Color in the Photographs of Saul Leiter
- Kate Kutsevol
- Mar 23
- 2 min read
Color Palette
Almost every one of his photographs contains the color red—or its derivative, orange. Less frequently, yellow appears. Red dominates in terms of the number of images. Sometimes, red is the main element, filling almost the entire frame. Other times, it is simply an accent. It is evident that Saul Leiter observed and consciously sought to capture red.
It seems that whenever he had the chance to include red in a frame, he took it. The characteristic feature of the colors in his works is that they are not loud or overly saturated; instead, they are muted. Undoubtedly, this is due to the qualities of the film he used.
From the artist's biography, we learn that he began experimenting with color in the late 1940s in New York. But what does it mean to "experiment"? Clearly, it involved testing different combinations of colors as well as exploring how they could be rendered using different types of film.
Thus, we can imagine that, out of all the available film options at the time, he settled on one. This suggests that before making his choice, he likely tested several—or perhaps all—of them. In the end, he chose Kodachrome film.
Kodachrome Film
Thanks to Wikipedia and ChatGPT, we can learn the following:
Kodachrome is a color reversal (slide) film introduced by Kodak in 1935. This means that after development, it produces a positive image rather than a negative, allowing the viewer to see the colors as they actually appeared in real life.
This film became iconic among photographers due to:
Deep, rich colors – Kodachrome was known for its ability to render vibrant, pure colors without distortions, making it ideal for artistic photography.
Excellent detail and contrast – Its unique chemical composition resulted in a fine-grain texture, ensuring sharp and highly detailed images.
Resistance to fading – Kodachrome was remarkably long-lasting. Even decades later, images remained vivid, without significant color loss—unlike many other color films of its time.
Kateryna Kutsevol, Amsterdam 2025
My Conclusions
Define your goal. In this case, the goal was to emphasize a specific color.
Choose a method to convey that color. This could be a particular film, a Lightroom preset, specific Photoshop processing, or even custom camera settings.
How do you find the right method? Simply experiment with different options and settle on the one that works best.
Returning to Saul Leiter’s use of color, the dominant hues in his work are red (first and foremost), followed by yellow and orange. These are warm colors. Their presence is not only a result of their inherent properties but also, most likely, of his choice of film, as previously mentioned.
What Do These Colors Mean?
If we interpret a photographer’s work as a reflection of their inner world, then in Saul Leiter’s photographs, we see a representation of something warm, sometimes melancholic, and occasionally romantic.
P.S. Since this research was conducted as part of my studies, and this website belongs to me, all the photos used in this post are my own.
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