Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2014/11/07

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Subject: [Leica] Street photography in B&W?
From: ric at cartersxrd.net (RicCarter)
Date: Fri, 7 Nov 2014 23:52:52 -0500
References: <8D1C8E53B4EBF1E-1E90-6FDD@webmail-vm042.sysops.aol.com> <CA+yJO1CKTsJxy10_e00t4ng07ozQ-LSEMJdab=f0phHPNj_sCw@mail.gmail.com>

I have finally reached this conclusion:

There is no more bullshit photographic question than "Which is more [insert 
whatever term you like here], black & white or color?"

Very quickly, it descends into "Real photographers shoot black & white," 
which I have now come to regard as a personal insult.

Each of us has our own preferences. None of them is founded in anything 
other than opinion and personal taste.

I'll do a little self examination to investigate if I do color because it is 
"easy." 

Jay, who himself asked the original question, is an excellent street shooter 
and uses mostly color. The world is full of excellent color street 
photography. Is B&W the "fashion" of the field is a different question.

You trying to stir up something, Jay? ;^)

Sorry to be grumpy. I'll now try to go back to remaining quiet when color or 
black & white questions arise here.

Ric Carter
www.CartersXRd.net
http://www.facebook.com/ric.carter

?When you don?t shoot color, you don?t have to worry about color.? ? Jay 
Hunter


> On Nov 7, 2014, at 10:51 PM, Tina Manley <tmanley at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> I may be an old fogie past my prime,  but I still prefer B&W to color in
> almost all photos of people and in quite a few more also.  Just because
> color is possible and easy doesn't mean it's always the best choice!
> 
> Tina
> 
> On Fri, Nov 7, 2014 at 4:02 PM, Larry Zeitlin via LUG <lug at 
> leica-users.org>
> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> An ancillary question - does a good "street" photographer only shoot B&W,
>> i.e ?is infra dig? :-)
>> 
>> Cheers
>> Jayanand
>> 
>> 
>> - - - -
>> That's a very interesting question. In my post retirement career as an art
>> and photo show reviewer I find relatively few "street photos" exhibited 
>> but
>> virtually all are in B&W. There is a feeling amongst show curators and
>> jurists that B&W photos are more immediate and authentic. Of course most 
>> of
>> these guys are 60 years old or older and are familiar with wartime
>> pictures, the police shots of WeeGee, and the stuff that was popularized 
>> in
>> the older photo magazines. Naturally, any picture taken with a cell phone
>> cannot be true "street photography."?Color pictures seem to be too
>> processed to be true street photography.?
>> 
>> 
>> I remember the outrage in the LUG several years ago when I criticized Dr.
>> Ted's assertion that B&W had more impact than color in depicting scenes of
>> trauma. I wonder how people will feel about it after a couple of
>> generations of digital camera use and the ubiquity of cell phones. Come on
>> guys. Regardless of the Leica Monochrom, color has won the imaging battle.
>> And it will be true as well in street photography after all the mossbacks
>> have passed on.
>> Larry Z ?
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> Leica Users Group.
>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> -- 
> Tina Manley
> www.tinamanley.com
> tina-manley.artistwebsites.com
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Leica Users Group.
> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information



Replies: Reply from jayanand at gmail.com (Jayanand Govindaraj) ([Leica] Street photography in B&W?)
Reply from philippe.amard at sfr.fr (Philippe) ([Leica] Street photography in B&W?)
Reply from tedgrant at shaw.ca (Ted Grant) ([Leica] Street photography in B&W?)
In reply to: Message from lrzeitlin at aol.com (lrzeitlin at aol.com) ([Leica] Street photography in B&W?)
Message from tmanley at gmail.com (Tina Manley) ([Leica] Street photography in B&W?)