Soviet POW Defying Heinrich Himmler 1941 COLORIZATION

[zkogut]

Hi Everybody,

Thanks to my wife wanting a "lazy Sunday" I was able to spend most of the day finishing one of my favorite war photos. This photo was taken in 1941 at the Shirokaya POW camp that Heinrich Himmler was visiting that day. An unnamed Soviet POW didn't back down from staring right at Himmler. Originally the soldier was identified as a British man named Horace Greasley but that has since been proven wrong since he's wearing a Soviet uniform. I've been working on this photo for awhile and I'm pretty happy with the results since I've never seen anyone try to color this particular photo before. As always, if you have any input please don't hesitate to share!

Thanks,
Zak

Original



My colored version

[Shadowman]

Nice effort.

[zkogut]

Nice effort.

Thanks. I did the best I could with what I had. It was really tough figuring out what those things in the background are.

[flashback]

Been following your work, I think it's amazing. Not a clue how you do /go about doing it but it looks amazing to me. I know nothing about your process but it certainly looks professional to me.
I'm guessing those things in the background are the prisoner barracks.

[Shadowman]

Thanks. I did the best I could with what I had. It was really tough figuring out what those things in the background are.

If I were the original photographer I would have edited out that pole sticking out of Himmler's hat, fat chance he could have asked him to move.

[zkogut]

If I were the original photographer I would have edited out that pole sticking out of Himmler's hat, fat chance he could have asked him to move.

I completely agree but I was taught to never alter historical images content.....I did think of it though lol.

[zkogut]

Been following your work, I think it's amazing. Not a clue how you do /go about doing it but it looks amazing to me. I know nothing about your process but it certainly looks professional to me.
I'm guessing those things in the background are the prisoner barracks.

Thank you, that's very kind of you to say. This image had about 80 separate layers of colors by the time I finished. The secret is to mix and mask colors together. You should try it sometime, it's very rewarding.

[purplehaze]

I think it is amazing, Zak, and would like to know more about the process. I think your version makes the soldier's gaze even more piercing. And there's something about the colorization that makes the scene less remote for me, which makes it all the more chilling.

[Mark von Kanel]

enough teasing bring on the tutorial!

[zkogut]

enough teasing bring on the tutorial!

Haha Mark, I haven't made one yet but one of the people who originally taught me named Mads has at tutorial that is similar to my process. I've put the link below. I haven't had time to try and find the tutorial Sanna Dullaway did.

http://youtu.be/yVf60pGsi9Q
.

[zkogut]

I think it is amazing, Zak, and would like to know more about the process. I think your version makes the soldier's gaze even more piercing. And there's something about the colorization that makes the scene less remote for me, which makes it all the more chilling.

Thanks for the compliment! You should look into the link I posted above and definitely check out Mads Madsen, Dana Keller, and Sanna Dullaway. There's also a sub reddit named colorization that has a wide range of talent to enjoy.

[ashcroft]

Whenever I look at historical B&W images I always think you lose some of the reality of what it was actually like at the moment it was shot. I think part of that is because we sub-consciously compartmentalize an old BW image as of a different era just because it's BW. This process using colour makes a world of difference. The colour version looks as if it could have been taken recently (apart from the old style of uniform). The prisoner does look Russian.

Fascinating process from a photographic POV but also from an historical one.

EDIT - If you crop the top sky a bit, clone out the pole on his head, and do some noise reduction and sharpening it makes it even more impressive. I have edit if you want me to post it.

[FrankMi]

An excellent improvement Zak. I find myself seeing detail that just blended into the background in the original.

Makes me kind of wonder - we have a monochrome image so we want to color it, and what a dramatic improvement it makes! But when we have a color image, we want to make it monochrome!

[ashcroft]

Makes me kind of wonder - we have a monochrome image so we want to color it, and what a dramatic improvement it makes! But when we have a color image, we want to make it monochrome!

I think we want to do that because it's the opposite of what I said. By taking a colour image scene that everyone 'reads' as 'normal' and 'modern' and by converting to BW we are altering the way it is perceived by the viewer. That's one of the reasons why BW images (from colour) do work.

[FrankMi]

I think we want to do that because it's the opposite of what I said. By taking a colour image scene that everyone 'reads' as 'normal' and 'modern' and by converting to BW we are altering the way it is perceived by the viewer. That's why BW images (from colour) do work.

I can see where some scenes might work better in monochrome, industrial machinery for example. I don't see any monochrome only TVs, movies, or advertisements.

Although I don't understand it, there must be some appeal for it as some folks want almost every image posted to be redone in monochrome.

The thing I really like about your colorization, Zak, is that you bring the life back into these images.

[ashcroft]

Although I don't understand it, there must be some appeal for it as some folks want almost every image posted to be redone in monochrome.

Colour works on several levels in an image - it gives structure by separating the elements in a shot, and it also adds mood and emotion. That is shown very well in Zak's reworking. But BW conversion can do the opposite. By taking away the structure of colour you need an inage that has a lot of structure built in, so you look for subjects that have it.

[zkogut]

Whenever I look at historical B&W images I always think you lose some of the reality of what it was actually like at the moment it was shot. I think part of that is because we sub-consciously compartmentalize an old BW image as of a different era just because it's BW. This process using colour makes a world of difference. The colour version looks as if it could have been taken recently (apart from the old style of uniform). The prisoner does look Russian.

Fascinating process from a photographic POV but also from an historical one.

EDIT - If you crop the top sky a bit, clone out the pole on his head, and do some noise reduction and sharpening it makes it even more impressive. I have edit if you want me to post it.

I never take things out of the original photo if I can avoid it. Sometimes I'll clone stamp out half a face in a crowd etc but I always try to leave the quality and scene as original as possible.

[zkogut]

Colour works on several levels in an image - it gives structure by separating the elements in a shot, and it also adds mood and emotion. That is shown very well in Zak's reworking. But BW conversion can do the opposite. By taking away the structure of colour you need an inage that has a lot of structure built in, so you look for subjects that have it.

I think black and white can add emotion to certain images where color doesn't really give it the sad, deserted feeling etc that you might be trying to achieve. I do think that adding color to WWII images adds feeling where there should be, and BW takes takes that away. Thanks for the compliment by the way.