The introduction to 'Part Three: Colour' points out an obvious missing fundamental in early photographic technology - the ability to reproduce colour. The exercises and assignment in this section will, no doubt, be looking at various aspects of both colour and black and white photography and build upon the concepts of composition already looked at in the first two parts.
The restricted palette of early photography was undoubtedly a frustration to the photographers of the time, but it allowed them to concentrate on composition, form, light and tone in their images.
I'm sure that I'll have chance to make more observations relating to colour v. black & white throughout this section of the course, but thought I'd add a few thoughts of my own after reading the introduction.
Two of Sasha's images appear to the left. As with other good black & white images the lack of colour, far from detracting, helps to focus the viewer's attention on the subject matter and can go some way to removing distracting and cluttered backgrounds.
Although I prefer to (or just do?) take most of my images with a coloured final image in mind I have, since starting the course, taken quite a few images where at the point of composition and capture, I've decided that the final result will be a black and white / monochrome image. That said, all of my 'photographs' are taken on digital cameras, and my darkroom being a computer allows for easy manipulation between the two mediums.
I grew up in a house where photographs and cine film chronicled the early years of my older brothers and sister (as well as my own, and that of my younger brother). The interesting thing looking back at the hundreds of prints that were always kept in an old suitcase (and still are), is the transition from black & white to the colour images of the early and mid 70's. The 60's (and earlier for my brothers) being recorded in black & white, and reviewed so many times in that form over the years, almost makes the memories appear that way. Needless to say the processing and emulsions of the 1970's perfectly match my memories of that decade!
The use of monochrome still evokes a 'classic feel' to photographs and, in a way, can add credibility to the image.
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