Pride in Black and White
To see the full series mentioned in the blog, check out Proud now available in Photo Series.
Check out the Street Roamer and Portrait photo sets for sale in the.
I have always loved film. The grain, the tones, the feeling, and the patience has always been something that I feel helps photographers like myself better their skills. So what happens when you take something that is know for it’s vibrance and color and remove that from it. Does it capture the rawness of that moment? Does it take away from everything it stands for? What if those colors are similar tones in black and white? I decided last year I would do just that and find out at what would be one of the most colorful events I’ve ever partaken in, NYC pride.
Now let’s be frank, I have never been to a pride celebration before a day in my life. I just never cared enough to deal with the crowds, but my boyfriend made the point that it’s the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots and we should go just to say we were a part of it. I packed up my Canon Rebel G and a couple of lenses: a 24-105 f/4 and a 50mm f/1.8. I grabbed a few roll of Kodak Tri-X 400 and we set off. I had never been to New York City except for work on a few occasions so I never really experienced New York City. I wouldn’t say I experienced New York City that day either, but a celebration of sorts that is a part of what makes New York City what it is. I shot my 3 rolls of film, and we had a bite to eat and left. I dropped off my film to be developed, picked it up the next day, scanned the negatives, and I was pleasantly surprised. The photos were black and white, but you still could feel the colors. It was like my mind was filling in the blank spaces with the color that was missing. The photos focused more on the people than the colors they were wearing, and their emotions and body language were more pronounced. When I was there at the parade and watching the festivities it felt like i was just a part of the hectic nature of a parade. Actually I felt that people forgot to wear their deodorant that day. When I saw the photos I was able to capture the moments of playfulness, pride, happiness, comradery, and belonging. I didn’t see the value of pride while I was there, but only after I saw it through a monochrome memory.
The next time you think of pride think of it through color blind eyes, because you may be surprised how much power it has given a community when you look beyond the rainbow flag.
Some images from the Series Proud.