Black and white or color?

High-quality black and white photograph actually is the apex of photography, you  must be very experienced photographer to achieve the best quality black and  white photograph. Ten years ago, among our family pictures there were  mostly just black and  white photographs, rarely there were some colored. In Soviet times, I even considered colored picture to some extent and luxury, although you could see the film for color photos in sale. I remember  when in 1999 for my birthday I received a present from  my grandfather-  the “Zenit”. I then began to shoot mostly trains and everything associated with the railroad, but even looking at them through many years, I did not say that they  got poor quality. The most important thing in photography is the very presence of colors as well as a photograph and its definition.

Black & white photography, for me, is one of the most interesting and inspiring aspects of this art form we call our hobby and passion. It’s raw and refined, natural and unusual, bold and subtle, mysterious and open, emotional and impassive, simple and complex, black and white and everything in between. The monochromatic image has been with photography since the beginning, but what began as the only way to capture images has turned into something much deeper.

An experienced black and  white photographer can see the world without any color. They’ve trained their mind to pick up contrast and tone while blocking the distraction of colors. This isn’t a skill that everyone  can pick up in a short amount of time; it’s something that comes naturally in time. I can’t say that I’m gifted enough to have monochrome vision, but I have been able to notice certain scenes and subjects that would lend themselves to black and white.

Recently I have been reading Lee Frost’s : Simple Art of Black and White Photography and I think it is excellent. I’ve read a large amount of black and white photography books, but this one is by far and away the best. It doesn't bury itself in arcane developers and complex techniques but shows, with examples, the beauty of black and white photography and how to produce best quality prints.
Lee Frost's amazing black and white images:

Source:
http://www.leefrost.co.uk/gallery.asp?category=Landscapes%20Black%20And%20White%20-%201
http://www.thespiderawards.com/gallery5/gallery.php?x=p&cid=44&g=w
Lee Frost's Simple Art of Black and White Photography: Easy Methods for making Fine Art Prints, 2004 edition from David and Charles.

Борис Михайлов:

Boris Mikhailov - world's most famous Ukrainian, though, rather  would say, a Soviet photographer - his entire adult life engaged in blaming the reality. Not that he does it deliberately - to ashamed of contemporaries and descendants of edification. No, Mikhailov shoots, as they say, without anger or passion. But even without disgust. He had  the courage to look at life in focus. I have absolutely indifferent attitude when I see Boris Mikhalov's works.Although would like to pay attention to what he does.Firstly when I saw his works I had a shock and even disgust: dozens of people and figures,sometimes their bodies are so little resemble to normal ones that seem to be artifacts of the anatomical theatre. But I think such work are eligible to be.There is a highly weighted conceptual approach, to show people below the normal life and not to overload the picture with the copyright "sense ". Its already seen so much. Before looking at pictures of homeless people already we represent is how it looks and in 99 percent. cases,that is something what we were expecting. Lack of morals in life, it is also a kind of morality. Emptiness is so perfectly fills the space as well as the meaning.
Source;
http://www.artmargins.com/index.php/2-articles/188-boris-mikhailov-a-new-metaphysician
http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/artists/boris_mikhailov.htm

Patrick Cariou vs Richard Prince and Gagosian

Photographer Patrick Cariou just won a major case against artist and rip off king, Richard Prince. For years Prince has taken photos from ads and sometimes has done nothing more than blow them up large and sell them for 6 figures, or more. His Marlboro Cowboy series was never challenged, because the photographers working on Marlboro ads sold their copyright to the Phillip Morris Company. Without owning the copyright, the photographers could never sue.
But this time Prince lifted 41 images from French photographer Patrick Cariou’s Yes, Rasta book published in 2000.  Cariou spent many years with the Rastas, gaining their trust, living with them, in order to make his photos. Prince simply had his interns buy the book.

 Cariou vs Prince: Left, a photo of a Rastafarian from Patrick Cariou's "Yes, Rasta" and, right, a painting from Prince's Canal Zone series

Cariou sued and Prince tried claiming and hiding behind a “fair-use” defense, meaning he was transforming the original works, as opposed to creating derivative images. This defense has been used many times by artists “appropriating” the work of others and them claiming it as their own. Photographers call this “ripping off” or “stealing” rather than “appropriating”.
Sad to hear that such cases occur quite often. This can happen with anyone. To maximally protect your work against stealing you should always put a copyright simbol or you can create your own logotipe. 
Also to protect yourself, register your work. This won’t prevent unauthorized usage, but it will give you more power in the event someone steals your work. In the good old days it was quite a laborious process. You were required to include copies of the work you wished to copyright along with all the paperwork. The process has become very simple: simply go to http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/, fill out the forms, and presto it’s done. Be sure to read the links on the registration page, as you may need to register the work in more than one category. This becomes legal government document once you register the work outlined in it, so follow the instructions. There are fees involved and may range according to what you are registering.In this environment it a very good idea to take the time to register your work. The incidences of infringement have increased as the access has. So if you want to protect yourself and your work, do it!
Source:
http://www.patrickcariou.com/rasbook.htmlhttp://www.theartnewspaper.com/articles/Patrick+Cariou+wins+copyright+case+against+Richard+Prince+and+Gagosian/23387
http://www.copyrightservice.co.uk/copyright/p02_protecting_copyright

Deutsche Börse

Recently visited Deutsche Börse photography exhibition which is related to the experiences of refugee, immigrant and trafficked populations who travel from war torn, socially and economically devastated countries to make new lives in Europe.
This year, two US photographers, Roe Ethridge and Magnum's Jim Goldberg, are joined by German Thomas Demand and Israeli Elad Lassry to compete for the £30,000 cash prize. Each year, the award goes to a living photographer that has made "the most significant contribution, in exhibition or publication format, to the medium of photography in Europe" over the past 12 months.
Most impressive photograph made by Jim Goldberg

DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO. 2008. His radio is the sole possession that he took with him while escaping a rebel attack in his village. He now lives in a refugee camp with 60,000 other people where poverty, disease, and crime run rampant © Jim Goldberg / Magnum Photos.

Really liked all the works,especially Jim Goldberg's polaroid series.  To me he's a real master of conceptual photography.I was inspired to start my own new project. Bought  Deutsche Borse 2011 photo collection book + fresh pack of polaroid film.

 

Source:
http://www.bjp-online.com/british-journal-of-photography/news/1929717/shortlist-released-deutsche-b-rse-photography-prize-2011
http://vimeo.com/22703135