[Leica] Black and White

[ricc at mindspring.com (Ric Carter)]

As was said, color and B&W each have their uses. A mixture may be  
what is called for -- enough color shots to teach us the reality of  
their community. Then move on the B&W for the ones that must carry  
more undistracted subject emotion.

I still really like the color though.

Ric Carter



On Oct 12, 2005, at 3:50 PM, Tina Manley wrote:


> At 03:36 PM 10/12/2005, you wrote:
>
>
>> Tina, I prefer the color ones.  When I first looked I thought I'd  
>> like the BW because it's more "traditional" for this kind of work,  
>> but I think the color is important here.  First, it's how you  
>> "saw" the images when you were shooting, so it conveys some of  
>> your immediate response.  Second, people in this culture obviously  
>> use color to animate their lives.  It's totally a part of who they  
>> are.  And I agree with Luis that shooting in BW is diferent from  
>> shooting in color and converting later.  I don't think of color as  
>> arbitrary or capricious.  It's part of the form, IMO.
>>
>>
>
> I've heard this but I don't agree, for me anyway.  I don't think  
> there's any difference in seeing a scene in color and photographing  
> it in black and white and seeing a photo in color and converting it  
> to black and white.  I'm not thinking as I take the photo, "Well,  
> I've got black and white film in here so I'll photograph this scene  
> this way".  I'm only looking at the people and trying to capture an  
> emotion.  I don't usually pay any attention to the technical  
> details as I'm taking the photo - only to see that I've got enough  
> light to hold the camera steady.  That's just me and I know others  
> work entirely differently.  I'm just glad that with digital I have  
> a choice.
>
> I do agree that color is an important part of the Guatemalan  
> people's lives.  It always amazes me how beautiful and bright all  
> of those colors are when everything around them is dark and the  
> color of dirt.  But the colors are so bright and beautiful that  
> they overwhelm everything else.  If I were doing an article on  
> textiles and Guatemalan weavings, the photos would have to be in  
> color.  What I want viewers to notice in these photos is the family.
>
> Tina
>
> Tina Manley, ASMP
> http://www.tinamanley.com
>
>
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