In Elsie and Emma's book, A Beautiful Mess: Photo Idea Book, they talk about how people used to add color to black and white photo prints by painting acrylic paint onto the prints. Many people, including Elsie and Emma, still use the old technique because they say, "Hand coloring is a retro technique that was used before digital photography" (98). These photographers continue to hand paint color onto their black and white prints because the result is a print that gives off a retro/vintage vibe; nowadays as time advance and technology keep getting better we no longer take the time to hand paint color onto a black and white photograph. We simply use a photo editing software to add any color we desire onto any place of the photograph, and by using a photo editing software we lose the vibe all great photographers try to capture in their work.
Below are some photos I took and used the technique of adding color to a black and white photograph. I did not use the retro technique of adding color by hand because I could not print black and white photographs nor do I have acrylic paint and photo paper.
In the first photo I decided to have the background in color instead of the hand because it would make the hand stand out more and also the blue was such a nice color. In my second photo I did the opposite of the first photo - instead of having the background in color I had the subject in color because I wanted it to be the main focus point of the photo. If the background was to be in color instead then we would not notice the light bulb that is in black and white because its so small and off centered.
From this technique and the book I learned adding color to a black and white photo does not just creates focus on the main subject but it also give off a vintage/retro vibe when you take the time to hand color a black and white photograph (Chapman and Larson 98). Now I know a simple way to capture the vintage/retro vibes photographers try to capture in their work. In the future I hope to be able to try hand painting color onto a black and white photograph.
My question for you guys is do you always try to capture a retro/vintage vibe in your photographs?
Citation: Chapman, Emma, and Elsie Larson. A Beautiful Mess: Photo Idea
Book. New York: Amphoto, 2013. Print
I really love that first photo Eliza! There's something about it that makes me feel like there's a deeper meaning to it, but I believe all photos do. I also really like the second one, how you chose to focus on the light bulb rather than making the background in color. To answer your question, I have NEVER tried to capture a retro/vintage vibe in my photos. I was never a variety person so I never went for retro and went more for beauty and crisp. Though I think that's a really good idea! It makes the colors pop (Nice title!) and does look very retro and vintage, like something from the olden days. I didn't think to do this one because, like you, I didn't have the paint nor the paper for it, and couldn't print out the B&W photos either :/ Might I ask how you managed to make the colors pop without those things? (What, use it? I'm not going to use it! ... Maybe I will.... But it won't be for this blog I swear! :))
ReplyDeleteThank you Kelsy for reading my blog post and for commenting! I also believe how behind every photograph there is a meaning to it because normally when we take a photo it is to share and to keep the feeling we felt at that very moment or to recreate/show a feeling we feel. I too like to take photos that hold beauty and are crisp but I love it more when photographs are vintage/retro. I think it might be because I love the fashion and styles in the olden days and wanting to recreate them. To answer your question, I managed to still use the technique in my photography work by going the alternative route - using a photo software editor. You should try the technique because it is different and will create a variety in your work.
ReplyDeleteI love the second photo Eliza! I love that you put the one colored light up close in the shot rather than having it farther back in the background.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lillia! I chose to put the up close light bulb in color rather than the ones in the background because as I was taking the photo I focused on that one light bulb rather than the other ones so those turned out to be blurry instead.
ReplyDeleteI really like these photos Eliza! The fact that you only added color to one thing in a black and white photo makes it so much more interesting. It creates a really cool emphasis and contrast to make the subject stand out from the background. To answer your question, I've never tried to capture a retro/vintage vibe in my photos mostly because I don't really know how to. Haha. In my photo class, we just make black and white photos, but hopefully we can learn to add color to them in the future!
ReplyDeleteThank you Kenny! How the technique creates emphasis and contrast to make the main focus stand out is actually one of my favorite things about this technique. The trick I use to capturing vintage/retro photos are the perspective or angles I choose to shoot from and making the photo slightly blurry. I hope in your photo class you can learn to add color to them but its actually quite simple. You paint acrylic paint onto the area you want color and tadaa.
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