Once upon a time all photos were black and white. With the advent of colour photography we had a choice and many of us make that choice according to subject matter. Others meanwhile prefer to stick only to one or the other medium. But some subjects are naturally black and white.
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For many of us of a certain age, it’s impossible to hear the word ‘mellow’ without immediately thinking ‘yellow’. Yellow can be rather harsh. But at the paler, creamier end of the spectrum it can be beautifully mellow.
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Woods (and forests) are lovely. But their very darkness and deepness can make them hard to do justice to as a photographer. One tree can merge into another, and another, and … It’s hard for the eye to find a single point of interest on which to settle and focus.
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I seem to have a ridiculous number of streetlight photos! And their varied and interesting shapes and designs lend themselves to black and white photography. I find it surprising how many variations are possible in the design of something so relatively simple and everyday!
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As children we are taught to follow the rules, whether those set by our parents, our school or society in general. And when we first start to take our photography seriously we discover that there are rules there too. It’s perhaps really only once you have learned these rules and are applying them instinctively that you can also learn when and how to break them.
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The magic mirror in the Snow White fairy-tale always told the truth when asked, ‘Who is the fairest one of all?’. And a good mirror will always give a true reflection. But how interesting is that, photographically speaking? Isn’t it more fun to play around with distorted reflections, whether in mirrors or any other surface?
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I confess I have never been one to climb mountains, and certainly not these days! But I am inspired by the sight of them and by all the wonders of the world’s wilder places. And where better to see some of these than in a national park? I’m a particular admirer of the US national parks system, which owes much to the campaigning of John Muir.
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Spring is the most colourful of seasons so how can we best capture its wonders in monochrome? The colours of spring are special to us as we transition from the muted, often monochromatic tones of winter to a vibrant explosion of life and renewal. So what happens if we remove those colours from our photos?
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The first colour many of us think of when we hear the word ‘night’ might well be black. But as Van Gogh famously reminded us, there are many more colours to be seen then too. And he made his remark before the advent of our brightly lit cities, where many colours are more evident at night than black!
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If a black and white photograph is a 'departure from reality' (and surely it is), then why are so many photographers still drawn to taking them? And what is their appeal for the viewer? Is it merely nostalgia as some have claimed? After all, the oldest among us grew up I'm a world of black and white films, TV and family snapshots.
