While I’m working on a longish post detailing my processing I just wanted to ramble on a bit about my perception of Winter’s Colors.
While it’s true that I prefer black and white images in harsh sunlight, winter has always inspired me with it’s muted colours.
Some (most) might say that winter is the time for black and white. Spring and summer and mostly autumn are better suited to colour film, I tend to disagree!
This might just be a passing fad, but for the moment I firmly believe that winter is the the time for colour photography.
I don’t like garish colours, so I tend to shoot colour film in subdued mode. And that’s not only true for landscape.
I have always loved soft coloured photos. Certainly no HDR for me!
If you have your eyes well open these wintery days, you might notice that unless there’s great sunlight, the colours are simply a bit faded, washed out… not really there.
That’s the stuff I like.
Harsh sunlight is for black and white, soft light is for colour photography!
Sorry, just the way I like it!
Thanks for stopping by!
Frank Lehnen Photography 
So what did you use to make these pictures, then? The only trouble with colour is not the colour but the light. The northern hemisphere light is very flat (our brains adjust it) so you need something to give it punch – outdoors anyway. I mean flat not muted. Any thoughts on that?
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Those were shot on Fujifilm Superia 200 with my now long gone Canon T90… in retrospect a great camera!
And it’s true that our brains adjust the muted colours and make them seem more vibrant.
Our brain is fooling us! Let’s drown it in interresting liquids!
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Isn’t that interesting — because I go the opposite! B/W all winter, color the rest of the year. I should load some color film and look for colorful subjects right now and see what happens.
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I’m coming around to winter colour.
Since October I have shot probably 90% or more in b/w, and traditionally like Jim I’ve had this idea that spring, summer and autumn are for colour, winter and its lack of colour is best suited to b/w.
But the problem was, I was looking for the vibrant colour of blossoming flowers or autumn leaves, which isn’t really present in winter. Plus generally the light is flatter and doesn’t, well, light things things up, like it does in warmer seasons.
Now I’ve started looking for muted colours, I’ve found them more and more, and they do complement the b/w winter shots well I think. But I would say I’m making my colours more muted than they are naturally. Taking a shot in poor light (whatever season) nearly always, for me, ends in it looking dull and flat and insipid, whether b/w or colour, which isn’t a look I go for.
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Winter colours are often subdued and photos often look black and white yet the colours are subtle and not to be missed.
“Harsh sunlight is for black and white, soft light is for colour photography!”
I don’t agree. Sometimes harsh sunlight looks excellent in colour. The photos I posted yesterday on FB of the destruction of the Kopfbau were taken in the harshest of light – and the colours are wonderful.
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