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January 15, 2008
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When you think of street photograpy, Many different shots come to mind, whether they are old classics from back in the day, or right here on deviantART...  I bet all of the 'best' shots in your mind are b/w..

Street photography is all about society, capturing the essence of humanity.  There are some amazing colors in our world, why not capture them?  

Some samples of street photography in color:
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:thumb53629843:


(Included is one of mine that i took and posted in color, and one that i had originally posted in b/w, but updated with a color version, specifically for this article)

Many people adopt the purist approach to their street photography.  Using techniques, and media most closely resembling that which was used in the past.  

Using Henri Cartier Bresson's ideal of composing the shot in camera, not in the darkroom (now photoshop), Modern street photographers opt towards Rangefinder camera's, which are known for being notoriously quiet, allowing them to get closer to their subject without catching their attention with the noisy thwap of an SLR shutter.

Back in the day, color film wasn't available, so by default images were always going to be black and white.  Unfortunately however, black and white film is becoming increasingly harder to find, and more expensive, leaving younger and poorer 'students' of the art at a disadvantage.

With all the technology available, imaging programs like photoshop are becoming more and more capable of mimicking the tones in b/w film, more and more people are using digital, shooting in color, and converting their street photos that way.

A street photo doesnt need to be black and white by default to be good, but the majority of superb images you find, will be, for several reasons.

1) Monotone eliminates distracting colors in the background, making your subject the point of interest with very little distractions.
2) Deep and rich tones can add a whole new level of emotion to an image, particularly useful when you want to pull at your viewers heartstrings.

That being said, black and white is the favored choice of a lot of people, but it isn't needed 100% of the time.


Truth be told, I have more black and white :+fav:'s, but as i said, predominantly a b/w genre, but its worth it to think outside the box, and i challenge you to do just that.

Cheers.

Check out ~iamkatia ~Treamus ~f-hole ~felixlu ~MyPrivateParty `cweeks `rhapsouldize & My Street Favorites [link]
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:iconjrrzee:
*JRRZEE Jul 27, 2012  Professional
I love black and white but when it essentially becomes a "street photography" filter I wonder if we put ourselves under unnecessary constraints as you say. I have no problem with using black and white film or a rangefinder but to hold onto that as the one true standard seem to go against what it means to be an artist like some monk holding on to ancient secrets.

The first and most important priority is to make a great, honest image. I recently looked at an old history book on American photography and got caught up in how much play and experimentation was involved. With far less tools available to them and they didn't put any of the restraints I read about sometimes on street photography. If I'm looking at a moment with an honest eye, love for the people and area then it will come out in the shot if it's color or black and white — digital or film — Leica or cellphone.
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:iconmarx77:
*MARX77 Jul 26, 2012   Photographer
Man, I hate it when people put their deviations in storage.
Trust that ugly safe icon to mess up an awesome feature.
A brilliant journal, Scott! :thumbsup:
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:iconstraightfromcamera:
`straightfromcamera Jul 27, 2012  Professional Photographer
Oh wow. I forgot about this. Yeah, storage doesn't make sense to me.. haha
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:icondefiancetotale:
~defiancetotale Mar 1, 2009   Photographer
"Real color, real play on what street really is.. society at its most normal."

You have a point.

But I'd like to point out that saying that we 'see' in colour is trivializing. We don't see in colour in the same way that a camera sees is colour. Shooting to black and white essentializes, synthesises, removes insignificant detail and allows us to concentrate on the key, significant elements, which are what we 'see' in the first place.
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:iconthejadephoenix:
love this collection
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:iconsampoy:
cool pics..
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:iconfbuk:
nice article, gives one alot to think about, personally i think both have there place, the photo dictates which, then its case of refining the toning to best suit the mood/atmosphere of the shot. Colour for me overal though if i had a choice:)
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:iconreenzholic:
hey...
love ur pics..
there seems alive..
great job.. :D
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