An argument for color in street photography---

[Photomike]

vs the pervasive use of black & white in this medium.

I love street photography, but I sometimes get the impression that people automatically revert to B/W because it is expected. The link below is to my street photography photos, all shot in color. I think very few of them would have benefited from converting to B/W. But I would be interested in others opinions. Brutal honestly is encouraged. Thanks.

Michael
http://mlunceford.smugmug.com/galler...9_Xegx7#P-1-16

[kenw]

nice work and i highly agree. B&W is often over-used, and too often people nod in emptyheaded agreement.. "If it is in B&W, it must be art..."

however it has a place, just as color has a place. Each image must be judged on individual merit and then taken as a whole.

I think your examples support the color aspect quite well.

[JohnT]

I think you have some good stuff there, and the color works. Admittedly, I feel like my eyes could use a good sanitizing after looking at a couple of them (LOL), but you captured what I guess is the modern-day Austin culture. I haven't been down there in almost 20 years, and things look like they've really changed.

BTW, welcome to TPF!

[Dobick]

First of all, welcome to the board!

You've got some real gems in the collection.

My personal opinion is that when the color gets in the way of the emotion or the moment, then it should be discarded. On a few of your shots, the color made a busy scene even more-so. If that was the intent, then very nicely done. I like what you are presenting here. Lot's to look at and if it was a show with 20-25 pieces, there would be a lot to discuss!

Good stuff

[zerovision]

I don't see anything wrong with leaving them in color. Most of the time I have a preference of color over b/w, but possible improvements I see is cropping. To each his own, and your style might be to include a lot of the crowd, but on some, if you cropped a little and gave the picture a little more contrast, maybe some dodging and burning, I think there are several pics that would really pop.

Example: Man sitting on metal bench reading the newspaper. If you cropped out the other guy and the tree so the man is off center, but making sure you leave the pots in the picture, and then used the Kevin Kubota "Lord of the Rings" (contrast, saturation, etc.) action in Photoshop, this would add some depth to the image.

Not sure if you are familiar with Kevin Kubota, if not, www.kubotaimagetools.com

Other than that, I saw some images that I would consider b/w just to give the image a more rugged look to it.

[Photomike]

Hi Ken,

Thank you for your comments. I am definitely not anti B/W. It is an elegant medium. Probably if I were better at it I would do it. But in the meantime, since I see the world in color, I am content to photograph in color. Perhaps down the road---

Regards,
Michael

[Photomike]

Hi John,

Thank you for your comments and for the welcome. Sorry if I offended your eyeballs with some of the --- more risque shots? I debated with myself about including them and decided if this is what I had observed on the streets of Austin, who am I to censor it. If you have a good eye sanitizing method let me know, and I will pass it on to others who have the same reaction. Take care.

Regards,
Michael

[Photomike]

Hi Kent,

Thank you for the welcome and the comments. It is true that in some of the shots the background is just as important (to me) as the subject. I could call it a quasi-eastern meditational view supporting the notion that we are not really separate from our environment. But that sounds a bit stuffy. I guess I would just say that both are interesting, and even more so in their relationship to each other. Of course, this could be bogus, and you are invited to further explore this concept with me (if it is even of interest to you). Thanks for replying to my post.

Regards,
Michael

[Teddington]

You make a valid point. Having said that, your style seems to incorporate color as a key design element in most of them and that would be lost in a B&W conversion. Welcome to our group and keep on sharing. You have a nice eye tho' many of the shots make me wonder how intrusive you may be at times. Few if any of these shots look like they were taken with the permission, or most times, knowledge of the subject. That can be dangerous to you and your equipment and, tho less physically painful, open yourself to potential legal action for posting clearly recognizable images on a public venue.

[Photomike]

Hi Kyle,

Thank you for your comments. They are very provocative and have given me a different perspective with which to look at my photos. I am going to respond to them not as a rebuttal, but hopefully to stimulate more conversation (assuming you even care to).

Re: Cropping. I am sure that you are correct at least on some of the pics. I suspect most pictures by amateurs like myself can benefit from cropping. I am going to look at the specific shot you mentioned and try your ideas out. (But not tonight.) I will say that there are a few shots that cropping would be logical, but that I decided not to because I thought the surrounding space added to the feeling of city life (you know, aloneness, etc). This may be bogus, and I'm going to look at them more severely after reading your post.

Re: Kevin Kubuta's "Lord of the Rings" Photoshop action; I am not familiar with this action, but I can imagine how it would look. My feelings about actions is that you should learn how the effect was done and do it yourself. (This is one of those do as I say, not as I do statements.) As a former musician, I found that it was very helpful to imitate what another musician was doing because it was a learning experience that opened up, and expanded my own playing. But I did not have the option of clicking a button to get the same effect. I had to learn the technique, which invariably was translated to my own interpretation. It is one thing to learn a method of photoshop and apply it with your own sensibilities. It is another to simply apply an action with the click of a button. The latter will give you imitation. The former will yield original interpretation.

Thank you again for your stimulating comments.

Regards,
Michael

[Photomike]

Originally Posted by Teddington

You make a valid point. Having said that, your style seems to incorporate color as a key design element in most of them and that would be lost in a B&W conversion. Welcome to our group and keep on sharing. You have a nice eye tho' many of the shots make me wonder how intrusive you may be at times. Few if any of these shots look like they were taken with the permission, or most times, knowledge of the subject. That can be dangerous to you and your equipment and, tho less physically painful, open yourself to potential legal action for posting clearly recognizable images on a public venue.

Hi Terry,

Thank you for your comments and for the welcome. Your comment about incorporating color as a key design element is spot on, and you are right in that my attempts to convert to B/W seemed much less interesting. I wasn't sure if this was a reflection of my lack of skill at B/W conversion, or the nature of the photographs. But you seem to support my color argument.

You are not right, however, about the need to get permission to photograph in a public space. This is a popular misconception. (Have you read the "photographers rights" thread on this forum?) Anyone occupying a public space is free to be photographed without legal repercussion. How you use that photograph may put you in jeopardy, but not the actual taking of the picture. You are free to use the photo for artistic purpose, which means that you can even sell it for art, and you can use it for educational/photojournalistic purpose, which means it can be printed. But you cannot use it for commercial purpose such as in a product ad.

Thanks again for your comments.

Regards,
Michael

[venchka]

The pages of the Rangefinder Forum are filled with great color photos taken on streets all around the globe. Many of the best (to my eyes) are taken after dark. With the obsolete sensor material even. Mostly with ancient manual focus lenses.

Keep shooting in color. Toss in some B&W to break the monotony.

Converting color to black and white is nothing at all like seeing in black and white. Try it. You might like it. Does your camera have a black and white switch?

[Photomike]

Hi Wayne,

Thanks for responding. I think your idea to toss in some B/W photos is a good one. I did try a couple once, but thought they seemed out of place. Maybe I will try again.

Regards,
Michael

[JohnT]

Originally Posted by Photomike

Hi John,

Thank you for your comments and for the welcome. Sorry if I offended your eyeballs with some of the --- more risque shots? I debated with myself about including them and decided if this is what I had observed on the streets of Austin, who am I to censor it. If you have a good eye sanitizing method let me know, and I will pass it on to others who have the same reaction. Take care.

Regards,
Michael

It isn't that I was necessarily offended; I just don't find men in bikinis/thongs attractive; hence, the eyeball washing. As for censorship, you hold the copyright so you have the right to censor at your own discretion IMO.

Still, nice street shots.

[tahcoboy]

I fully agree, I LOVE color. B&W is over hyped/used. I will only do B&W if i am trying to imitate photos from pre-color photography.