RE: [Leica] Colour photography (was Eggleston)

["B. D. Colen" <bdcolen@earthlink.net>]

Rob- As has been said here more than once, with black and white you see the
subject; with color you see the subject's clothing.

I tend to find color distracting for PJ and documentary work. It does
isolate the subject matter, the form, the composition. Color simply looks
"wrong" to me for this kind of photography. But then, I grew up with black
and white television, and went into mourning the day the NY Times printed
its first page one color photo. :-)

B. D.

- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
[mailto:owner-leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us]On Behalf Of Robert
Appleby and Susan Darlow
Sent: Friday, February 18, 2000 7:05 PM
To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us
Subject: [Leica] Colour photography (was Eggleston)


Colour seems still to be a problem in some circles. B+W gives things a kind
of spurious seriousness (a kind of "this is _real_ reportage" thing) and
many photographers (including the mighty HCB) have inveighed against the
use of colour in photography. This attitude is still around, as evidenced
by the fact (for instance) that _all_ the recent winners of the MoJO
Photofund competition submitted portfolios in B+W. It is striking how many
of the "great" photojournalists, even recent ones, work in B+W in
preference to colour. There is definitely a cultural bias in this direction.
I wonder why it is that so many people say that B+W concentrates on the
essential, formal aspect of things and colour is somehow distracting?
Surely colour is a formal parameter as well, as well as being native to our
way of seeing things. It also renders the mood of the light in a way that
B+W does not, I think.
Of course, B+W is very _convenient_! It would be great if therre was a
slide film with the latitude of triX...
Personally, from what I remember of it, I liked Eggleston's stuff and, in
the documentary realm, I think that Falkland Road represents a high mark in
photojournalism per se which even MEM has not achieved since. Does anybody
here know of the work of Gianfranco Ghirri, a northern Italian photographer
who shot colour? Extraordinary sensitivity to light.
As a final remark, I have to say that I'm amazed by the intolerance for
other people's achievements and convictions eviddenced here and on the LEG.
Truly amazing and amusing.
All for now,
Rob.
Robert Appleby and Sue Darlow
Via Bellentani 36
41100 Modena
Italy
Tel/fax [39] 059 303436