Koudelka’s thoughts on color photography
I recently started reading Josef Koudelka’s Diaries and noticed several notes on why he does not and should not take color photographs.
I don’t take color photographs—because to take good color is harder than black and white.
From the start, carve out a niche for yourself-black and white. You cannot think about when to use color, when to use black and white. Make your life as uncomplicated as possible. When someone does color, it's for magazines, not for himself. Do everything for yourself.
Color in photography is still not perfect.
I agree that the world is colorful and that I see color, though I have become used to seeing in black and white. But color in photography is not the color of the world.
The camera is like your notebook.
For Koudelka, shooting black and white is the default and it sounds like he is trying to persuade himself not to take color photographs. For me, it's the opposite. I started out thinking of color as the default and I needed to persuade myself into shooting black and white.
After two years of shooting nearly every day, I’ve come to like both options, and I’ve worked out a simple formula for myself. I ask: What interests me here? Is it the color, or is it the light? If it’s the light, I shoot in black and white. If color is uniquely improving the scene, I shoot in color.
