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Joel Meyerowitz: A Question of Color
Joel A Question of Color traces the experiments in color and black-and-white photography of the young Meyerowitz, a pioneer in the history of
color photography. An early advocate of color photography, Joel Meyerowitz has impacted and influenced generations of artists. For fifty-eight years, the master photographer has documented the United States’ ever-changing social landscape. During the late 1960s, Meyerowitz carried two one loaded with monochrome stock, the other with color. Just how, when, and why American fine art photographers switched from black-and-white image-making, prized within the gallery system, to color photography, once seen as the preserve of tourist photography, has been the cause of much debate. In Joel A Question of Color , Meyerowitz tells the story of his early days as a photographer when he was told that serious photographers took black-and-white pictures. "But why," he asked, "when the world is in color?" He then bought a color camera and various rolls of film and began to experiment with color a passion he continues to pursue. 200 black-and-white and color illustrations
color photography. An early advocate of color photography, Joel Meyerowitz has impacted and influenced generations of artists. For fifty-eight years, the master photographer has documented the United States’ ever-changing social landscape. During the late 1960s, Meyerowitz carried two one loaded with monochrome stock, the other with color. Just how, when, and why American fine art photographers switched from black-and-white image-making, prized within the gallery system, to color photography, once seen as the preserve of tourist photography, has been the cause of much debate. In Joel A Question of Color , Meyerowitz tells the story of his early days as a photographer when he was told that serious photographers took black-and-white pictures. "But why," he asked, "when the world is in color?" He then bought a color camera and various rolls of film and began to experiment with color a passion he continues to pursue. 200 black-and-white and color illustrations
- GenresPhotographyNonfictionArt
224 pages, Paperback
Published January 9, 2024
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About the author
Joel Meyerowitz
74 books42 followersJoel Meyerowitz is an award-winning photographer whose work has appeared in over 350 exhibitions in museums and galleries around the world. He was born in New York in 1938 and began photographing in 1962. Meyerowitz is a “street photographer” in the tradition of Henri Cartier-Bresson and Robert Frank, although he works exclusively in color. As an early advocate of color photography (early-60’s) he was instrumental in changing the attitude toward color photography from one of resistance to nearly universal acceptance. His first book “Cape Light” is considered a classic work of color photography and has sold over 100,000 copies during its 26-year life. He has published nineteen other books including “Bystander: The History of Street Photography” and “Provence: Lasting Impressions.”
In 1998 Meyerowitz produced and directed his first film, ”POP”, an intimate diary of a three-week road trip he made with his son Sasha and his father, Hy. This odyssey has as its central character an unpredictable, street wise and witty 87-year-old with Alzheimer’s. It is both an open-eyed look at aging and a meditation on the significance of memory.
Within a few days of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Meyerowitz began to create an archive of the destruction and recovery at Ground Zero. He was the only photographer who was granted unimpeded access to the site. Meyerowitz took a meditative stance toward the work and workers there, systematically documenting the painful work of rescue, recovery, demolition and excavation. The World Trade Center Archive includes more than 8,000 images and will be available for research, exhibition, and publication at museums in New York and Washington, DC.
In 2001 The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department asked the Museum of the City of New York and Meyerowitz to create a special exhibition of images from the archive to send around the world. The images traveled to more than 200 cities in 60 countries and over three and a half million people viewed the exhibition.
In addition to the traveling shows, Meyerowitz was invited to represent the United States at the 8th Venice Biennale for Architecture with his photographs from the World Trade Center Archives. In September 2002, he exhibited 73 images – some as large as 22 feet – in lower Manhattan. Some recent books are: “Taking My Time”, his fifty year, two volume, retrospective book by Phaidon Press of London, “Provence: lasting Impressions,” co-authored with his wife Maggie Barrett, a book on the late work of Paul Strand by Aperture, "Glimpse": Photographs From Moving Car, which was a solo show at MoMA, and "Joel Meyerowitz Retrospective", published in conjunction with his recent show at NRW Forum in Dusseldorf.
Meyerowitz is a Guggenheim fellow and a recipient of both the NEA and NEH awards. His work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and many others.
In 1998 Meyerowitz produced and directed his first film, ”POP”, an intimate diary of a three-week road trip he made with his son Sasha and his father, Hy. This odyssey has as its central character an unpredictable, street wise and witty 87-year-old with Alzheimer’s. It is both an open-eyed look at aging and a meditation on the significance of memory.
Within a few days of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York, Meyerowitz began to create an archive of the destruction and recovery at Ground Zero. He was the only photographer who was granted unimpeded access to the site. Meyerowitz took a meditative stance toward the work and workers there, systematically documenting the painful work of rescue, recovery, demolition and excavation. The World Trade Center Archive includes more than 8,000 images and will be available for research, exhibition, and publication at museums in New York and Washington, DC.
In 2001 The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. State Department asked the Museum of the City of New York and Meyerowitz to create a special exhibition of images from the archive to send around the world. The images traveled to more than 200 cities in 60 countries and over three and a half million people viewed the exhibition.
In addition to the traveling shows, Meyerowitz was invited to represent the United States at the 8th Venice Biennale for Architecture with his photographs from the World Trade Center Archives. In September 2002, he exhibited 73 images – some as large as 22 feet – in lower Manhattan. Some recent books are: “Taking My Time”, his fifty year, two volume, retrospective book by Phaidon Press of London, “Provence: lasting Impressions,” co-authored with his wife Maggie Barrett, a book on the late work of Paul Strand by Aperture, "Glimpse": Photographs From Moving Car, which was a solo show at MoMA, and "Joel Meyerowitz Retrospective", published in conjunction with his recent show at NRW Forum in Dusseldorf.
Meyerowitz is a Guggenheim fellow and a recipient of both the NEA and NEH awards. His work is in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Art, The Art Institute of Chicago, and many others.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
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March 4, 2024Joel Meyerowitz is a landscape, street, and portrait photographer. He is known for his use of colour in his photos, undertaking this specific style as early as 1962. This was at a time when using colour in photography was looked down upon and treated with complete and utter disdain. This work attempts to highlight Meyerowitz’ craft, while giving a timeline of how he gradually thought back against doubters to show the value in documenting life through colour.
We follow him on his travels through America and Europe, as he attempts to pair photographs of the same scene – one in colour, the other black and white – as he not only tries to show his detractors that his colour shots hold weight, but to also personally challenge himself and find the answers as to why he holds specific stylistic preferences.
It sounds obvious at first, but having the side-by-side comparison of colour and black and white, with almost identical shots, works very well to highlight the pros and cons of either medium. The black and whites really create the old-timey feel that you experience with b&w even today, whereas the colour shots add a vibrance and playfulness that feels natural to the themes that Meyerowitz targets.
Clearly, the choice between colour and b&w all depends on the photographer in question, but here I believe it’s clear that colour suits Meyerowitz more. While the b&w are good photos on a basic level, Meyerowitz has an eye for colour that is evident from the first frame to the last. There are highlights being made in specific images – the uncanny edges of mannequin compared to man (pg.35), the sharp contrast between interior and exterior (pg.112-113), the boldness of the primary-red sign, framed by blue skies and grey asphalt, at the Texas drive-in (pg.184) – that can only be appreciated in colour. Out these images in black and white, as the comparison shots show, and you lose all character. Again, this is all dependent on the photographer and their style, but it’s clear in this book that Joel Meyerowitz made the right choice for himself.
This is a terrifically concise write up for a photographer who made the elemental steps away from tradition to embark on fresh artistic endeavours. It is a book that speaks to the idea of remaining steadfast in your beliefs as an artist, a creative, or just anyone for that matter, and not being swayed or easily influenced by those who stick to the already-well marked trail.
We follow him on his travels through America and Europe, as he attempts to pair photographs of the same scene – one in colour, the other black and white – as he not only tries to show his detractors that his colour shots hold weight, but to also personally challenge himself and find the answers as to why he holds specific stylistic preferences.
It sounds obvious at first, but having the side-by-side comparison of colour and black and white, with almost identical shots, works very well to highlight the pros and cons of either medium. The black and whites really create the old-timey feel that you experience with b&w even today, whereas the colour shots add a vibrance and playfulness that feels natural to the themes that Meyerowitz targets.
Clearly, the choice between colour and b&w all depends on the photographer in question, but here I believe it’s clear that colour suits Meyerowitz more. While the b&w are good photos on a basic level, Meyerowitz has an eye for colour that is evident from the first frame to the last. There are highlights being made in specific images – the uncanny edges of mannequin compared to man (pg.35), the sharp contrast between interior and exterior (pg.112-113), the boldness of the primary-red sign, framed by blue skies and grey asphalt, at the Texas drive-in (pg.184) – that can only be appreciated in colour. Out these images in black and white, as the comparison shots show, and you lose all character. Again, this is all dependent on the photographer and their style, but it’s clear in this book that Joel Meyerowitz made the right choice for himself.
This is a terrifically concise write up for a photographer who made the elemental steps away from tradition to embark on fresh artistic endeavours. It is a book that speaks to the idea of remaining steadfast in your beliefs as an artist, a creative, or just anyone for that matter, and not being swayed or easily influenced by those who stick to the already-well marked trail.
June 22, 2024
Once upon a time, not that long ago, only black and white photography was considered art. This did not sit right with Joel Meyerowitz. He felt that a whole dimension was missing. So he experimented. He took the same pictures in both color and black and white (oviously, they weren’t exactly the same as Meyerowitz was a New York street photographer, and the subjects tended to move as he switched cameras).
We see the outcome of this venture as he presents the photos side by side. The black and white shots are beautiful. However, the color adds so much more.
Meyerowitz also discusses other elements of photography. For example, he explains that photographers from different places develop unique styles.
I really enjoyed this book and give it a hearty recommendation.
We see the outcome of this venture as he presents the photos side by side. The black and white shots are beautiful. However, the color adds so much more.
Meyerowitz also discusses other elements of photography. For example, he explains that photographers from different places develop unique styles.
I really enjoyed this book and give it a hearty recommendation.
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December 6, 2025This is an interesting, and, as far as I can tell from what's being published over the past 2 years, a rather rare publication. Where do you get to see two variants of the same-ish moment, one captured in B&W and one in color?
The important thing to know is that this is your typical magazine reportage/article (the kind that would typically start with the author describing how they arrived to their house and how the dog barked) that doubles as an exhibition catalogue.
I think it's always interesting to see what artists themselves have to say about art and how things happened for them, and Meyerowitz told me something new and unexpected, honestly; I'm always up for precious little biographical information. Sadly, when the whole story arrives at the most interesting part and where his pictures become the most fascinating, the trail ends.
The ironic thing for me is to see someone who's supposed to be a color photographer putting much more emphasis on the shots done in B&W: I found those almost always more striking and impactful, the composition as well as the timing much better. The color versions seemed to me as mere documentations of the moments, having basically nothing much to offer were they on their own (I'm saying this as someone who finds the information about atmosphere, the nuances on clothes etc, crucial). But I was glad to see also the works from 70s and later which I wasn't familiar with at all; I found them spectacular. Unfortunately, as is often the case, a couple of those large-format photos are split over two pages which I dislike when the book is not specifically made for this purpose.
The important thing to know is that this is your typical magazine reportage/article (the kind that would typically start with the author describing how they arrived to their house and how the dog barked) that doubles as an exhibition catalogue.
I think it's always interesting to see what artists themselves have to say about art and how things happened for them, and Meyerowitz told me something new and unexpected, honestly; I'm always up for precious little biographical information. Sadly, when the whole story arrives at the most interesting part and where his pictures become the most fascinating, the trail ends.
The ironic thing for me is to see someone who's supposed to be a color photographer putting much more emphasis on the shots done in B&W: I found those almost always more striking and impactful, the composition as well as the timing much better. The color versions seemed to me as mere documentations of the moments, having basically nothing much to offer were they on their own (I'm saying this as someone who finds the information about atmosphere, the nuances on clothes etc, crucial). But I was glad to see also the works from 70s and later which I wasn't familiar with at all; I found them spectacular. Unfortunately, as is often the case, a couple of those large-format photos are split over two pages which I dislike when the book is not specifically made for this purpose.
March 21, 2025
It is a great book, definitely worth reading.
What I missed? Two things:
- more detailed thoughts on the pairings, something that started to be incouded in the few final pages
- the photos definitely make great point on the importance of color, and it is a big advantage that we are looking at 2 “different” images instead of the same converted to BW. BW photogpraphy requires a specific approach and PoV. Unfortunately, the feeling it leaves to me is that the BW twins are just poor siblings of the colour images, lacking the composition, contrast, overall feel for the moment that the author invested into their colour versions. Even in the situations where you know a BW image would be powerfull, it´s execution looks week when compared to the beautiful execution of the colour version. This results, in my view, into pairs that make authors point by author forcing them to make the point he wants. It no longer is a question of colour, but rather a very strong answer.
What I missed? Two things:
- more detailed thoughts on the pairings, something that started to be incouded in the few final pages
- the photos definitely make great point on the importance of color, and it is a big advantage that we are looking at 2 “different” images instead of the same converted to BW. BW photogpraphy requires a specific approach and PoV. Unfortunately, the feeling it leaves to me is that the BW twins are just poor siblings of the colour images, lacking the composition, contrast, overall feel for the moment that the author invested into their colour versions. Even in the situations where you know a BW image would be powerfull, it´s execution looks week when compared to the beautiful execution of the colour version. This results, in my view, into pairs that make authors point by author forcing them to make the point he wants. It no longer is a question of colour, but rather a very strong answer.
August 22, 2024
Joel Meyerowitz is a great teacher. This book has really got me seeing color photography differently in my own work. His idea of trying to take photos of the life going on around him rather than the events that everyone else noticed was groundbreaking. His decision to shoot street photography in color was as well and you can see the difference between color and black and white in the examples given in this book. The color photo isn’t always the best composition in my opinion, but you can see how the color is a subject all its own in the photo where as black and white seems to be an emotion rather than a subject.
March 23, 2025
Un libro che definirei indispensabile (o quanto meno altamente raccomandato) per chiunque sia interessato alla fotografia di strada, con tante immagini geniali da guardare e riguardare anche solo per ispirazione.
Anche i testi sono interessanti, raccontano la storia del fotografo e di come negli anni 60 ha sfidato il concetto che la fotografia a colori avesse meno dignità artistica di quella in bianco e nero.
Edizione dal prezzo accessibile, anche se avrebbe meritato un formato più grande.
Anche i testi sono interessanti, raccontano la storia del fotografo e di come negli anni 60 ha sfidato il concetto che la fotografia a colori avesse meno dignità artistica di quella in bianco e nero.
Edizione dal prezzo accessibile, anche se avrebbe meritato un formato più grande.
September 17, 2025
In my opinion this is a fantastic photo book to add to your collection. I love the juxtaposition of the color and b&w photos together and the writing really helps paint the picture of when these photographs were taken and explain some insight into Joel's photographic process. As always Joel's photographs provoke emotion and perfectly depict the everyday life of the period.
Definitely add this to your collection.
Definitely add this to your collection.
February 22, 2025
Je m’en souviendrai très longtemps de celui là :՜)
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July 5, 2025I'm not sure I'll ever get tired of this question, of color versus black and white, and this book is an invitation to fall squarely into the conversation.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews