Identifying my favorites, learning my style
Favorites
Color Photography
Color photography is hard for me, so few moments have the colors in them that inspire me. Not to say that I don’t find a scene beautiful or think it less because I was ten minutes late for the exact golden hour moment. Part since I shoot 99% film and most of that 6x9 medium format and part that I am picky, many color shots go untaken. Plenty of landscapes, sunsets, and slices of life I go without capturing because I feel that I can’t get it properly. As I figure out my style, I learned my color photos require warmth, a sense of scale or presence, but I think there are threads that I haven’t identified yet in what I need to consistently spot color photos I’d call my style.
B&W Photography
Black and White in many ways feels simpler but this is a misnomer. It’s apparent simplicity demands photographers to dial in the traits that amaze. In color photography, color can make 80% of a good photo where lighting and subject placement can even falter. B&W photos, as I shoot them, need a certain flare that color doesn’t generally ask for. That flare is hard to grasp with black and white because of the variety of methods to manipulate the image in camera through filters, specific films, and lens tricks. Then B&W as a photographic concept requires that lighting, subject placement, and composition be spot on since flashy colors won’t save the image. So much to consider!
In my own head, when I look at the world in my imagination set into black and white, everything feels more dramatic. Everything becomes a moment of an event or before a decision was made. Subjects feel like they have somewhere to be, suddenly their direction of travel, grouping, and actions speak loudly. Scenes become about whats within them not the grime or wear. Instead, that same wear and tear through black and white becomes part of a story, indicating age in a way that inspires curiosity.
