There is something majestic and stunning about black and white imagery. Don’t get me wrong, this was a beautiful image in color, but viewing in greyscale really defines colors in a deeper sense. What is it about seeing photos in black and white that speaks to us so loud? Is it the simplicity? Is it the power of the contrast and lines that appear much stronger than before? It is interesting how the lack of color tells another story and peels away the masks created by colors. It takes away small imperfections that we are usually drawn to and we instead look at the whole picture and what it truly defines.
I may have gotten too deep in thought this time. lol.
I encourage you to shoot/edit in black and white. It will definitely give you another way to see things.
It’s hard not to get too deep in thought when contemplating a view of the ocean. Especially in black and white. I would say that B&W imagery makes us nostalgic for simpler times, but then I am struck by the thought that such imagery is actually fairly new. Everything from cave paintings to the pyramids to the tapestries of the dark ages were done in color. It was only with the advent of photography and film that we experienced the power of the black and white image.
It’s funny how we think film is such an old form of media or communication when it is really fairly new and technologically advanced. There is something significant about B&W imagery that just seems to shine past the full color spectrum. The busy-ness is gone and the truth is revealed.
It’s all about perspective. The older we get, the more we realize that 100 years is just not that much time. When we look at old films, it seems like the technology we see is positively ancient, but it should make us realize the rapid pace of technological advancement we have seen in the past century. We don’t have the flying cars and spaceships and robot maids that the old films envisioned for the future. We have stuff that is even better.