Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/10/12

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Subject: [Leica] Black and White
From: pklein at 2alpha.net (Peter Klein)
Date: Wed Oct 12 00:42:13 2005

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


Replies: Reply from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Black and White)
Reply from images at InfoAve.Net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Black and White)