[Leica] What are the most important aspects of a photographic image?

[pklein at threshinc.com (Peter Klein)]

I think a lot of the B&W vs. color thing is generational. And it boils
down to what type of photography you saw the most when you came of age. 
Just as the pop music we grew up with is always the most special to us.

Case in point:  Most Russian and Eastern European immigrants I know who
are in their 40s tend to prefer B&W photography.  Most Americans I know of
that age (outside of photo nuts such as ourselves) tend to prefer color.

If you know the "language," B&W can be more powerful and expressive. But
the world is in color, so it will seem more "real" to people mostly
exposed to color photography.

I'm sure the folks at Turner Broadcasting did not "colorize" all those
classic B&W movies because they were mustache-twirling villians.  They did
so because they believed more younger people in their target demographics
would watch the movies in color.

I prefer B&W for most "people pictures," but I was born in 1953, read
"Life," loved HCB, and developed and printed my own B&W starting in about
1969.  I didn't own a color TV set until I was about 30.  And I spent much
of January 1 happily watching a "Twilight Zone" marathon in B&W.

Submitted.... for your approval...
--Peter


On Jan 4, 2011, at 12:58 PM, Alan Magayne-Roshak wrote:

> I think photography has always been about paring down reality, selecting
> from the whole world in front of that lens, that which is most relevant
> for that image, to put in the frame, and eliminating whatever is
> superfluous.
>
> Sometimes, color is superfluous.


> Well said Alan.
> And the same can be said of each visual art, in both 2 and 3 dimensional
> work;
> and with slight variation of: music and literature as well.

> Essence, essential, eloquence, etc.

> Regards,
> George Lottermoser