Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2011/04/17

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Subject: [Leica] WAS: Barcelona in color NOW -- INDIA BOOKS & COLOUR.
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)
Date: Sun, 17 Apr 2011 09:14:18 -0700
References: <BANLkTimw-ABFB5jc=_VAa2FJMt8Y7SHCVw@mail.gmail.com> <2459FC5B-8477-4383-B4BC-F5438055DC77@gmail.com> <CABDEB99C29C4AC199EFEF09B637AA00@billHP> <7D70F1D8-F948-405A-A855-806652B82808@embarqmail.com> <BANLkTikM+u2SaiDXiN5VLAEBB4OiBr5JZw@mail.gmail.com> <5613FE77-8234-4497-AEC7-D68C03C74271@gmail.com> <BANLkTimVO_0UWg35uEBCQhAOC6uJii3wJQ@mail.gmail.com>

Jayanand OFFERED:
Subject: Re: [Leica] Barcelona in color
> Those were masters of the B&W era, they had to, by and large, make do
> without colour film. If you have not seen modern Indian masters, let me
> showcase a couple of homegrown products, both of whom I think can hold 
> their
> own anywhere. Firstly Raghu Rai, the most famous of the Indian 
> photographers
> - his best known photographs are of the Bhopal Gas Tragedy, Mother Teresa
> and Calcutta. Though he does take a lot of colour, it is these subjects 
> that
> stick in the mind, and all three, because of the horror, simplicity and
> grime respectively, suit B&W very well. Here are his Magnum portfolios:

Hi Jayanand,
Thank you for pointing out these photographers and books with their 
photography. I recall the  Bhopal tragedy but not with as many photographs 
as seen in the MAGNUM book.

The images in B&W are powerful in your face content! No distracting colour 
to take the viewer away from the content or soften the impact in some cases.
> Bhopal Gas Tragedy:
> http://www.magnumphotos.com/c.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.StoryDetail_VPage&pid=2TYRYDDG70XJ

Mother Teresa and Kolkata the B&W is once again powerful in your face 
images. Colour would most certainly have taken away some of the picture 
content impact certainly under the circumstances of the situations. These 
are not about the "Colours of India" as we see so often, but the tragedies 
of India.
> Mother Teresa:
> http://www.magnumphotos.com/c.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.BookDetail_VPage&pid=2K7O3R1H3PDJ
>
> Calcutta (or Kolkata as it is now):
> http://www.magnumphotos.com/c.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.BookDetail_VPage&pid=2K7O3R152K1Q

I had one of the toughest moments in my photographic life when a young 
Chernobyl boy died as the camera went click! I couldn't contain myself and 
cried quite openly as I stepped into the hall of the hospital in St. 
Petersburg while shooting a documentary on the Russian medical profession 
and the human after effects of the Chernobyl disaster!

My accompanying female doctor put her arms around me and held me while I 
stood there bawling. To this day and as I sit here typing tears well in my 
eyes. It's as moving today as it was in the moment of reality as the doctor 
looked at me, shook her head gently indicating the boy had died.

However this Indian child, eyes wide open in death is so moving, it too 
shakes one's soul with such great emotion! I can honestly say, "I'm glad I 
didn't take this one!" Once again colour would distract from this image 
because our eyes would see the colour of her eyes or clothing and dirt. 
These becoming a distraction from the reality that this is a human child.

> One of the single most horrifying photographs I have ever seen, it sends
> goose pimples up my skin even today, I would guess mainly because I grew 
> up
> in Bhopal in the 1960s and early 1970s:
> http://hotparade.tumblr.com/post/3521577334/raghu-rai-burial-of-an-unknown-child-the

Now we have an entirely different photo approach and it truly is about 
colour without question! One would be a fool to even consider using B&W 
under this production while concentrating on the "Colours of India!"
> The other photographer is the late Raghubir Singh, who is a maestro of
> colour, and fittingly enough, his best book is called "River of Colour",
> which shows India in all its diversity, and is a natural for the colour
> medium:
>
> http://www.raghubirsingh.com/home_en.php

Cheers
ted. 



Replies: Reply from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] WAS: Barcelona in color NOW -- INDIA BOOKS & COLOUR.)
In reply to: Message from lrzeitlin at gmail.com (Lawrence Zeitlin) ([Leica] Barcelona in color)
Message from steve.barbour at gmail.com (Steve Barbour) ([Leica] Barcelona in color)
Message from billcpearce at cox.net (Bill Pearce) ([Leica] Barcelona in color)
Message from ricc at embarqmail.com (Ric Carter) ([Leica] Barcelona in color)
Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Barcelona in color)
Message from lluisripollquerol at gmail.com (Lluis Ripoll) ([Leica] Barcelona in color)
Message from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Barcelona in color)