This everyone is Zero, the Alpha male at Africa Alive. My dilemma is this, much of my personal work revolves around black and white portraits of various different species of captivity, as I am using it as self reflection, looking into emotions and feelings that I can relate to. It has been brought to my attention though that a few of my closest and trusted friends do not like the use of black and white in this case as they feel it doesn’t give a true representation of the animal. I would like your opinions regarding both images. I am trying to understand why there is such a divide between colour and black and white on this subject. Thank you.
Black and White:
zero-10-10-12-edit by stewart1a, on Flickr
Colour:
zero-10-10-12-edit copy by stewart1a, on Flickr
By: Derekf - 14th October 2012 at 09:22
I think you’ll be OK breaking UKAR rules here. 🙂
The only emotion I get from either image is sadness. None of the images project any sort of lion-type aggressiveness to me. I prefer the colour image for what it’s worth.
By: paul178 - 12th October 2012 at 23:33
B/W has its place for setting a mood but I think it looks better in colour in this instance.
By: Cornishairforce - 12th October 2012 at 23:16
Many thanks for your comments so far. I am trying to draw out the emotions that I can relate to within the animals behaviour. In this image for example I see several different emotions, anxiety, aggression and an element of fear. These are personal reflections of the animals behavioural patterns as I often watch the animal for at least half an hour, understanding its habits before creating an image like this. I hope this doesn’t break UKAR rules but I would like to my book link to the thread, it may give you more understanding behind my own ideas.
http://www.blurb.com/books/3158892
Thanks again.
By: Al - 12th October 2012 at 12:41
Monochrome images can’t impart the same amount of real information as a colour image, if it’s just information you want, but monochrome images can give the scene or object more subjective resonances which appeal to our sensibilities or feelings.
To me that colour image would furnish more accurate taxonomic data if the purpose was to differentiate between individual animals, or pelage characteristics, but the eyes in the monochrome version just say “You’re my next meal!”…
By: mike-wsm - 12th October 2012 at 08:49
Ansel Adams didn’t use sepia.
By: charliehunt - 12th October 2012 at 08:38
I post as an observer not a photographer. In simple terms the monochrome image is not a “true representation” because the animal has colour. However mono is used in photography for effect and in this case I like both pictures and have a preference for neither. Some of the mono aviation images posted here of vintage aircraft are excellent because they evoke that era when colour was rarely available and we were all used to looking at mono pictures.
By: MSR777 - 11th October 2012 at 21:05
To my eyes, they both have their appeal. The B/W image seems to give a slightly stark, aggressive tinge to the lion, but it accentuates the old and wise look in its eyes. The colour image makes the lion appear softer, and the eyes seem as though their owner is miles away. Just the opinions of the untrained eye;)
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October 11, 2012 at 8:09 pm