Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/10/12

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Subject: RE: [Leica] Color v Black and White
From: tedgrant@islandnet.com (Ted Grant)
Date: Mon, 12 Oct 1998 12:28:14 -0700

B. D. Colen wrote:

>>>>>>But I know that I have always felt that Black and White has far more
>>>>>>emotional impact than color.>>>>>>

Hi BD,

Like you, I too grew-up and learned my photography in the B&W world,
primarly as a news paper photographer where B&W was all there was.  Then
gradually I moved into more and more colour, but the one thing I never did
leave was my B&W roots.

I've always felt Colour is Sensual. Where B&W is Intellectual. It shows
much more of the innerself of the subject than colour.  If we consider that
when we photograph people in colour, we photograph their clothes. But when
we photograph people in B&W, we photograph their souls! It might give
greater meaning to the emotional aspect of B&W over colour.

Now it isn't always cut and dried as that!  However, I would like to give
this as an example:

A portrait studio in London stopped shooting colour and switched to B&W
only. They built their promotion on B&W as it shows the inner self of the
subject, placed beautiful portraits in their windows and doubled their
prices!

Bottom line?  They doubled their business in 3 months and in 6 months they
increased their prices to see what would happen. It just got better! :)

So, somewhere along the line there is something special about B&W that
people of the colour generations relate to to-day, that they didn't when
colour was the
"be all to end all medium!"  Maybe they understand the revealing of the
"inner self" in a more meaningful way than some photographers of the day.

I feel it comes back to, "When you photograph people in colour, you
photograph their clothes!" Making it senual instead of revealing the inner
self of B&W.

And yes folks.....it doesn't "ALWAYS APPLY!" :)

Hopefully by recognizing "it doesn't always apply" might save a few from
getting their knickers in a knot and taking me to task for "generalizing"
the subject!:)
ted