What I learned about Colour Photography from Alex Webb 

Haven't watched photography videos in AGES, just suddenly thought of yours, searched up, and saw this uploaded 7 minutes ago. Weird.

Great content as always Sean. Thank you!

I've just started with streetphotography and the work I see from other photographers are always B&W.I shoot mostly 99% of the time in color and was beginning to think I was on the wrong path,but now I've seen your video and I am so relieved to find out: that is my style and I love it that way.Thank you!

An absolute creative gem. Thank you

Great video Sean, I never used to buy photobooks, and TSOL was my first purchase 4 years ago, at the time, I balked at the price (£45), but its an essential purchase, as you say to understand filling the corners, layering and colour.

Great video! Would LOVE a video about Harry Gruyaert!

If I were ever to be arrested, I would enjoy standing in a field of yellow flowers and if Alex Webb took my photo I’d want it to be my mug shot. Just saying’ 🙃. Lovely video Sean, thank you.

I read once, somewhere, that "if the colour in the shot doesn't add anything to it, make it B/W". I am not a pro, so i don't know if that's right but i tend to stick to that mantra...

Definitely check out: Harry Gruyaert, David Alan Harvey and Steve McCurry for more of that color.

Thanks

I am an absolute dedicated black and white photographer.............but man has colour got a lot going for it............

Love watching your videos! What filter are you using while talking on the couch? Black mist filter? If so which one? 1/4? I am looking to invest, but can’t afford to get the whole range right now.

Hi Sean, is very tentative to star pushing colour on post processing, but we must be careful to be sure the colours are there in the first place. I mind the basic must be on the raw to get a proper image.

Pretty sure 4:25 would be just fine in BW, if not better.

As a Mexican I can see why color goes better with Latin community. From people to landscape I think color represents who we are. Cheerful, funny,party people that always look the good side in bad situation. Hell even day of the death is a bright day for us.

"The Suffering of Light" is one of my favorite photobooks, so glad to see you covering it here. Another photographer with an amazing color palette is Fred Herzog. Looking forward to your video for Harry Gruyaert as well. Keep up the great work Sean!

“When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!” TED GRANT 🙂📷

hehe thats what i was always talking ... if ur photo is bad make it black and white and u can rescue it xD

Nice work... Nice. You wonder what you were leaving on the table. I think after you experiment in color you may go back to what you left on the table. That would be tonal range. I am saying this only based off the images shared in your video. Color is easy but explore it fully then maybe return to B&W. When you do first study the work of film photographers and the science they used. Learn about what they would go through to detail and texture in shadows and highlights. All with a film commonly accepted to have a normal seven stop range. Today photographers are buying cameras with a 14 stop dynamic range and only using all that of a typewriter while congratulating themselves and others who do the same . If you want to "elevate it" I would say B&W done better is the next level over color. This is of course an opinion.

My opinion is a bit radical but, imo, shooting/editing B&W is cheating! Life is in color and you're removing such an important visual and emotional component of life that is actually hard to capture correctly. The old-school masters have my blessing but shooting b&w nowadays is kinda lazy

What I learned about life from Alan Watts: Don't force anything (wu wei). You will know when you do so. It will not ring true, it will feel artificial, not genuine. Go out the door and leave your expectations, your logic, your thoughts behind. (You can later return to them if you feel unsafe without them). Expose your unburdened self with free-floating attention to all that presents itself to you. Do it again the next day, and the next. And see what uniquely touched you.

Tho some photos scream for a B&W conversion either when their colors are not working or they're too complex on color contrast IMHO B&W conversion is the most abused editing tool right now. People need to understand that sucking all the color from images is the most unrealistic editing and B&W conversion can't save a bad photo.

Love it you mentioned Harry Gruyaert and hope to see a video from you about him. His use of colours is amazing to me!

Checkout the work of Vineet Vohra. I am sure you will be blown.

Your discussions are so motivating. Thanks for doing this work!

I think the most important line in this video is when Sean said, "If I had taken this photo I would have thrown it away". How many great photos have you guys thrown away, thinking it was trash.... May be it was a masterpiece!

It’s the layering in Webb’s pictures that I notice most..the near ground, mid ground and background appear as three different planes superimposed over one another..it’s uniquely his trademark composition. Multiple narratives inhabiting differ strata of the image.

For me whats most fascinating about Alex work is his ability to combine the needs and demands of reportage photography to tell stories and show the complexity of a situation while at the same time going beyond the mere happening and create a visual artwork of colours and forms which fascinates also without the story. Thats what i try to learn from masters like Alex Webb

amazing inspirational high dose of passion towards photography ! Love your recipe artists you select for projection

i think kodakchrome is part of the soul of his work，after KD discontinued，his work lost part of the soul，and you r right about cant imitate the film look，cause its impossible through the bottom logic of cmos

Thank you Sean! I love your approach and honesty that you present in your videos. What a coincidence that you , Alex Kilbee and Tatiana Hopper have uploaded videos on Alex's Web photography. 🙂. I find myself strongly attracted to colorful and saturated images. I took your advice and ordered a copy of his book👍

Great video Sean, Alex Webb certainly is a extremly talented photographer.

I‘m currently reading your book „The meaning in the making“. I‘m blown away by how much it resonates with me and how much I love it. Thank you! This video is just one more piece that explains to me, why I love your work.

Love your videos ❤

What's really kind of interesting about Webb's color work is that when you push the contrast like he does, you'll generally get even more saturation then what you find in the end product of his work generally speaking. So we know he does look for color and colors that contast each other, but he also de saturates colors quite a bit too.

Excellent video Sean! Completely agree. I dived right into black and white with heavy shadows but I feel a significant amount of people have all done the same things and it’s no longer unique. I can definitely agree with your comment of using black and white as a crutch. It is something I think I am good at but it’s definitely easier and almost a go to if I’m struggling for shots. But I’d much rather prefer to shoot like Webb or Gruyaert for something that pleases my eye more. Time to embrace that colour!

I am a friend of a friend of Mr. Webb and have had the pleasure of sharing a few meals with him over the past couple of decades. He is as sharp, witty and colourful as his images.

Love Alex Webb 🔝

Sean, thank you ever so much for another great video and a very interesting topic. I think, though, that shooting in BW takes a totally different skillset than shooting in color, with neither the one or the other being "better". I'd like to compare it to playing either electric or acoustic guitar--where both instruments are basically close relatives, but require a totally different approach to playing it. Some things work better (or even exclusively) on the electric, others on the acoustic one. For example, Jimi Hendrix' "Star Spangled Banner" would sound boring on an acoustic guitar, while Paco de Lucia's flamenco style play would sound terrible on an electric. I consider it mastery, if a photographer can effortlessly switch between BW and color and create compelling images in either medium. As for the saturated colors of Alex Webb--it would be great to see the original slides, and not the "reproductions in print". While an avid slide shooter myself (mostly Fuji Provia), I have absolutely no experience with Kodachrome. I suspect, however, that the extra color boost was introduced (purposely), when creating the prints from the original slides (e.g. Provia tends to lean towards a blueish color cast, when underexposed; but then, each film stock behaves differently). Just my two cents, and once again a big thank you for your contributions, your work and efforts you put into your channel.

Hi, thanks to this video (and thanks to a video from Alex Kilbee) about Alex Webb, I requested Alex Webb's book The Suffering of Light for Christmas. I am very happy with the book, because what a great photographer! Thanks for the tip!

Alex Webb's pictures remind me of the work of hipgnosis who did all the famous album covers of the 70s mainly pink floyd. the one with the hands (6:20) and the next one at 6:46

I'm not stuck in black and white, I'm stuck in landscapes. I often shoot "scapes" intentionally for black and white. When I shoot scapes in colour, I like them strong but this doesn't always work so i shoot close ups of flowers. But I'm getting bored. Anyway, Webb's work is very intriguing. An odd question...how long does it take to set up and compose shots that have various layers and complexities? Should I be able to see it right away? There's no rush in the forest, just waiting for the lighting and environmental conditions to change. Thanks for the video Sean.

For me, it was Jay Maisel that snapped me out of being stuck in the low contrast/saturation look. Embracing vivid colours really is challenging but so satisfying.

Thank you for this topic and for the suggestions, Sean. You're a reference, as always. I'm a Photographer and Visual Designer from 9+ years but I've started diving into color science a year ago and Alex Webb prompted during this journey with great references. I will add the Alex book you recommended in my collection. After a year shooting almost exclusively in color recently I came back into black and white photography. I've realized how amazing is that in black and white photography there are, actually, all colors. From the color research (scientific and photographic) I can notice now how my black and white vision has changed. I'll continue with color science studies while shooting black and white, let's see how our processes go. Good light, Sean!

COLOUR THEORY....is what Alex Webb mastered!

Hi Sean - I noticed that Gustavo Mimas and Stuart Paton are running a workshop at some point in June (2023) - I’m hoping I might be able to get along to it 😉

Wonderful video - so thought-provoking. We have to keep growing as artists and explore new territory. And be inspired - but not copy. Thank you.

You have a great ability to open doors and explore new opportunities. Inspiring video. Insightful and honest. Thanks.

"Choosing against that": what a great phrase! I don't find that Alex' work appeals to me personally, just a matter of individual taste.

There is a bit of resurgance in color right now. The hypersharp, bright, HDR look of digital is hitting the wall. An “imperfect” film looking image has more power and complexity to many people. Movies and TV are shooting in film, like Euphoria that will be on film in the future. Ansel and Robert Frank’s ghosts are fuming and Shore and Eggleston are laughing again…and so it goes…have fun out there...

Wonderful video! You keep coming up with ideas that challenge my future work and help keep this interesting.

Webb is great. I lucked out and managed to get his Brooklyn photo collection book in Oxfam last week. Meant to be.

If you want to achieve a style like that of Alex Webb (or Gustavo Minas) you also need a place with such nice colors (not easy to find in Europe).

Always liked Webb's colour work. By the way, where is the link to the interview with Webb that you mention?

Contrary, B&W can be liberating, not having to deal with color. You add the color component only when it has something to contribute. As someone said, color can be a distraction, like looking at someone's clothes and not the person, himself.

Colour is wonderful - black and white is wonderful ....

wonderful perspective; this is why I love color so much; well expressed

A couple of other colour photographers worth checking out: Pete Turner, who is very well known, and the lesser known Eric Meola, who is probably most famous for his B&W work with Bruce Springsteen and the cover of Born To Run.

Great video and topic Sean. It reminds me of my own journey with color. I learned photography many years ago shooting Kodachrome 25 and 64 so I'm definitely influenced by that color rendition. My color palette and editing style today is constantly evolving from year to year with stronger and more vivid colors. I've now realized that my color rendition, editing and photography is a naturally evolving artistic process that's never really complete. Thanks so much for the stimulating content.

I just wish people who thrive as photographers who do long term documentary work about place and it’s people were actually citizens from that (working class, third world) country. Edit: he saw a book and flew there. It’d be more genuine if some young photographer struggling to get by did all that work.

The suffering of light is one of the best book I ever bought. The quality is amazing. The pictures are just wow! Alex Webb makes me think of Henri Cartier Bresson but in color. Geometry, decisive moment/timing + color. Also his ability to find order in chaos is just amazing. My other favorites in color (although different style) : Jay Maisel and Ernst Haas (I hope one day you will make a video on them too. Ernst Haas used to embrace his shadows too 😉) Thanks for the video. Very interesting insights as always.

harry gruyaert is a great one to focus on as well, Also Greg Girard for great colour work at night.

I think Team Deakins podcast (at 7:55) is one of the best podcasts out there in general, and certainly the best one about filmmaking. Absolutely love that duo for their calm, insightful interviews. The only thing I always wish is for the episodes to be longer :) Great video, Sean, ty!

Thank you. I always find something to learn, think about in your videos, and this one was no exception. I prefer B&W, feel more comfortable with it, and love manipulating color photos into B&W in Camera Raw. There is something exhilarating about adjusting sliders for grayscale and other "color" settings in B&W, at least for me. However, every so often I do keep the images in their original color and go to town on all the different color sliders. This is especially true for some of my flower (mostly roses) and architectural geometry photos. Funny story: I sent a friend of mine a set of 13 photos from SF's 2019 Chinese New Year Parade. They all featured a large dragon facing the camera and then the body being moved around by people. Very colorful, but I sent her the photos in B&W, which I preferred, especially because of all the motion blur. Well, she complained about the lack of color, so (she is a good friend who is home-bound for a while now) I reworked the photos in color to keep her from kvetching. And I found that once I dug in and tried to make them into something I liked, the color images were cool, too. I liked them, but for the color, especially the red dragon's face. Ya never know. As always, thank you for sharing.

I love his Mexico work, I have his books La Calle and Suffering of Light.

Thanks Sean for sharing your story and sprinkling in just the right amount of context and caveats to turn a concrete individual journey into helpful advice to everyone who wants to learn from it! Btw.: with the music that sets in at 13:04, is it weird that I felt like some kind of altar call was coming up? :D (Seriously though, it’s really interesting to see/hear techniques that are used extensively in Christian events and media, only in different contexts. This can spark all sorts of questions and thoughts - I love that.)

Sounds like Alex Webb really challenged you

My favorite Alex Webb photo is of the little boy sitting with a parrot on his head. Why? Bc it is simple yet connects emotionally with me. Photos can be too complex which leaves a disconnect.

Thank you, Sean, for sharing your thoughts. Maybe the work of Ernst Haas can also serve as inspiration for your photos in colour. I wish you lots of fun in this new world!

Your story and the idea of hitting a dead end resonate with me. It’s so important to realize when it’s time to try something new. A year and a half ago I sold my gear and moved on from photography. I’d hit a wall creatively and the work no longer interested me, so I gave up. Your story and the beautiful images you shared remind me of the importance of seeking new inspiration and breaking away from habits that become counterproductive. Those lessons go far beyond color. Thank you 🫶

I LOVE b&W but sometimes color needs tone

I took a workshop with both Alex Webb and Rebecca Norris, beautiful experience. They see life color complexity and poetry in such an unique way

Highly informative, personal also enjoyable video at same time....like always🖤

Thanks. Good, useful content and I appreciate your discussion of the ‘internal’ aspects of photography. I’m 63 and been a photographer for most of my life, pro and now amateur again (meaningless terms I know). £ are more useful than gushing soocial media words, so, great job and thank you.

What a wonderful discovery for Gustavo Minas. Wow. Thanks

Really enjoyed this video 😎 12:57

honestly I've felt the same thing you're talking about and this summer I've taken a lot more photos in colour

this is a video that was very interesting to me, thanx much Sean!

Ironically, I find Black and White is what I am currently exploring. I believe that certain subjects need to be in colour and others in black and white. Just my perspective and my approach to certain subjects. It’s how I tell my visual story. Cheers from Australia. 🇦🇺

It seems that a lot of us get influenced by the many landscape photography vloggers, for whom one of the first things they almost always do when processing an image is pull the highlights way down and the shadows way up. Apparently "nature abhors contrast". I confess to the same -- though I try to move each "just enough" -- but maybe it's time for me to experiment with the idea that it's okay to crush the shadows in color photos...or at least not worry if every detail in them is not easily seen?

All I can say is thank you so much.

I like that you mentioned Gustavo Minas.. because I know him through Instagram, but didn’t know you did as well. He’s good!!

Thank you for this upload, Sean. I often feel I'm cheating or failing to find my own style by allowing the work of other photographers to influence my creative direction, so it's reassuring to hear another photographer unapologetically embrace this method to get out of a creative rut.

I ordered The Suffering Of Light because of this video. It arrived yesterday and I’ve started it. I love it love it love it! Great images!

I am really no fan of kadakchrome

Such a helpful video. Thanks

Superb vlog Sean. Your such an inspiration!

Brilliant! Thanks for sharing!

And black and white is limiting too. A comfort zone but as the Rock says: comfort zones are great, but nothing ever grows there.

Gustavo is amazing!

Excellent learnings from your video, thank you for sharing your learnings. My top two take-home messages in particular were (1) whether you like or dislike his photography his images really make you stop and take notice (2) i too find some of his work to strong. But it does challenge me to try different techniques and isn’t that what good photographers and their art prescribe.

Another great video Sean, thanks very much. The Suffering of Light is one of my favourite photobooks and a go-to when in need of some inspiration.

My major source of inspiration is Obie Oberholzer, a master of strong, saturated complex images. His use of colour is superlative.

Thank you very much Sean! Always inspiring and motivating video!

Thanks for this. Always so inspiring and educational. I do love black and white but something about color just taps into the bit of nostalgia for me (a GenXer) especially with works from Eggleston and Herzog.

Always excellent videos. I think one of the strongest uses in his work is the use of color in layering. I don’t think his layering would work nearly as well in BW. I think his use of 35mm lens plays into this as well. Allows deeper DOF than something like a 50. Also, the super limited DR of Kodachrome FORCED him to let his shadows turn to silhouette. I suspect he maybe even under exposed to saturate the hell out of the Kodachrome mid-tones. Compared to someone like Herzog who also used Kodachrome..Herzog doesn’t have that silhouette contrast and over saturation. Kodachrome really wasn’t candy colors like Velvia…it was more earthy IMHO. . I’m a huge proponent of creativity through limitation.

Color is not difficult. Vibrant color is an interesting challenge. I can take a good nature shot full of colors with ease. But the fabricated by man landscape is not so easy at times to capture to a visual pleasing. Lots of times I over frame just to capture what was the twinkle in my eye, then in post I will refine.

Fantastic episode Many thanks

Sean's videos, are inspirational. Having said that, no video will make you go out and shoot. It is a self realizing (of missing meaning) that push you to "do something". PS: I often tried to do the same. Convert photos, that didn't "look right" to B&W. It never helped.

I've just gone the opposite way recently, having shot colour over the last 6 months pretty exclusively, I am now shooting mono. I tend to focus on one or the other for a while, rather than switching between the two on a regular basis. I just shoot for myself, so any pressure to shoot in a certain style is my own!