Rothenberg, Germany… pronounced ‘Row-ten-burg’… is one of the best-preserved medieval walled towns in Europe. Near the end of the Second World War, the Mayor thought he ought to make at least a token resistance to the American troops when they showed up and demanded the town’s surrender. He told the allied general that his men would shoot for a few minutes and then lay down their arms. In return, the allied commander told him that his medium bombers would only destroy a corner of the town… which is what they did.

But this series of posts isn’t about history. It is about colors, and how they fit into our view of the world, and when black and white photography makes sense.

I think that what I have learned so far is that I like some black and white photography… for some landscape pictures, or for creepy movies and movies about Nazis, but that there are more times when color is important.

I also learned that I still really love Photoshop.

Rothenberg is so colorful that to take black and white pictures of it seems almost like a crime. The town also has a big clock where every hour a replica of a mayor from the past comes out and drinks a huge stein of beer. Supposedly, in the middle ages, the town was surrounded by enemy soldiers, and they forced their way in. Their leader said that if any man in the town could drink a man-tall stein of beer in one go, the town would be spared… and the mayor stepped up to the plate and hit a home run.

But, once again, we are discussing colors and how they make the world more beautiful, not history.

  And if there was ever a thing that makes you stop and think about how important colors are, it is a rainbow…

A black and white photo of a rainbow is just silly…

Then again, leaving out the pastel colors on old buildings seems a shame as well…

So really, why leave just the sky out?

On a related historical note, Rothenberg has that cool bar I was telling you about… the one built in the year 1,000 AD… I had a beer… or three there. The Bar is called Hel… which I guess is German for Hell… so Rothenberg is the only place I have ever been where telling someone to go to hell is a good thing.