Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 15

Thread: mixing color & B&W

  1. #1
    jp's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    5,628

    mixing color & B&W

    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 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?

  2. #2

    Join Date
    May 2006
    Location
    grand rapids
    Posts
    3,851

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    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.

  3. #3
    Daniel Stone's Avatar
    Join Date
    Nov 2009
    Location
    Los Angeles area
    Posts
    2,157

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    it was done before color materials were available

    hand-colored b/w print(linked from Flickr)


    hand colored daguerrotype(linked from Wikipedia):



    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

  4. #4
    jp's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    5,628

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    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.

  5. #5
    Jim Jones's Avatar
    Join Date
    Aug 2006
    Location
    Chillicothe Missouri USA
    Posts
    3,065

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    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.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Posts
    1,952

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    Quote Originally Posted by jp498 View Post
    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 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.

  7. #7
    ROL's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2008
    Location
    California
    Posts
    1,370

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    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?

  8. #8
    jp's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2009
    Location
    Maine
    Posts
    5,628

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    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.

  9. #9
    dperez's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Santa Ana, CA USA
    Posts
    592

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    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.
    Last edited by dperez; 20-Dec-2011 at 10:50.

  10. #10

    Join Date
    Mar 2002
    Posts
    833

    Re: mixing color & B&W

    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.











Similar Threads

  1. Partial Mixing of Tetenal/Unicolor Press Kits
    By laroygreen in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 8-May-2011, 11:38
  2. Inkjet B&W compared to traditional B&W?
    By Mahonri in forum Digital Processing
    Replies: 40
    Last Post: 14-Oct-2007, 15:21
  3. Durst L1200 Laborator mixing boxes
    By Ron Spencer in forum Darkroom: Equipment
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: 10-Oct-2005, 10:41
  4. Mixing chemicals from scratch
    By Erik Asgeirsson in forum Darkroom: Film, Processing & Printing
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 23-Dec-2001, 17:55

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •