Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2013/12/04

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Subject: [Leica] IMGS: Ruby, Color and B&W
From: tedgrant at shaw.ca (tedgrant at shaw.ca)
Date: Wed, 4 Dec 2013 23:06:09 -0800
References: <CA+yJO1DUxbXT8xB_kpb4hiCcNKdwiTVdCZUzq7rtxoX+SPuFqw@mail.gmail.com>

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!

I trust this gives you some solace as a comment?

cheers,
Dr. ted :-)





Replies: Reply from steve.barbour at gmail.com (Steve Barbour) ([Leica] IMGS: Ruby, Color and B&W)
Reply from images at comporium.net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] IMGS: Ruby, Color and B&W)
In reply to: Message from images at comporium.net (Tina Manley) ([Leica] IMGS: Ruby, Color and B&W)