Color photography is important. I think photography is the key to recording the past, present and future. Saul Leiter defied the rules and focused more on color. One of my favorite images is of a traffic light in a storm in New York City called Green Light Against Grey, New York.
This image sticks out to me the most because of the lack of color within the frame. But because of the lack of color there is an emphasis on the color green. But that’s not the only good part of the photograph—texture and depth of field. Texture in the snow is very prominent and I think the lack of color helps bring out the texture of the snow. Depth of field pulls me into the photograph as well.
Saul Leiter’s statement was to capture the mundane. And Saul is able to do that in his series.
Another thing that stuck out to me about Leiter’s photographs is his ability to frame a subject. The subject is never really in the center or easy to point out. The subject was either hard to find or out of focus. One of his stills are similar to the short film from Disney called “The Blue Umbrella.” Saul Leiter’s image captured a red umbrella in pieces. Some of his images framed a subject within a frame and it was off center. Usually, photographers follow the rule of thirds or the golden ration or center of a photo.
You can tell Saul pays close attention to color because of his background in painting. Leiter has a knack for capturing the mundane through color, framing, texture, composition, and perspective just like a painter.
Photos In The Cinema 