True Colors; 2016, 2017
Photography was limited to black and white (or its toned equivalents) for its first 80 or so years. Even when color chemical processing became possible, "serious" photographers did not embrace it. There has been reluctance to respect color photography. This arises partly from broad admiration for the images of the great early photographers, who had no choice (Steiglitz, Steichen, Weston, Strand, Atget, for example), and from appreciation of the fine images of great later photographers who continued to work mainly in B&W even after they had a choice (Cartier-Bresson, Evans, Lange, Bourke-White, Winogrand, Karsch, Avedon, Adams, Arbus, for example).
There is still a sense that color only makes "pretty" images, calendar fare that can't be treated seriously. Landscapes that are pretty scenes (that, in addition, any smartphone can now take in small scale). Even when there is no antipathy to color, many viewers simply assume -- without even thinking about it -- that a B&W image is automatically entitled to more deference; their exposure to fine B&W images conditions them to assume that B&W is "serious" photography, and that the choice of working in B&W indicates greater talent and probably also pursuit of greater aesthetic "purity." These views thus reflect both the viewers' own conditioned assumptions about the images they see, and also their assumptions about the photographers' motivations and judgments.
Color does change perspective, and a good color photograph wouldn't necessarily be a good B&W, and vice-versa. To me, color is often another element that adds something altogether different in kind to an image. Here are a few examples, and in some of the coming posts I'll try to explain exactly what I mean. My work will be cut out for me, since first I'll have to figure out what color means to me in the photographic context. What makes color's contribution different? And is it really different in kind?
Scarves, Market Day, Tuscany, 2009
Buoys, Maui, 2016
Surfboard and Rainbow Palette, Maui, 2016
Glass Forms, Dale Chihuly, Seattle, 2016
Comments
After a lifetime of mainly expressing myself with words, my postings here will mainly rely on images. They will speak for themselves to some extent, but I'll usually add a few comments of explanation. I've taken photographs for decades, since the 1950's, inspired in part by my father's photographic skill. Four years of photo assignments and quality darkroom time eventually gave way to decades of casual and family picture-taking. I re-immersed myself when I left film and turned to digital.