Thursday, February 9, 2012

Down the street

On a street in Brooklyn on New Year's Eve.





Or, do you like the photo better in black and white? Comments please!






What "school of thought" do you follow anyways? Is there street photography in color at all? Or can street photography only be "real" in black and white? 

To be honest: It does depend for me. Some photos will shine in color and others will only really be pretty - and timeless - in black and white. But timeless is not for everyone and everything. 

This photo here, for example, I like in both variations. I made the black and white with the chanellmixer in Photoshop CS 5, simulating an orange filter. This made the background in the light brighten um and the boy stood out clearly. He wears black and his neck is "white", he walks in the shade on the sidewalk, while the background lies in bright morning light.

In the color photo, though, he stands out not so much because of the brightness and darkness, but because he is black infront of a very colorful background. He is neat and clearly cut out whilte he background is colorful and sparkling and glistening and everything.

How ever: The boy is at home in this Brooklyn neighborhood, nonetheless the surroundings and him are a contrasting setting. He is timeless withing a modern setting that only cares for popping colors, flashing and sparkling.

This situation was worth a couple of photos for me. More will follow at some point.



1 comment:

  1. I'm generally a color person, but I think this image works better in black and white.

    The color version is dominated by the large out-of-focus orange object in the background. Combined with the other colors out there, the image becomes about what the boy is apparently looking at. It's also a busy image.

    The black and white version strips the color distractions away and places the focus completely on the boy. There's even the illusion that the depth of field is shallower. I feel that makes it a quiet and introspective image, about the existence and possible state of mind of the boy.

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