What are the colors of your city?

Have you ever noticed that cities seem to have a palette? Recently, my wife laughed at me when I insisted that we buy a stylish trench coat for our four-year-old daughter because, I said, "It will look so great with the colors of Paris." But I think she laughed because she knows what I mean (or at least that's what I decided to believe). And I'm not talking about fashion trends, but about walls, streets, parks, etc.

In New Orleans, I love the many colors (often pastels) of the French Quarter. If I lived there, my location book would be full in no time. In Paris, I love the ubiquitous warm stone. And although not everyone thinks about buying coats for their children with the local stone in mind, I know I am not alone in my colorlust. In fact, the world is so infatuated with "Paris Stone" that its limestone quarries may soon be depleted. In Seattle, I love the grays, the blues, and the greens (it's easy to miss even the constant rainclouds when you haven't lived there in ten years). In New York....well, you get the picture.

I took the photo above on an empty street in New Orleans, where I saw an abandoned building covered in wonderfully anthropomorphic graffiti of cassette tapes. Dead media for a dead building. I have always loved graffiti, provided that it beautify an otherwise characterless and neglected structure—don't get me started on people who tag and vandalize indiscriminately. The photo may not represent the post-card palette of the French Quarter, but I like how the bright yellow challenges the more common blue.

What is the palette of your city? What about your favorite cities? Another thing to think about when experimenting with color this month.

Seeing Color in the Everyday

Some of you may remember the interview I did with Brad Slade, the photographer for Seeing the Everyday magazine. I love their philosophy of noticing and appreciating the small moments in life. With that idea in mind, I want to encourage you to remember the little things as you look for color inspiration. I took the photo above of a pin cushion because I liked the way the pins stood out against the shiny cushion. For me, it's like a microcosmic constellation of colors.

disappearing comments

If you have tried to comment or link to a post for the monthly special and it hasn't work, the problem is no doubt due to Mister Linky (the widget I use for comments/monthly special links). This has been happening too often and I am working to resolve the problem. Just keep trying back. I love to get comments and also to see your work on the theme of the month.

Cross processing for more drama

First of all, let me confess that I virtually never use cross processing. But before moving on to another color topic, I wanted to take some photos and see how cross processing might enhance their look. The idea here is based on Ilan's comment that sometimes people use effects to cover up a bad photo. So the following represent three photos that I already like in their plain old unretouched versions and one photo that I never really liked until it was cross processed.

In this photo, the muted tones of the wall around the Louvre become a yellowish-green, and the contrast between the background and the man on rollerblades is strengthened. In my opinion, the cross processing works here because of the increased contrast.

I like the original of this photo because of its strong graphic nature. Here, the cross processing intensifies an already strong contrast and turns the previously green-gray walls a color of blue that works well with the sign.

The washed out background and yellowish tint—both due to cross processing—make the skater (who is about to wipe out) a more clear object of focus. If I were to make an even trendier look, I would probably use some brushes. I did, however, add a slight yellowish vignetting.

This last photo did not interest me in its original version. But here, it becomes an almost surreal study in color. My own conclusion is that cross processing could work well for stylized and very graphic pieces.