Gritty Chinatown Streets in Black and White - Another Boston WalkWithMe

Black and white pictures have a dignity and gravitas that color can't convey.

Why do you suppose that is? Is it because, for viewers of a certain age, black and white equates to older, traditional, and therefore respected? Or does the elimination of the color palette force us to concentrate on something more essential to the photograph?

Whatever the reason, I can't help feeling that in many cases, a black and white picture is just more compelling. Especially if the subject is "gritty," serious, or maybe a little depressing.

I usually walk to work through Downtown Crossing and then cut through Boston Common. There's a huge variety of people along the way, packed in close enough that you can take some pretty intimate photographs without raising an eyebrow. This walk is actually a quarter-mile longer than the direct route, but hey, I could use the exercise.

Chinatown is just a few streets to the south, full of color and mess, excitement and smell. I've taken my share of pictures there as well.

Running right between the two neighborhoods is a street that seems to contain a great deal of the city's struggle and heartbreak. Maybe it's the proximity of South Station, where buses and trains deposit people of all walks of life from around the world. Maybe it's the homeless shelter (right next to a Masonic lodge). For whatever reason, there are a few blocks where pan-handling is ubiquitous, drug deals happen right out in the open, and a certain self-assured swagger is required if you want to pass through unmolested.

It's also the most direct route to my job.

I've never felt threatened or unsafe walking down Essex St., even in the evenings. But would I walk it at midnight? Probably not.

As I was going through yesterday's photographs, I realized a black and white approach was most appropriate. All were taken between 9:10 and 9:30 on Friday, August 17.

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@donnadavisart has also been sharing some of her work in black and white. I think this simplicity can be just as effective in art as photography, if not more so.

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