Color on the Street

Traditionally–or so say some–street photography ought to be done in black and white.

As Ted Grant, one of Canada’s most accomplished photographers, said: “When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. When you photograph in black and white, you photograph their souls.”

It is probably true that a majority of street photographers prefer black and white since the color can very often detract from the main center(s) of interest.

There are times, though, when color is a critical compositional element and really ought to be included to communicate your story effectively.

Here is one example.

I was drawn to the contrast between the attractive face on the left and the older woman (deliberately out-of-focus) walking on the sidewalk on the right. A slight corruption of the lettering in the image gave me the image title. To better tie the two together, the color red was obviously critical (lips and hair on the left, coat on the right):

Primera Dama. Santa Fe Avenue, Denver, Colorado, 2016

Now, here is the same image in monochrome. To me, the connection between the two women is lost:

Primera Dama. Santa Fe Avenue, Denver, Colorado, 2016

In the end, maybe one should make the color-B&W determination on a case-by-case basis? It is all a very personal decision–it’s up to you!