[Leica] IMGS: Ruby, Color and B&W

[steve.barbour at gmail.com (Steve Barbour)]

Steve Barbour


steve.barbour at gmail.com


On Dec 4, 2013, at 11:06 PM, <tedgrant at shaw.ca> <tedgrant at shaw.ca> 
wrote:

> Tina Manley SHOWED & SAID:
> Subject: [Leica] IMGS: Ruby, Color and B&W
> 
> 
>> Only one comment on the B&W Ruby so I'm posting the color one, too.   Two
>> cameras, two lenses, two films:
>> 
>> B&W:  http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/153623647
>> 
>> Color:  http://www.pbase.com/tinamanley/image/153633093
>> 
>> Both M6's, one 35 Summilux with TMax 400, one Noctilux with Fuji Provia 
>> 400.
> 
> Hi Tina,
> And dear lady where we members missed out in creating wonderful dialogue 
> with a picture situation as you've shown! A very powerful photo of the 
> climate in the USA in some areas of life.
> 
> I'm not claiming any whining reason why I didn't answer earlier.. it just 
> happened when receiving close to over a hundred or more e-mails "PER DAY!" 
> Whew.:-(
> 
> In any event you've thrown down the gauntlet I feel. My comment! :-)
> 
> The black & white is the power photo! WHY?
> Well quite simply, there isn't any colour to distract from this very 
> unfortunate lady's living situation. You also have a larger scene 
> enhancing the size of her day to day "bed location surroundings!" :-(  
> Bloody shame really in a country as powerful and wealthy as the USA! Don't 
> get twitchy folks we have similar situations right here in Canada. 
> Unfortunately! :-(
> 
> The colour image we can compare isn't as powerful as the B&W. It doesn't 
> cover the same amount of lens coverage that adds to the impact. The B&W 
> shows how large her area of living space is 24 hours day after day!! You 
> look closer in B&W! Why? Well you see every tiny thing of each character 
> in the photograph without one iota of colour distracting by each little 
> colour.
> 
> Sure it shows the colour effects, but the colours appear to clash with 
> each other and take away the powerful visual effect of B&W! Actually I 
> feel the colour "softens the visual power effect?" Certainly in this 
> situation?
> 
> Selecting an image for your project I'd be looking at shooting very nearly 
> all B&W without a thought of colour!  Just think about all the images from 
> Viet Nam? Then think about which ones depicted the horrors of war and life 
> day to day! The most memorable were in B&W! As is the case with this lady!
> 
> I will go back to my quotation:
> "When you photograph people in colour. You photograph their clothes. But 
> when you photograph people in B&W. You photograph their souls!" What we 
> see here is an absolute verification of that!

and here the more colorful the color, the more you see the color, and miss 
the picture.


Steve



> 
> I trust this gives you some solace as a comment?
> 
> cheers,
> Dr. ted :-)
> 
> 
> 
> 
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