LarryN Loc: Portland OR & Carbondale, CO

I think the color version tells a much more interesting story for me. Who is this unusual woman who is wearing multicolored socks. In the B&W you wouldn't even notice her socks.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

But that is exactly how color is just added distraction!

Street Photography is not about the character of the people shown, hence the strangeness of her socks distracts from the subject. The subject is the relationship between the woman and the object she is looking at. It is not her character or the character of what is in the window that should be made distinct, which is what color does.

It's a matter of are we doing Street Photography or portraits of people on the street.

LarryN Loc: Portland OR & Carbondale, CO

I disagree with you. For me, I look at a Street Photography shot & look for the story in the shot. I think the subject of this shot is the woman herself. A woman looking in a store window is not particularly interesting to me. So for me the B&W is a run of the mill shot but in color it is so much more interesting.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Wonderful, but see the People Photogtaphy section for portraits. This section is for Street Photography.

SATS Loc: Belgium

Thanks for looking, Don - 5 to 3 for colour

LarryN Loc: Portland OR & Carbondale, CO

Gee, I don't think I need you to tell me the difference between People Photography and Street Photography. In fact, there is quite a bit of overlap. As I stated, it was my opinion. You can have yours but I think I'm entitled to mine. Thank you very much.

SATS Loc: Belgium

I have quoted Larry as the last commentator just to get the add attachment page to display.

Hey guys, I expected some differences of opinion here and I thought I would learn something from the ebb and flow of the conversation but I didn't want things to get acrimonious. Let's all take a step backwards and take a breath.

As with most of this sort of photography it is very rare that you find out who the people are. I can tell you that it was taken on carnival day in the Netherlands border town of Bergan op Zoom (Zoom rhymes with home). I was unaware it was carnival day and arrived just after the parade and bands had dispersed and there were still a few people hanging around the centre. I followed the old lady down a street when she stopped and looked in a window and I took a couple of photos. Outlandish costumes with strong primary colors seems to be a feature of these things. I think it is a pagan end of winter thing. Next point is that it is not her wearing the colorful socks, it is someone that followed me down the street and went past me as I stopped to take the picture. Here is a full length photo of the lady, in color to prove the point. And finally, here is a father taking a picture of his son's colorful socks with his cell phone camera, at least I think that is what he is doing, it is so hard to say. These photos are straight out of the camera and are completely unedited, not even cropped.

Can we draw a line under this one now?

(Download)


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Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

Except that you described what you liked as something other than Street Photography.

Apaflo Loc: Anchorage, Alaska

I like these two better than the first image, and with these color works quite well.

jpgto Loc: North East Tennessee

Color for me in this one......

Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset

I much prefer these photos in colour.

The coloured socks in your first photo of the lady was very distracting and as the lady was cut off, it left the viewer wondering what was going one, now we wonder no more. It just shows that there are some photos that work best in colour. Thanks for sharing something that is unusual with us., even if it was thought provoking.

SATS Loc: Belgium

Thanks for commenting Heather, pleased you liked them. I posted both to get a concensus of what folks liked best and why.

Here is a totally off the wall question you might know the answer to (or not) ;-) I always thought orchard wassailing was an after harvest thing but now I have heard it is something for year end. Do you know if it for one or the other, or both? Thanks.

Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset

Thanks SATS for responding.

No, I don't know what orchard wassailing is. Perhaps someone else will be able to answer you. We could ask Google and see what shows up.

Heather

SATS Loc: Belgium

Hi Heather, I know what it is, I just don't know for sure when it happens. It is one of our bits of national daftness that I have never experienced first hand. It is one of those things that makes other peoples look at us askance, shake their heads and walk away in bewilderment. I looked at your location and thought it was a long shot that you might know.

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2010/jan/21/wassailing-cider-apple-orchard

Heather Iles Loc: UK, Somerset

Thanks for the link. I was not born in Somerset, but I retired here like a lot of other people.

After reading the article, it sounds like what goes on in the next village which is Hinton St George, but I can't remember which month, but I know that it is not in the Summer and when it is dark. Yes, rituals are rather strange to outsiders.