7up Sign, Scaly Mountain, NC - 2009Frequent visitors to this blog know that I am a big fan of Walker Evans’ documentary photography from the 1930s. I often try to emulate his style in B&W photos of the region in which I live. I also enjoy the work of Bill Christenberry, a photographer from Alabama who is also an Evans fan. Christenberry, who actually met Evans before he died in 1975, has photographed some of the same sights that Evans photographed in Alabama back in the ’30s. Christenberry, however, works in color.
I love Evans’ documentary style in B&W, but I have to admit that Christenberry’s practice of working in color probably better suits some subjects. I did a B&W version of this photo, but color just seemed to tell the tale of this faded sign a little better. As a digital photographer, I have the luxury of being able to make the choice of color or B&W after I make the exposure.
