[Leica] Asking your preferences

[tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)]

Lluis Ripoll ASKED:
Subject: [Leica] Asking your preferences


> I'm not decided if B&W or Color for these couple of pictures, your 
> opinions and c&c will help, thank you very much in advance
>
> These with M8, Summilux 75
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Barcelona/L1018464BWS.jpg.html
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Barcelona/L1018464w.jpg.html
>
>
> These with M8, Tri Elmar
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Barcelona/L1018430w.jpg.html
>
> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/luisrq/Barcelona/L1018430BWSw.jpg.html<<<<<<<

Bon jour Lluis,

The preference, colour or B&W? And which do you like? Is probably the most 
difficult to answer in many cases. Very tough when the viewer can see both 
pictures side by side. Obviously due to the replies by LUG members where 
some strongly prefer colour over B&W and the next member in reverse.

Rarely if ever, do I put myself in this "challenging position" simply 
because it can be very difficult. In my case where a great deal of my career 
was shooting B&W. I basically "grew-up" with the great B&W magazines of long 
ago. As well as shooting thousands up on thousands rolls of B&W film on my 
assigned documentaries. My medical books, all shot in B&W because the 
"content of each photograph had to be the power of the picture!" Not the 
colour.

I have gone back & forth with these two situations a half dozen times if not 
more. On one pass I'll say "B&W!"  On the next pass I reverse my feelings 
completely! :-( An internal battle. :-)

The colour 8430, ladies at lunch, the flair is certainly a distraction 
creating  negative feeling. The B&W without the flair is wonderful and a 
feeling of the magazines of yesterday. However? If the flair were not 
affecting our seeing in colour? How then would we judge it? Stronger due to 
the warmth of the red's and sunlight and the content realism of life?

Once again another look, block the flair with my hand, it appears better and 
would certainly have a greater impact. But the b&w grabs you and holds you 
to keep looking. The ladies appear to create a frame for the life behind 
them.
So without question it's B&W for me.

8464 BWS:
Right away I have to go colour! WHY? Because the B&W is dark with a "not 
nice feeling about it." Or maybe it's the look on the ladies face? Creepy 
looking? It doesn't have a happy face feeling to it. Maybe just because the 
over all photograph is.... "too dark?

But in colour it has life, the colours all seem to be ... "Life is alright 
here."  Even the dark areas have life to them with the colour compared to 
the B&W. Where the darkened areas in B&W almost make the picture morbid 
looking.

There now  did I describe it correctly on an overall C&C! :-)

cheers,
ted