NZ Visual Diary - entry 232

Phoenix Cabaret entrance - K Road

Even a cursory review of my Mixed Bag portfolio would lead one to conclude that I love producing images in both colour and black & white. Each photographic genre has its rewards and traps.

about the trap of a colour photograph . . .

In pursuing colour photography, it is easy to be seduced by vibrant colours within a scene that celebrates polychromatic abundance at the expense of composition and a compelling point of interest - the eye candy of a snapshot.

about the joy of a successful black & white image . . .

The tonal range of a black & white photograph - the visual dance of light and shadow - is everything. If one infuses a photographic walk with disciplined attention, the result can be a black & white photograph that presents not only a generous range of grey tones but also the artistic representation of pure blacks and whites.

The Phoenix Cabaret is a drag queen entertainment establishment on iconic Karangahape Road (aka K Road). Its entrance, as seen in today’s photograph, presented the possibility of a compelling black & white photograph.

I had fun with both the pre-visualisation of a final rendering in the moments before image capture and the earnest attempt in post-processing to honour the visual gift.

Is it any good? I ask the viewer to tell me.