Lessons
Meet Your Master
06:33 2Influences
17:38 3Looking At Pictures
08:23 4The Street Is Ours
14:02 5The Magician's Trick
10:42 6Aftermath
10:16 7Composition
07:46 8Ideas For Composition
13:24Street Photography
04:13 10Cape Light
14:36 11Black And White vs Color
07:44 12The Meyerowitz Color Zone System
06:17 13Finding Your Subject
06:09 14Observation
04:41 15Let Light Be The Subject
11:31 16Seeing Your Neighborhood In A Fresh Way
05:14 17Portraiture
09:40 18Workshop Rachel
14:43 19Workshop Alex
10:09 20Workshop Heather
11:18 21Workshop Olivia
11:20 22Workshop Steve
11:39 23Landscape
10:30 24How To See When You Travel
06:32 25Follow Your Curiosity
04:34 26What Is Still Life?
16:44 27Conversations Between Objects
08:37 28Lets Make A Still Life
09:38 29Tuscany - Inside The Light
19:14 30Editing Is A Way To Give Form To Your Work
12:48 31Make A Print
10:11 32Everyone Can Make A Book Now
08:20 33Life As A Photgrapher
10:08 34Farewell
01:41Lesson Info
Black And White vs Color
(emotional music) You are all so lucky, today. You have digital cameras that you can shoot black and white, or color, or sepia, or you could do anything you want with an algorithm to set your camera to give you this tonality that is either like the real world or an abstraction of it but it wasn't always the case. In the past, when I began in the 1960s, black and white was considered the high art form of photography. Although, I didn't know that. When I began to make photographs, I had been an art director and a painter, and then I discovered photography, and the first thing I did was load my camera, borrowed camera, with colored film. Why? Because I thought, if the world's in color, why wouldn't I want to be photographing in color? Only later on did I feel the resistance that the fine art world had to color photography, which they thought was commercial or for weddings and family, you know, festivals. It was considered something that was too gaudy or cheap, or was good for, you know,...
repertoires for some magazines but I saw it as an incredible description of the world that I lived in, and I wanted to promote this idea of color photography against the kind of restrictions that the art world was placing on it, so I did something very personal. When I could afford two cameras, two Leicas that I loaded one with Kodochrome color and the other with Tri-X black and white, and I walked around with these two cameras, and whenever something happened that was interesting enough but slow enough for me to make one shot and another shot, I would do it. And then, I put these together as pairs so that I could then study them, so I, myself, would know which one do I like better? The one that takes the color out of the world and leaves it as a graphic solution to a photographic problem or the one that maintains the color and adds an emotional depth to the photographs? So, I'll show you. I have lots of these pictures. Hundreds of them, actually, and I put them together in a very innocent way, right at the beginning. I mean, for example. I was in the American South and I see the wind blowing a quilt on a line, and I make a photograph of it, and then, I make this other one, and of course, when you see this one, it is black and white. It's black dots on a white field but when you see the colored one, you realize it's red on a white field with green tones underneath and a storm coming in the background. The sky's gone blue-gray or slate gray and then, around the picture, there are signs for a traveling circus in yellow and red. Suddenly, this simple photograph is full of notes of color. So, I had to make that kind of distinction early on to commit myself to seeing as black and white or seeing as color. Now. You have a different situation, today, because in your camera, you can change these things or you can change them in post-production easily enough. But there should be in either case a reason for why you're using one or the other. You have to ask yourself, what is it I mean to say? And if the graphic world is more important to you, if the strengths of black shadows, and white highlights, and the forms of, you know, bridge ironwork or the way a building comes into a frame, if that graphic, you know, management of space is what really interests you, then you should do that. It is your destiny for that period to do that and do it open-heartedly so that everything you see is shaped by this belief that black and white, and gray will give you a kind of rendering of objects in space, and time, and light in a way that pleases you. But. If color and the emotional range of all of the millions of colors that the world expresses, if that's what gets to you, then open yourself up to that and see how complicated, and rich, and interesting, and musical... color shooting in digital could be. You have a... It's almost like two languages. It's almost like you're speaking French and English. That way, you've got these two things that are very different, they communicate their message with different sounds but they both are languages. So, look at it in that regard and I'm sure. Like I had in all of these pictures, you will have the same kinds of playful responses to things and more than anything else, your mind will be stimulated to think in these two forms of the media, and thinking about making photographs, thinking about yourself in the world is an advance. It lifts you up a level. You're not just somebody who's wandering around, wondering what to do. You're posing a problem for yourself, which can be solved photographically in very interesting ways. So, you become a more interesting person and isn't that what we all hope for, that anything we do with passion, or obsession, or desire ultimately teaches us more about ourselves and the medium we're using. So, you get two for the price of one. Enjoy yourself. (upbeat music)
Ratings and Reviews
Gail King
I have an all access pass and thought oh no, I have to pay for this one? I bit the bullet and I am so glad I did. Joel has a great deal of wisdom and experience because of his age. BUT, despite his age, he exudes a fountain of enthusiasm, playfulness, curiousity and constant wonder surrounding his subjects. He opened within me the possibilities of exploring different photographic subjects and allowing myself to experience the fun in pursuit of those subjects. I love the way he shows how someone can take the same ho hum scene, but then look around for a different point of view. He is indeed a Master and I thank Joel for the class.
rorofot
This is a absulutely fantastic class. Joel Meyerowitz takes you on an journey of little but important advices. In each short video you got some jewels to improve your approach, your view and your art. I own a lot of classes here on CL, but this one is one of my favourits! Gentle and human. Thank you Joel Meyerowitz, you helped me a lot on my journey to develop my photography.
SUsan Dunker
This class is well worth the money that I spent. Joel's enthusiasm and love for photography is contagious. I will watch the course again to take notes so that I can put many of these ideas into practice. I kept stopping the videos as I neared the end as I didn't want the lessons to be ending. Its well with the price of admission! Thank you for such a great course.
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