposure third.

Adding colour to the mix threw me for a loop, but now I can quickly realize what will work and what will not work. My assessment is not as fast as it with black and white, but it is getting there. I am enjoying colour more and more. I ignored it for too long.

Just fire away. Practice makes perfect!

Maiku

 

[Aristo]

Looking at and thinking about the images of the allready mentioned Alex Webb and also Harry Gruyaert can give someone deep insights about color (street) photography.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I looked at Webb's and Leiter's so far. It was educating.
Herzog is still the King to me. I feel somewhere between Herzog and Leiter, where colors and shadows aren't screaming at each other over saturatelly.
Thanks for the names.
And thanks to Mike who calls me Kevin 🙂

 

[MIkhail]

Generally speaking, it's very rear to see a proper use of color as a mean of expression rather than by-product, if you know what I mean. Most of a time one has to wonder- if the photographer was not colorblind ;-)

Garik Pinkhassov and Boris Savelev are my favorite color photographers, besides the usual Magnum bunch (Alex Webb, Harry Gruyaert, Costa Manos).

 

[Hsg]

It would be unfair to call Alex Webb a 'color street photographer', because his images are highly complex and layered with compositions that are very difficult to achieve.


The greatest color street photographer imho is Ragubir Singh.

 

[jsrockit]

It would be unfair to call Alex Webb a 'color street photographer', because his images are highly complex and layered with compositions that are very difficult to achieve.

Why is it unfair? You are making like describing something as color street photography is detrimental to the work... it can be difficult and be color at the same time.

 

[Hsg]

Why is it unfair? You are making like describing something as color street photography is detrimental to the work... it can be difficult and be color at the same time.

Its unfair because some of his best images have very little color in them, like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip3Nd8iETOc

 

[jsrockit]

Its unfair because some of his best images have very little color in them, like: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ip3Nd8iETOc

But they are still color images... you guys over-think this stuff way too much.

 

[Dan Daniel]

But they are still color images... you guys over-think this stuff way too much.

Let's not confuse 'over-talking' with 'over-thinking.' 🙂

 

[Hsg]

But they are still color images... you guys over-think this stuff way too much.

That particular Alex Webb photo was shot on color film so you're correct.

Maybe I'm over-thinking this, maybe there is nothing wrong with being called a color street photographer... Thanks.