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B+W (again?)

Started by ABERS, July 08, 2013, 07:58:18 AM

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ABERS

Reading an article about the this year's Arles Exhibition which apparently comprises mainly monochrome images, it posed the following question.

'Is black-and-white photography today realism or fiction, poetry, abstraction or pure nostalgia?'

Surely it's all of those things to a greater or lesser extent, as is all photography.

What do you think?

Graham

  Well yes, I suppose it's all of those things and probably a few others as well.
  I'm really not sure about nostalgia though. Like a good many no doubt, I have suitcases full of old b&w family snaps. But they are b&w because that is all that was realistically available at the time.
  That does lead me to wonder, if when photography was invented, colour processes were available and viable from the start, would black and white imagery ever have existed?
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day.
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. 

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Oldboy

Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

Graham

Quote from: Oldboy on July 08, 2013, 08:45:06 PM
Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

  That's a good point Oldboy.
Build a man a fire and he'll be warm for a day.
Set a man on fire and he'll be warm for the rest of his life. 

My Gallery
My Flickr Pics

spinner

Quote from: Graham on July 09, 2013, 07:05:41 AM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 08, 2013, 08:45:06 PM
Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

  That's a good point Oldboy.

And he can make that point, because, well, he's Old. What's a newspaper?? :legit:
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Ol' blue eyes

http://ddsdigita4.wix.com/ddsdigital
https://www.flickr.com/photos/spin498/

Oldboy

Quote from: spinner on July 09, 2013, 11:59:50 PM
Quote from: Graham on July 09, 2013, 07:05:41 AM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 08, 2013, 08:45:06 PM
Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

  That's a good point Oldboy.

And he can make that point, because, well, he's Old. What's a newspaper?? :legit:

What you use to wipe your bottom on when you ran out of/or couldn't afford loo roll.   :-* :P

Reinardina

For me, I fear, B&W photography is very much a nostalgia thing. Or is it?
To be honest, I'm not quite sure.

B&W photographs remind me of a very happy childhood, but also 'takes me back' further into the past; into the worlds of my parents and grandparents.
A longing for a slower, rose tinted past? Possibly, even though I know very well, it wasn't that rose tinted.

But also, I have always been fascinated by B&W studio shots, portraits in particular. The 'glamour portraits' of Hollywood greats and other 'chelebs' of the time, seem timeless and ageless, and often much more beautiful than a modern colour photograph.

Hope I make sense.
__________________
Reinardina.

Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye.
Shakespeare. (Love's Labours Lost.)

spinner

Quote from: Oldboy on July 10, 2013, 07:26:38 AM
Quote from: spinner on July 09, 2013, 11:59:50 PM
Quote from: Graham on July 09, 2013, 07:05:41 AM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 08, 2013, 08:45:06 PM
Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

  That's a good point Oldboy.

And he can make that point, because, well, he's Old. What's a newspaper?? :legit:

What you use to wipe your bottom on when you ran out of/or couldn't afford loo roll.   :-* :P

Before or after you ate your Fish & Chips? ;D
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Ol' blue eyes

http://ddsdigita4.wix.com/ddsdigital
https://www.flickr.com/photos/spin498/

Oldboy

Quote from: spinner on July 10, 2013, 01:09:46 PM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 10, 2013, 07:26:38 AM
Quote from: spinner on July 09, 2013, 11:59:50 PM
Quote from: Graham on July 09, 2013, 07:05:41 AM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 08, 2013, 08:45:06 PM
Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

  That's a good point Oldboy.

And he can make that point, because, well, he's Old. What's a newspaper?? :legit:

What you use to wipe your bottom on when you ran out of/or couldn't afford loo roll.   :-* :P

Before or after you ate your Fish & Chips? ;D

After. You needed the grease to help it slide between the cheeks!  ::)

Matthew

#9
Haha!  :2funny: Good ol' newspaper...couldn't do that these days, them polystyrene trays dont half chafe.. :dance:

Going back to the question though, I think B&W is a bit of everything, but personally I think nowadays it tends to lean toward art or to pick an option from that original question "poetry". There seems to be a lot of creative avenues that have sprouted from plain old mono like "colour popping", adding different hues, sepia.....infra red possibly?....

The creative boundaries have been extended also in the way subjects are shot/set up.

Forgive my generalisation here, but if you asked me a few years ago what constituted a black and white shot, I would think of the pages in a travel journal showing pictures of the indeginous population of some remote tribe, historical photo's of days gone by or old castles.

Nowadays you see it applied to fashion shoots, abstract shots of modern architecture and more.
Never argue with a stupid person, they'll drag you down to their level and beat you with experience.

ABERS

#10
This started with the Arles 2013 event and looking at the reports on the Guardian web site you can see perhaps how the original comment in the article that I read came about'

There are two items, both worth a look.

The first comprises an introduction to the event and two photographers talking about their work. Interesting if somewhat pretentious (what's new). The first 20 secs or so of the piece is some form of advertising, so be patient. The whole piece last 6mins 28 secs.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/video/2013/jul/08/rencontres-arles-photo-2013-video

The second is a selection of 14 B+W shots from the event. My favourite is the Tightrope Walker, simple and striking.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/artanddesign/gallery/2013/jul/03/arles-recontres-2013-photography-best-pictures#/?picture=412031867&index=0

Have a butchers.

P.s. Re the bloke who messes with black and white portraits, I managed something somewhat similar some time ago.



:tup:

Reinardina

The Tightrope Walker is indeed striking, but my favourite is Sergio Larrain's Passage Bavestrello, Valparaiso, Chile (1952).
Pure nostalgia in this case, I fear!
__________________
Reinardina.

Beauty is bought by judgment of the eye.
Shakespeare. (Love's Labours Lost.)

spinner

Quote from: Oldboy on July 10, 2013, 04:13:46 PM
Quote from: spinner on July 10, 2013, 01:09:46 PM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 10, 2013, 07:26:38 AM
Quote from: spinner on July 09, 2013, 11:59:50 PM
Quote from: Graham on July 09, 2013, 07:05:41 AM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 08, 2013, 08:45:06 PM
Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

  That's a good point Oldboy.

And he can make that point, because, well, he's Old. What's a newspaper?? :legit:

What you use to wipe your bottom on when you ran out of/or couldn't afford loo roll.   :-* :P

Before or after you ate your Fish & Chips? ;D

After. You needed the grease to help it slide between the cheeks!  ::)

You win, that mental picture stopped me in my tracks.  :2funny:
And more, much more than this, I did it my way
Ol' blue eyes

http://ddsdigita4.wix.com/ddsdigital
https://www.flickr.com/photos/spin498/

Oldboy

Quote from: spinner on July 11, 2013, 04:07:36 PM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 10, 2013, 04:13:46 PM
Quote from: spinner on July 10, 2013, 01:09:46 PM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 10, 2013, 07:26:38 AM
Quote from: spinner on July 09, 2013, 11:59:50 PM
Quote from: Graham on July 09, 2013, 07:05:41 AM
Quote from: Oldboy on July 08, 2013, 08:45:06 PM
Yes. B & W exists in the painting world like pencil drawing, Charcoal drawing and pen and black ink. The great masters used both methods but their clients prefered colour to B & W. Also, lots of early photographs were B & W because the Newspapers used lots of photos but could only print in B & W so, not much point using colour film.  :doh:

  That's a good point Oldboy.

And he can make that point, because, well, he's Old. What's a newspaper?? :legit:

What you use to wipe your bottom on when you ran out of/or couldn't afford loo roll.   :-* :P

Before or after you ate your Fish & Chips? ;D

After. You needed the grease to help it slide between the cheeks!  ::)

You win, that mental picture stopped me in my tracks.  :2funny:
:2funny: :2funny: :2funny:

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