mixing color & B&W

[jp]

I see, very often, locally hung portraits or on facebook, of monochrome images with one item in color. (Think take a color image in photoshop, marque an object, select the inverse, and 100% desaturate.)

This (http://comps.canstockphoto.com/can-stock-photo_csp4701436.jpg) sort of stuff seems to be taking the photography world by storm. And I don't understand it.

Am I missing something in trying to understand or appreciate this? Or is it all totally random?

The object that remains in color rarely seems to contribute to any meaning in the photo (it's typically an object of clothing), rarely contributes to the composition, doesn't seem to be chosen as a meaningful color (I'm thinking of emotional responses to color) or to match anything. It's almost like people want to like B&W, but can't let go of some color. Any other comments?

[vinny]

I think it's one of the most over-used cliche's most often used by wedding/family portrait photographers. I cringe every time I see it. About as original as the "chin on fist" senior photo pose.

[Daniel Stone]

it was done before color materials were available ;)

hand-colored b/w print(linked from Flickr)
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3423/3368806268_af9a17ed5f.jpg

hand colored daguerrotype(linked from Wikipedia):
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ee/Hand-coloured_daguerreotype.jpg/500px-Hand-coloured_daguerreotype.jpg


I also "cringe" when I see this done on modern photographs. I find it completely trashy, and completely without artistic thought or merit. Most people who aren't photographers usually think its "cool", but I'm not the one footing the bill for the pictures ;). "The customer is always right" so they say...

-Dan

[jp]

I've hand colored dyes like this on traditional B&W photos like this in photo class, but never got skin colors right, and did it as historical color emulation like old postcards, not artsy random-spot-color.

[Jim Jones]

Spot coloring, photographs taken through old unsharp lenses and new unsharp Lensbabies, and photos with extremely narrow DOF are occasionally effective. These few good examples inspire [?] others to try them. We should no more malign them because of the inept practitioners than we should denounce all photography because of the countless snapshots that are produced annually.

[D. Bryant]

I see, very often, locally hung portraits or on facebook, of monochrome images with one item in color. (Think take a color image in photoshop, marque an object, select the inverse, and 100% desaturate.)

This (http://comps.canstockphoto.com/can-stock-photo_csp4701436.jpg) sort of stuff seems to be taking the photography world by storm. And I don't understand it.

Am I missing something in trying to understand or appreciate this? Or is it all totally random?

The object that remains in color rarely seems to contribute to any meaning in the photo (it's typically an object of clothing), rarely contributes to the composition, doesn't seem to be chosen as a meaningful color (I'm thinking of emotional responses to color) or to match anything. It's almost like people want to like B&W, but can't let go of some color. Any other comments?

It's called a gimmick.

When I used to hand tint silver gelatin prints with color oils, people would frequently ask me to do partial tinting of B&W photos for them. I always thought the technique was just kitsch and always refused.

[ROL]

I couldn't possibly pass judgement on this style other than to make a couple of observations:


The style may be a carryover from the days of hand tinting B/W, pre mass color print production.

Photoshop makes all things possible image–wise, but much less talent–wise.

The effect was used to some purpose on the ghetto girl's red dress in the otherwise all B/W Schindler's List. Doesn't everyone basically think of themselves as a Spielberg auteur?

[jp]

Good discussion; I forgot all about the scene in Schindler's list. I would bet most practitioners of this were not born or were in diapers when that movie was out. Other scenes in the movie were far impressionable to me. Spielberg was much more intentional and thoughtful in his use of that.

I'm gonna chalk it up as a photoshop trick for now.

Using the new web 2.0 lingo, it's a mashup between a B&W image and a color image.

If anyone wants to try hand coloring B&W images, you can apply generic cheap children's watercolor paints to RC paper. A thin coat to make the gelatin sticky is a first layer, then you can build coats on top of that and blend colors in thin sequential layers.

[dperez]

Not everyone is aiming to make high art, some people enjoy playing with their point and shoot cameras and making what they believe to be fun images. I don't see the point in getting concerned over something like this. It's a waste of energy. Let people have their fun.

[Jim collum]

I've done an industrial series of platinum prints using a combination of color & platinum

although I don't do it with all images, I've found that this technique does add a different aesthetic from the original, giving a quality to a color image that isn't there in any other color process i've seen. Just as it's hard to see the quality of a platinum print online, the effect you get with this process isn't the best from a web image.

http://forum.getdpi.com/gallery/files/1/2/scan_1_1pt23.jpg


http://forum.getdpi.com/gallery/files/1/2/scan_1_1pt21.jpg


http://forum.getdpi.com/gallery/files/1/2/pt-redbutton.jpg


http://forum.getdpi.com/gallery/files/1/2/scan_1_1pt10.jpg

[Two23]

It's like anything else. When done well (as above,) it's great. Otherwise, hokey.


Kent in SD

[Brian Ellis]

I used to do it by masking in the darkroom, I occasionally do it in Photoshop now. I think it sometimes adds something though it can easily be overdone.

[sanking]

One application of mixing color and B&W that I find interesting is channel swapping with infrared images to get a blue color sky with B&W foreground. See http://www.lifepixel.com/tutorials/infrared-photoshop-videos

Yes, one can sure go overboard with this technique, but done well the results can be spectacular.

Sandy

[Alan Gales]

I took a color photography class at the local community college back in the 1980's. One of the assignments we had was to take B&W 8x10's and color them with Marshall Photo Oils. You had to use Q-Tips to apply the oils to the photograph.

I'd much rather shoot color film for my color! :D

[cdholden]

I've done an industrial series of platinum prints using a combination of color & platinum


Jim,
Until I saw your earlier "Ace and Spades" post in another forum this morning, I thought platinum prints were only black and white.
Thank you for the enlightenment.

Chris