FMP: Test shoot for Digbeth Colour

The work of Ernst Haas is very new to me, but I am utterly captivated by the colour in his street-based photography. So much of the colour photography I see at the moment appears to be almost apologetic in their use of colour, as though not wanting it to be excessive but Haas appears to work to the ‘more is more’ adage.

Haas used Kodachrome film, which was known for the richness of its colour, but the hyper-saturated colour mostly came from the dye-transfer process. The sandwiching together of separate layers of cyan, yellow and magenta slides, resulted in the famed Technicolour. The costly and time-consuming process did not last beyond the 1970s, but many Technicolour films are still around now, one of them being The Wizard of Oz.

The Dye Transfer Printing Process - Technicolor 100, The George Eastman Museum

I wanted to create some street photography in and around Digbeth, using Haas’ New York colour work as inspiration.

My tools were a Minolta 404si film camera and a roll of Lomography 135 colour film.

The location was Digbeth, Birmingham.

The weather was gloriously sunny, which meant I would be able to capture some hard shadows and shafts of light in dark corners, which I love.

Lomography Colour Film

This photo walk took place on a fairly quiet Monday lunchtime. The streets were not overly packed with people, but it was more of a slow, steady stream. This allowed me to photograph both people and the environment.

These images from Haas exemplify the bold use of colour. The colour looks somewhat overprocessed but it fits well with the theme of energetic city streets. The images feel evocative of a hot, sticky summer’s day.

L-R Motion Crosswalk I, NY 1970s; NY1968; NY 1953. Ernst Haas

I feel that these first two images have replicated Haas’ colour perfectly. I was drawn to the bright yellow scaffolding and the vivid colour of the Apple logo.

The punchy yellow, though clearly the dominant colour does not dominate; in image 4 (bottom right) the complementary colours are perfectly balanced with each other. The bikes at the front of image three are mainly comprised of primary colours, but the balance is obtained from the neutral coloured pavement in the mid-ground.

The colour in the following four images is much more subtle than the previous four and certainly more subtle than Haas’ photographs. There appears to be a faint pinky-coloured hue to the photographs which suggests a more muted mood.

The first four images were more successful in recreating Haas’ use of colour than the second set of four images. The only variable was the location and time of day; the yellow-dominant images were taken in brighter sunshine in the second set. It’s worth noting that apart from minor re-touching to remove dust and scratches, no colour adjustments were made as I wanted the images to keep their authentic colour.

Using the Lomography film provided mixed results but overall, as the colour reproduction was interesting and varied, depending on whether the shot was taken in bright sunshine or in a shaded or overcast area, I would definitely use this film again.