FMP - research - the art of re-photography - part 2

As good as Levere and Maciejewski’s projects were in terms of scope and angling ect., they looked too traditional and something was missing for me. Maciejewski and Levere made me understand what re-photography is about and to get a glimpse of how it should be done – same angle and preferably same post-processing used – but I work in colour, not black and white and wanted to incorporate the coloured image into my work as well.

I started looking for a re-photographer that has chosen to break the canon and ditch the black and white for his/her modern images. I thought that the contrast in colours will lead to even starker contrast between the vintage image and the modern one. 

That was when I came across Vincent Zénon Rigaud’s work and was fascinated by it. He is a French photographer dedicated to re-photographing his native town of Reims through the ages. What I loved about his work (when I saw his website I was amazed by the editing idea) is that he not only re-photographs the place, he blends in the two images to create a new, stunning image, encompassing both old and new. (see fig.1 below)

Fig.1 - Vincent Zénon Rigaud – Reims. 2017 (cover of a book by Yann Harlaut)

I loved the approach since it was the first time I see something like that alongside the other re-photography projects, the one Rigaud did stood out. It was unique and not only showed two images side by side, it made a blend of two images, two historical periods and two traditions in one final image which made me stop and think. He definitely had a distinctive style of his own and I would have liked to do something similar. 

Very few people in Bulgaria, if any, are doing re-photography projects, at least none that I am aware of. While looking at the projects of Levere and Maciejewski I saw an idea but nothing that would make me stand out. Their projects are inclined towards documentary photography and I must admit, I am not that much into it to be able to produce something of value in this style.

Rigaud’s project was a different universe for me – artistic, interesting, and even eclectic to some extent. It combined old and new in one photograph (which would be much easier to display) and the final result showed both the stark changes (each of the images is manipulated in such a way so that the final blend shows the most of the changes that occurred in between the captures) and the artist’s view.

I liked his approach in terms of post-processing that I intend to use it in my own project (or adapt it, in case it does not work for the images I select). To me, Rigaud’s work is novel, artistic and documentary. What is more, he primarily works in colour and the style of his other images (non-related to this project) is similar to the style I employ when post-processing my images. I think I have found a way to stand out within the photographic community and the general public since no one has done something like that.

Later on, it dawned on me that even if I do something like Rigaud did, that would be a mere copycat. What was important to my work was that he worked in colour and that his contrasts are even better - working with colour. So I settled for the middle ground - neither monochrome only, as in the projects of Levere and Maciejewski - nor the blend of Rigaud. Most probably will have the two images on one canvas (the old one slightly smaller than the re-photographed - for resolution reasons). 

But that is yet to be arranged. 

FWP - research - the art of re-photography - part 1

As I mentioned in the previous post, I needed to find some practitioners who have done re-photography to see what the genre was like. To me the whole idea was a challenge since there is no one in Bulgaria who has done such a project. I looked globally (and googled 're-photography') to see who are some of the most famous in the field were. After all, if I am to learn, let it be by the best.

One of the first projects that I encountered was Douglas Levere's New York Changing[1] which portrayed the way New York (Manhattan in particular) has changed over the 20th century. The author started in the 1990s and used absolutely the same perspective as the one of the previous images. The images are displayed side by side, showing the differences (or lack of them, in some cases). At first, that seemed like a good approach to me. I was fascinated by the way Levere used the same perspective to show the stark changes. However, as I later discovered, that approach (see fig.1 below) turned out to be one of the most conventional ones and I was aiming for something more ‘artsy’, interesting and attracting attention. To conform with my Eastern European side, I needed something that appealed to me and despite the attention to angle and perspective Levere showed, I disliked the idea to show both images - the vintage and the modern - in monochrome. I have previously written about this but guess I need to repeat it here again - I am a fan of colour photography. Not that monochrome is a bad thing but rarely a picture looks better with the colours taken away. 

As in the image below, the emphasis is on forms, that is good, but I think the image lost from being converted to black and white. Lost the vigour of modernity, the colour of the current world. If I look at the two images, the one that looks better to me is the original image from 1936, because of the variety of forms of the skyscrapers and the interesting  line they form for the viewer. The eye is made to wonder to and from whereas in the second, re-photographer picture, the eye is  blocked by that tall building in the foreground. The thing being black and white automatically makes it less interesting to me compared to the previous one. 

Fig.1 Douglas Levere - From Pier 11, East River, between Old Slip and Wall Street. 1936/1998.

Even though I admired Levere for the meticulous angling and the whole project, something was missing in there for me as I wanted to have photographs that look no less 'beautiful' than their originals. I needed colour and life and most importantly - I needed doable angles. The image above showed to me that it is not enough to have a nice old picture with a stunning landscape if the same place looks like the pic on the right.

So I kept on searching. I thought that there must be someone who did do re-photography and managed to create stunning pieces. So far the ones Levere did were interesting but they didn't make me think 'wow, I want to do something like him'.

I came across Andrzej Maciejewski’s project After Notman while searching for other practitioners. He selected iconic locations in Canada, photographed by William Notman in the 19th century and aimed to re-photograph them reproducing the same light, colours and shades. The project turned out to be a huge success since it was awarded by a local cultural magazine[2].Maciejewski’s approach was also traditional – the images are displayed side by side and the processing is done in such a way that the two images visually resemble each other, as if they had been taken using the same method (see screen grab below). What I liked most and intend to use in my project, however, is the idea to select iconic locations and re-photograph them.

Since the archives are full of images of Sofia that show random places that have changed drastically, it would not make much sense. Maciejewski managed to show not only how the images changed BUT also to make both images look appealing. You see the city changing before you but unlike the images of Levere, here you admire both images. 

Fig.2 (left) William Notman & Son - St. Catherine Street Looking East from Stanley Street, Montreal, QC. 1915 (right)Andrzej Maciejewski - St. Catherine Street Looking East from Stanley Street, Montreal, QC. 2000

The iconic places, however, are a different story. They are recognizable and some have changed drastically. Hence, I compiled a list of the most famous locations around the downtown and intend to employ the idea used by Maciejewski’s and photograph only landmarks, not some random places simply because they have changed a lot. I chose to follow his lead of landmarks since these are the places people use to navigate around the city, the ones they take their children to and the ones that are usually the topic of public debate of someone tries to change them. 

An iconic place, a landmark, is usually something many people can relate to. It has a story that is told and retold and it is most probably photographed more than once so there is an abundance. 

Fig.3 (left) William Notman & Son - Maisonneuve Monument, Place d’Armes, Montreal, QC. 1896 (right)Andrzej Maciejewski - Maisonneuve Monument, Place d’Armes, Montreal, QC 1999

The image above displays exactly what I wanted to show - how something that was once imposing can be dwarfed by the surrounding landscape. Of course, we do not have skyscrapers in Sofia, but we have quite a few places that look like this. Some of the images I have selected resemble the one above of the monument. There is this one thing that is old, once surrounded by buildings that are from the same architectural style and then, 100 later, it is like the odd-one-out.

Loved Maciejewski's approach but still something was missing for me.

---

[1] http://www.newyorkchanging.com/

[2] More about the award can be seen here: http://www.scopionetwork.com/pt-pt/node/159?language=en#1

FMP - WIP - image selection - part 3 - the initial selection (gallery)

For my project I needed a selection of images that are recognizable for the moder Bulgarian citizen and that are actually landmarks so that there is an interesting story behind the place (since the whole per-photography thing is actually part of the Culture Crossroads project hence the condition of the place having some story to tell was a must. I am usually the type of person who would go around town and show people around, telling those stories so to me these places bear not only the history of a country but also the history of my own family. 

This is a gallery of the images I initially selected (99% of which come from the Old Sofia project page, many thanks to them for being so helpful - but about that and copyright permission, in a separate post). Even though this is a gallery, I will say a few words about the significance of each place and why I chose this particular image (detailed information in the WIP post with all final results) 

The National Assembly and the Academy of Sciences

 This is one of the places around Sofia that has changed the least for the past 100+ years. What drew me to the pic was the old tram. What now goes on at that place is only cars and the occasional bus. Hence this is an invaluable piece of information. Plus, the angle is absolutely doable. 

The Russian Church, the Artist's cafe and the Military club

Another place that changed very little throughout the years, the only two differences now are that the Artists' cafe had been demolished in the 1970s and the place in the foreground is a huge park. That cafe was the place where the classicists of Bulgarian literature, music and painting used to gather. That was an old, grubby and dull building which posed a threat to the passers-by and was eventually destroyed. There us a wonderful garden at its place now.

The monument of Vasil Levski

 This place has not changed a lot but its surroundings have - this is the monument of the national hero Vasil Levski, one of the first to fight for national freedom and the first who came up with the idea of a centralized resistance system to undermine the Ottomans. In 1873 he was captured, tried and hanged near the place where this monument now stands. Then it was at the end of the city, now it is in its ideal center. The grave of Vasil Levski is said to be in the alter of another church in the center - Sain Petka Samardzhiiska. 

Saint Alexander Nevski cathedral

 Another place that has not changed much, but the surroundings have. Saint Alexander Nevski is one of the landmarks of Sofia and the biggest Christian Orthodox church on the Balkans. It was built in the 1910s and back then sparked a huge debate - mainly because of the patron saint who was actually a Russian warrior-tsar, not a Bulgarian saint. 

This is one of the images of the church I initially selected since I was not sure which angle would work out best. The place is huge and it is a but tricky to be captured in one picture. I had another one in mind but one has to be prepared. 

The monument of Lenin in opposite of the Triangle of Power complex (now there stands the monument of Saint Sofia)

 When I saw this, I literally burst out laughing - never knew that there had been a monument of Lenin in Sofia, let alone in the city center. Hence, since at that place now stands the monument of Saint Sofia, the patron saint of Sofia, decided to include it in the project - the difference is so stark, I can't even think of anything else in contrast to this. 

The monument of the Tsar-liberator (Alexander II of Russia) and the Sofia University rectorate building

 The Sofia University rectortate is one of the biggest buildings in Sofia, its construction ended somewhere around 1970s. Students there often joke it resembles Hogwards from the Harry Poter series. And indeed, this place has such a complicated plan that you need a map to navigate inside and there is always something new to find - like doors leading to nowhere, lecture halls with a fireplace etc. In the 1930s, the building, now a city landmark, had nothing to do with what can be seen today and that's one of the reasons I chose this image. The area around the monument has also changed - as it is now a public parking space. 

The monument of Vasil Levksi - another angle (just for the sake of being safe

 Lions' bridge (Lavov most)

This is one of the most iconic places in Sofia - mostly because of the 4 bronze lions that flank the bridge and guard the entrance to the downtown area. The 4 lions are there for a reason. In the 1800s (full story in another post) 4 book makers of Bulgarian dissent were accused of revolutionary activities (their true guilt being only that they were all men of authority within the Bulgarian community) and brutally killed in front of their families, then their dead bodies were hanged to rot in front of their shops. To commemorate them, the lions now stand at the bridge, so that they should never be forgotten. 

Lions' bridge is one of the busiest crossroads in Sofia (there was a recent renovation and they made a round about and three crossroads one atop of another). The image (probably from the 1920s, have to check again) shows a busy crossroads too. But there are bulls instead of trams and cars and I would really like to capture the contrast of how the place has changed. 

The monument of the Tsar-liberator (Alexander II of Russia)

 The place has changed significantly throughout the years and even though the monument itself did not change much, the surrounding landscape did. 

Lions' bridge (another angle just to be sure things will work)

 Mariya Luisa boulevard

 Mariya Luisa boulevard is one of the busiest and oldest streets in Sofia, connecting several of the city landmarks. In the picture one can see the main store at the time (the 'hali') which still exists today, the tram line (still exists, just looks different) and the surrounding buildings (like the Baniya Bashi mosque to the right, still standing today). 

The boulevard was named after the tsar's sister, knaginiya Mariya Luisa, the lady must be around 85 now. Bulgaria is a bit weird because we are a parliamentary republic BUT we actually have a living tsar, His Royal Heighness tsar Simeon II. Point is that in 1944, when the Communists came to power, Simeon was a child, reigning through a council of regents (the prime minister and his two uncles). He, along with his mother, the dowager tsaritsa Ioanna, and his sister were forced to leave the country. And they did, but Simeon never really abdicated. So, when he came back to Bulgaria at the end of the 1990s and became a prime minister of Bulgaria, he held (and still holds) the Guinness record for the only monarch who has both ruled as a tsar and as a prime minister at the same time. 

Anyway, this boulevard is one of the few exceptions when a street is named after someone who is still alive. 

Sofia University rectorate building, 1930s

 Saint Alexander Nevski cathedral under construction, 1910

Eagles' bridge

The other exit of the city, on the road to Istanbul, is guarded not by lions but by eagles. As far as I know, the reason being that they too symbolize some dead heroes but need to check why exactly. This is a very old image - nowadays this place is flanked by high buildings. 

The royal palace of Bulgarian tsars

An architectural masterpiece built in the 1880s by Viennese architects, this is one of the most beautiful buildings in Sofia, despite the decades of efforts from the Communist government to have it demolished. It was once an amazing place to be, today - it has only blank walls and a stone fireplace no one managed to steal. It houses the national gallery now. 

The landscape around the building has changed significantly. 

The national theater 

One of the most beautiful buildings in Sofia and one of the landmarks ever since the 1880s. This place was once surrounded by buildings that matched its splendour. Now it is neighbouring the dark-looking building of the Ministry of Defence (have no idea what this thing to the left is, it no longer exists)

Mariya Luisa boulevard overlooking the Saint Nedekia church (Agia Kiriaki) - before the attack in it 

The monument of the fallen Russian soldiers (Ruski pametnik)

I have no exact idea why we have so many monuments of Russian soldiers in Sofia and will need to check which war does this monument have in mind. One is certain - this is one of the busiest crossroads in Sofia and was once the nightmare of any driver-to-be because of the complex traffic rules (the story went that if the examiner wants to fail you, they will put you though that crossroads). 

Ruski pametnik was once marking the edge of Sofia (it is in another direction from the Lions' and the Eagles' bridge). 

Saint George rotunda

It was built in the 4th century AD by the Romans on the remains of other archaeological remains (most of which were destoryed by the Comrades in the 1950s) and is practically one of the oldest churches in Bulgaria that is still in use. It has amazing frescoes and it is deemed one of the most important places of the Serdica Ecumenical Council. All in all, the fate of the Roman empire was determined behind its walls. 

The church has been used for many a thing over the years - both as religious and secular building. During the Ottoman rule, it even functioned as a mosque. 

This church was destined for demolition in the 1950s. The reason was simple - it was located in the middle of the Presidential complex. The Comrades wanted to destroy it so that the government officials can go to the hotel next door in style (by car, that is). Problem was that this church was just in the way. Moreover, they discovered the palace of Constantine the Great and decided to preserve at least the part that was inside the building. The church, however, was a different story since the new ideology regarded religion as something degrading. 

Here the church was saved by society - it is an example of different styles of iconography and you can see four centuries of frescoes and their development during the centuries along its walls. It is still quoted in art historians' textbooks and history books as a unique example. 

Critical contextualization of my work - inspiration talk - part 2.1 - foreign artists close to home

My fascination with travel photography started a long time ago and one of the people that sparked my interest was George Meis. More than six years ago, I came across some of his bookmark series in a small bookstore in Crete. I was mesmerized by his style, the locations and the colourful images so I immediately became a fan and started collecting the bookmarks (I am also an avid reader so it is a pleasure to not only have them but use them on a daily basis).

When I started doing Culture Crossroads, even before I was aware of it, Geogre Meis was one of the first people that came to my mind. Mainly because he does what I intend to do - he is Greek and has toured roughly all of Greece, photographing what's on offer regardless of time of the day, weather conditions and location. 

Fig. 1 Meis, George – Zakintos,  2017

George Meis does not stray from iconic locations, on the contrary, he is famous for capturing these places in a new way (which is an approach I also try to incorporate).

What I love about his style is that he shows Greece the way it is - sunny and hot (most of his images feature dull blue cloudless sky - from photographic point of view and endless blue sea). I am sure he could have created other images, similarly striking to those Krasi Matarov creates but instead, Meis creates images that correspond to what a visitor might encounter - especially if you go on vacation.

In this sense, the works of Meis are more similar to what I intend to create - document what I see on the spot rather than wait for months for one killer image. Meis has traveled around Greece and like me, his style tends to be more similar to the hunter approach - preferring to go around and "hunt" for locations, scenery or moments.

I also love that Meis seems to be more moderate in terms of image editing - no elaborate stacking, no multiple exposures, only (seems to me) colour enhancing. Meis' images seem bright, full of life.

I do not always agree with his choice of framing though - such as this image of the iconic town in Santorini island, Oia:

Fig 2. Meis, George –  Santorini,  2017

This image, shows the iconic location for landscape sunset shots at Santorini but obviously when Meis went there, the scene was nothing like amazing. Nevertheless, he still took a picture and it can be seen on the home page of his website. This one, at least to me, is not good enough - it does show Meis' signature style and post-processing technique BUT to me this is simply not good enough. I would have waited for either the blue or the golden hour. Even though, the image as presented is an unconventional way to show an otherwise clichéd location (this terrace in Oia must have been photographed by millions of tourists), I would like to create images that stand out.

After all, Meis has spent the better part of his life working to turn his name into a brand whereas I doubt many people know me so I am rather reluctant to do this (yet).

Still, I love his documentary-yet-pleasing approach and the bright colours (somehow, fail to see the world in monochrome) but as for the excessive contrast (which seems to be quite boosted in some images) I'd rather tone it down. Another matter is, that sometimes the Mediterranean sea looks  in surreal shades of blue that are perfectly real, if you have been there to see for yourself, as with this image of the harbour at Rhodes:

Fig.3 Meis, George – Rhodes,  2017

To me, the images of Meis speak of a warm welcome, beautiful landscapes and long tangled history. I've been in love with his work for such a long time that I am afraid my critical assessment of it is rather biased. I'd love to create images that document what I see and that are true to what I see (without the excessive over-editing) but I would also want that dream-like qualities of the images of Krasi Matarov.

More on inspiration and influence - in the next post. 

References: 

Geogre Meis official website
Available at:
http://meisstudio.gr/about/
[accessed 11 April  2018]

List of figures:

Figure 6 – MEIS, George – Zakintos,  2017
Available at:
http://meisstudio.gr/about/
[accessed 11 April  2018]

Figure 7 – MEIS, George – Rhodes,  2017
Available at:
http://meisstudio.gr/about/
[accessed 11 April  2018]

Figure 8 – MEIS, George – Santorini,  2017
Available at:
http://meisstudio.gr/about/
[accessed 11 April  2018]

When colouring matters

I am primarily a colour-shooting photographer. In plain language, this means that 90% of the images I take are in colour. Even if in the end they appear in sepia or black and white, this is an exception, rather than the rule. I love colours. Really - to me very few pictures look good in Black and white. Even street photography - when I do street - is mostly in colour. 

So, naturally, when I went off to the other end of Bulgaria (a total of 8 hours jolting on bumpy roads in buses) to shoot a traditional Bulgarian wedding reenactment - I was dead-set on delivering all images in colour. 

Bulgarian photographers don't exactly have a sense of  'togetherness' so as a result we don't exactly have a guild. The Association of Professional Photographers is a new NGO, established only last year. When we gather somewhere, it is because something (or someone) united us. In this case it is the annual gathering of the photographers in Bulgaria, organized by the site www.photo-forum.net (the biggest and most prestigious photo site in Bulgaria - if you have a high rating there, you are deemed good). The event is important since most camera gear manufacturers come with equipment for testing, there is a whole photo studio at our disposal (which is a lot for someone like me, who currently cannot afford setting up a studio) and models to try things out with. The location changes each year so that people can visit more interesting places. 

This year it was Zlatograd - a small town near the border with Turkey. The place was chosen for its ethnographic complex (the organizers even arranged us to sleep in the complex which was wonderful for night images). There is always some kind of a programme - with lectures and workshops by other professionals and it is usually very enriching in terms of information. 

This year, one of the workshops I really looked forward to was the 'traditional Bulgarian wedding' one organized by an agency that is specialized in this kind of weddings (now gaining popularity in Bulgaria). Since such customs are very rarely seen (most traditions are centuries-old but almost forgotten now) and usually weddings are a private affair - I thought the whole thing will look really good on my project, Culture Crossroads.

My initial idea was to document the wonderful colours of the Bulgarian national costumes (which are unique in terms of styling and even differ tremendously according to region).

All great I ideas I may have BUT things didn't go according to plan. Turned out that I am not the only one planning to do a photo shoot at the event and then use it for portfolio. Besides, how can you create something unique when at least 15 more colleagues are trying to do the same?

Still, I think I did well - experience trying to capture the 'wow' shot in crowded tourist destinations helped a lot - and came back with a few hundred images documenting every possible aspect of the ritual from every angle imaginable.

I will not go into details about the ritual here since it would take a long time and I plan to create a whole detailed post for it on the Culture Crossroads blog.

So I proudly presented a portfolio of around 20 images of the event - all in colour.  Imagine my disappointment when everyone (both tutors and peers) said that it looked set-up. Well, it WAS a set up because no one gets married this way nowadays and no one got married that day. Even if a couple decides to follow the traditions, a wedding is usually a private affair so no one outside the immediate family and guests will have access to the pictures.

The veiling of the bride - crucial moment in any wedding. Still - I was told that there is no emotion and looks static. Otherwise I love the bright colours because most things in a wedding are colour coded. Like the red veil that is supposed to protect the bride from evil eyes and bad luck. 

The bride says goodbye to her parents. During the wedding she is not allowed to talk and is basically led around as a puppet (that veil is not transparent so unless led, she may fall somewhere). This one the only image that 'worked' for my peers and tutors. To me - this image really has something and is one of my favourites from the whole trip.

During the workshop we made all participants pose for a picture, resembling the old-style images of the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century. This image looks quite set-up in colour, I admit. 

Needless to say, I was disappointed with that result. Honestly, I had hoped to use these images as a coherent portfolio for Falmouth - counting on the fact that they do tell a story and at least to me, they looked OK.

Still, I didn't discard the idea of using the images for my project (after all, I cannot say when I'll have the opportunity to photograph something like this again). So I decided to edit the images right and then see if they are as hopeless as everyone said they are.

Editing in black and white is usually the last resort for me in post-processing. The image has to be either hopeless - blown out exposure, messy colours, dull sky - or to somehow scream that it would look good in this. I am saying 'scream' because unlike some colleagues, I am not really good with seeing in black and white.

So, when I started editing the images - all 20 of the selection plus a few more I thought inportant for the narrative on my blog - I did the colour edits first. After all, better to show the colour in things - guess that few people outside the Balkans have an idea how a national costume would look like.

Then, I got to this image and thought that it is worth a try for something different. This, ironically, was the only image deemed worth for something by virtually everyone on the webinar. So I decided that I should try black and white for it.

I was dead-set on using this image for my project because it seemed like the most powerful of all in the series. But to do the blog post I planned, I needed all other images to give context. Traditional Bulgarian wedding customs are not so famous so even native Bulgarians need a little backstory. Problem was that if I chose black and white, all the colour codes and their meaning will be lost and I will have a hard time explaining which is what - as you can see from the image above. On the other hand, that type of editing - antique plate - made the images look like they've been taken a century ago and I loved that air of  'autenticity'. So I went on to see if this kind of edit will work with the rest of the crop.

Then I reconsidered - I actually hate the plain black and white and prefer toned in sepia instead. I even have a favourite preset that makes people look like antique Daguerreotype plates. Converted the image, tweaked a bit with colour channels (to emphasize that at least some colour existed in the original) and gasped.

The magic had worked! Now the image, even though it was not taken 100 years ago, looked ancient and much more authentic. I immediately tried the trick with all other images and was delighted to see that it worked!

Turning it to black and white deprived the images of that air of 'set-up photoshoot' and covered up for some problems - like the modern shoes of some of the participants, for example. Moreover, the whole look reminded me of this website: www.lostbulgaria.com - which catalogizes old images taken in Bulgaria during the past two centuries. They are all take out of someone's archives, scanned and then uploaded to the website.

This one looks a bit less posed in this edit but still reminds me how old-time photographers used to line people up and make them pose as if it is a natural action caught by accident. Love the air of the image but still have problems with the lack of colours somehow, even though the toned images look much more 'photographic' (personal opinion which I will be testing out these days). 

This image though, looks much better this way than in colour - the air of 'set-up photoshoot' is still there since it's not 1893, for example BUT somehow it's not that explicit here. 

These images look totally different in colour, at least to me. They cease to be snapshots and start 'talking'. Even though this type of post-processing may look fake to some, to me it adds meaning to the images.

This whole image editing journey left me in two minds. I love my coloured versions (as I mentioned above, I always keep the coloured version) and I will have to use them for Culture Crossroads because without the rich colours of the national costumes I wouldn't be able to make my point with what colours matter and how things work. For example, I have to point out that the national costumes come out of different regions - for example - the dress of the mother of the bride is from one end of Bulgaria and the one of the mother of the groom is from the other end. These ethnographic differences are hard to spot in a B&W shot, even if you know what to look for. So, for the sake of my blog post, explaining the symbolism of the Bulgarian wedding and going step by step through the ritual - I will be using the coloured versions.

For posting in photo sites though I will use the toned versions - because they look more 'artsy' and somehow get the render of the scene better without the clutter of colours.