There's No Law Against Color in Street Photography

Once I saw this background of bold and colorful graphic shapes, it was a matter of waiting for the right foreground to walk past. I couldn't have dressed this gentleman better if I had tried.

I recently sold my Nikon D7000 and used the proceeds to buy a Canon EOS 60D, which I personally find to be a superior camera for my purposes; the primary purpose being street photography. The EOS 60D focuses faster and with more consistent accuracy, it has all the buttons and controls I need, and they are all in the right places. I could go into more detail about the EOS 60, but at the end of the day it's just a camera, a tool, and the tool that's right for me might not be right for you, so please don't give this more attention that it's due.

What I really want to talk about is the common belief that street photography and color are incompatible. This is largely based on the fact that the early masters of street photography all shot with black and white film. They established the style, others mimicked the style, and thus it perpetuates itself.

This shot is all about the primary colors: red, blue, and green. The framing, contrast, and lines are what hold it together.

There are, of course, photographers who do practice street photography in color. Unfortunately, and I hate to say this, but not many seem to be good at it. The problem is that the street environment is generally messy and cluttered. It offers an overwhelming assortment of shapes, colors, people, buildings, and objects to choose from. That's why it's hard to shoot a street photo in color that--again, I'm expressing my honest opinion here--doesn't look like a hot mess.

That's not to say it can't be done. My technique, which you see mirrored in the accompanying photos, is to isolate. One way to isolate is in how you frame and crop your images. Another way to isolate is to use high contrast lighting as your friend. Expose for the highlights and use the resulting deep shadows to hide distractions and create graphic compositional elements.

This is an example of how contrasting colors (red and green), color contrast against a dark background, and the contrast between curves and straight lines work together to create a graphic theme.

It also helps to have a basic understanding of color theory, such as the difference between complimentary and contrasting colors, the effect that ambient lighting and adjact colors have on color perception, and so on. You have to have an idea of your options and what's possible before you can hope to achieve it. I'll grant you that this is easier said than done, but knowledge, effort and passion are what it takes to set your work apart from the rest.

Comments

[Craig]

An old-time photojournalist I used to be in contact with online used to say that the difference between B&W and color is that B&W is about things (or shapes), while color is about color itself and draws attention away from things. So if the point of your image is in the colors (as in your photos here), then use color. Otherwise, use B&W. I have found this to be a helpful way to look at my work.

[Ranjit Grover]

I think the people who refuse to use color in photography are just pretending to be snobs. Or may be they do not know how to use color. Or may be they are color blind. The sensibilities have changed so much there is not much place for monochrome photos in real life. And street photography is no exception. It is a very, very rare photograph that looks better without color. Color, at least in the unsaturated form, is the rule rather than the exception.

[Dave Jenkins]

Just to be sure I understand this -- you write a post praising the full-frame 6D and then buy an APS-C 60D? is that correct?

[Gordon Lewis]

Dave,

That is correct. The basic reason is that it's one thing to like and praise a $2000 camera and another thing to be able to afford it. I don't believe in using credit for purchases of this size, so no cash, no camera. Anyone who is disappointed with my choice and feels that I really and truly deserve an EOS 6D should feel free to click my Tip Jar and contribute generously to the cause. : -)

[Bruce]

Black and white is about light and shade and colour is about, well, colour. I certainly wouldn't be so proscriptive as to say only one has any merit but I much prefer light and shade. I find black and white to be more of an artistic way of seeing the world but that's just my opinion.

I have some monochrome pics framed but I'd never frame a colour shot and hang it on a wall. Apart, of course, from Gordon's famous shot of the woman with the umbrella. That's a true classic.

[Ray Anderson]

First, I must say that I really enjoy everything you say about photography......and art. But being an artist myself, I feel obliged to point out a tiny, nit-picking error in the caption for the second photo: green is not a primary color, but a secondary one, since it can be made from two primaries, blue and yellow, yellow being the third primary. Thank you for your website, Mr. Lewis.

[Gordon Lewis]

Ray,

Thank you for the correction. I was actually referring to the primary colors for light rather than pigments or CMYK. Color monitors and sensors create full-color images by combining values of Red, Blue, and Green wavelengths of light (RGB). Regardless, I'm glad you cared enough to comment.