Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/01/04

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Subject: [Leica] What are the most important aspects of a photographic image?
From: steve.barbour at gmail.com (Steve Barbour)
Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2011 12:04:17 -0800
References: <139422.56031.qm@web52807.mail.re2.yahoo.com>

On Jan 4, 2011, at 10:31 AM, R. Clayton McKee wrote:

> 
> --- On Tue, 1/4/11, Steve Barbour <steve.barbour at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> 
>> I don't think this is true George....clearly color should
>> be used, "if it's about color" but "if the image depends on
>> color (only) to make its impact, then it's largely lost"...
>> 
>> 
>> is this not basically correct?  If it's not correct,
>> why?
> 
> Because aside from a personal aesthetic choice by the photographer, 
> there's no longer any reason why the default for an image SHOULD be B&W.

I agree, in fact,  why should the default be color,  OR why have a default ?

> 
> The majority of the population DOES see color, and in terms of publication 
> the B&W image was most likely initially captured as a color version.  So 
> there's absolutely no reason to consider the use of color as anything 
> except another tool in the photographic box.


***so if color is another tool,  (a concept with which  I can easily agree), 
then it may be used if it adds power/meaning/something to the image, or not 
used if it detracts from the image...


which is what many of us subscribe to...
>  
> 
> Every week we see dozen of photographs come through the saloon... ordinary 
> photographs of ordinary people doing ordinary things, elevated to the 
> status of extraordinary because the person behind the camera was able to 
> use the light, or the contrast, or the composition of the photo, or the 
> HDR capability of digital imaging, to make those shots into something more.
> Probably 95% of those shots, if we took away the tool upon which they 
> depend for their impact, would not be worth a first look, never mind a 
> second.
> 
> Why is it any LESS legitimate to allow the use of color as simply another 
> of those tools for creating effective photos?


yes...above***


so we agree, Steve


> 
> 
> R. Clayton McKee
> PhotoJournalist
> from somewhere just south of somewhere else...
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
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In reply to: Message from rcmphoto at yahoo.com (R. Clayton McKee) ([Leica] What are the most important aspects of a photographic image?)