Color or B&W? (8/08/08)
The question of color or black & white is on the table once again . . . my personal feeling is that while there are some photographs that work better in color, in general I prefer the abstraction of black and white, which puts more emphasis on shape, form, texture, light and shadow. I’ve posted here some of the images from Broadway that didn’t work as well in black and white– there are color elements crucial to the representation. In the Broadway series, there are many images that work either way, but I’ve only shown them in black and white until now, as a matter of consistency. Broadway in color
I am having the same struggle myself, it seems that color makes things more real and even dates the image whereas the b&w gives more of a timelessness. But the color works for me because it goes against my grain and I have to work harder to give it a timeless quality.
The images above are about the colors. The stop sign in particular would lose its impact without color…everything else is already muted in blues and greys. The original artwork in the top two photos were meant to be seen in color.
I think with regard to the rest of them you have done a good job choosing which should be which. Portraits in black and white are almost always nice that way. These aren’t timeless images – they have a time frame. They are an experience meant to be seen in a time frame. By the way, as for the top one here…nice touch with the lower torso, as it gives some tension and size perspective that would not otherwise be there.
A lot of people tried to get those timeless images at the Redbird powwow by translating to black and white. The trouble is that anyone who knows native regalia can take a quick glance and see that it’s an artisit’s interpretation, because the materials used for regalia change and patterns change and you can’t take a modern fancy dancer and succesfully make them timeless to anyone who knows what they are looking at.
Thanks Corina, you are right on with your comments. I appreciate the feedback. I would also add that NativeAmerican regalia is so colorful, and the colors are likely symbolic, so that would add to the significance of leaving the images in color . . .