Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/10/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Tina: I think I see the dilemma. I usually prefer B&W for people pictures and color for nature pictures. But in this case, it gets complicated. I think it has to do with the fact that the people and location and clothing are "exotic" from a N. American/European frame of reference, and the colors convey part of that exoticism. These people wear lots of bright colors together, and those sometimes clashing colors are part of this place.. As are the muted colors of the interiors, the pots, etc. Take that away, and we are losing something. The question is whether that focuses us more on the people, or just takes away information. It may also be that once we've seen the colors, the B&W seems somehow less, but if we hadn't seen them in the first place, the B&W would be equally evocative to us. I also agree with Alastair's comments about different color balances in a series can be a problem. But I wonder whether this is real, or merely propaganda placed in our minds by digital marketers trying to kill film :-) Different light has different qualities, including color, and I think that warm light in particular shouldn't always be fully "corrected" to be correct. These two work equally well for me, but I like the color better. http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50607334 http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50600999 In this pair, I mostly see the eyes and the hat in the B&W. I see those in the color one as well, but the coiled braided thing in her hand keeps grabbing my attention. Also, the shadow noise on her chin bothers me more in color than B&W. I think I'd probably use the B&W picture. Yet, I really like the colors, distractions and all. http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50607338 http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50601003 Now in this pair, I could use either. I just can't decide. Slight edge to the B&W because of noise, but the color works if you lose the red at the very top. Then it becomes a very nice color scheme. The B&W picture looks like it was taken many years ago. The color picture looks more like it was taken somewhere far away, but today. Either way, this is a *very* soulful picture. http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50607337 http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50601002 The colors are a bit of a riot, so I consider these two very different pictures. I like the colors very much, but I pay more attention to the face in the B&W. http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50607344 http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50601009 This one, B&W. The colors are just all over the place, the little girl's expression is important. I'd crop out the dress (?) on the right. http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50607359 http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/50601022 And I could go on, but I think you get the point. Uncle Ted's addage about clothes and souls only partially applies. The colors are part of the sense of place. Here there is a soulfulness in the faces that comes through better in the color some of the time. It may just have to do with those bronze skins and dark brown eyes creating their own duotones, but I really feel it. Maybe you could use a combination--color for general scenes and 2-3 people, B&W for the up-close and personal, or where the clashing color is too distracting. They are beautiful people. I hope they're OK. --Peter