Gallery: how many shades of grey?
Grey day. Everything is grey.
I watch. But nothing moves today.
Dr. Seuss
Grey probably gets a bad name as a colour. We think of it as rather dull. We associate it with gloomy weather, with an absence of light and brightness. But it has its admirers:
A grey day provides the best light
Leonardo da Vinci
Maybe other grey things too can be beautiful? Terri has asked that we share images of white and grey for Sunday Stills this week. As I’ve covered white in the past I’ve decided to focus only on grey.
Hopefully I can demonstrate that if you look closely you will find beauty in grey. Grey stone beautifully carved, creating patterns of light and shade. The subtleties of delicate grey feathers on a bird. Silver grey metals intricately worked to catch the light. Even a grey day has its own beauty.
With apologies to Terri, I’ve adopted the UK spelling of ‘grey’ (rather than the US ‘gray’) throughout this post!
Sunlight catches the mountains above Lago Nordenskjold in the Torres del Paine NP
Gullfoss in the rain, Iceland
View from the Metropolitan Government Offices observation deck, Shinjuku, Tokyo, on a very rainy day
This may look like a black and white shot but the blue bus and hint of green in the tress below show otherwise.
The roofs of old houses in Kaesong, DPRK, seen from Mount Janamansan
Very few old houses survived the bombing during the Korean War but Kaesong was part of the south for much of the period and was consequently spared.
Carvings of apsara (dancing girls) at Angkor Wat, Cambodia, with the early morning sun adding a touch of colour
Small detail on a building on Graben, the main street in central Vienna
On the beach near Dunstanburgh Castle, Northumberland
Driftwood at the southernmost tip of San Juan Island, WA
My featured photo is also from WA, a beach on the Olympic Peninsula with (I confess) the mist further enhanced in Color Efex Pro.
Young crocodile by the deck of our lodge on Xugana Island, Botswana
Bull elephant on Sausage Island, Botswana
You didn’t seriously expect me to post a ‘grey’ gallery without including an elephant, did you?!
Sleeping cat at the Barbara Hepworth Studio in St Ives, Cornwall
Some grey birds even have grey in their name!
Grey Go-away Bird on Sausage Island, Botswana
And a Grey Heron at Osterley Park, west London
46 Comments
equinoxio21
Too many good shots to have a favourite, which I normally don’t pick. Though I am partial to the Apsaras in Angkor. We have both walked that very path at different times. 🙏🏻
Sarah Wilkie
Oh, I took so many photos of the apsaras and other carvings there! And even more at the Bayon and other temples 🙂
equinoxio21
I want to go back to Bayon. And just sit an entire day there. And meditate.
Kirstin Troyer
Great choices. You are right gray/grey days definitely lend themselves to nice lighting for photos, but I wish they weren’t so dull..haha, and here in the PNW usually accompanied by rain, which makes. me not want to take photos.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, it’s hard to want to take the camera out in the rain. I do so when travelling as it may be my only chance to photograph a place, but rarely if ever when at home.
Teresa
You know me as someone who loves the colourful, so it is apparent that this is not my type…however the way you took the shots made me look at it from a different perspective. The crocodile and the elephant …WOW!
Sarah Wilkie
As you know, I like colourful too, but I also find a calming beauty in some of these grey scenes. And of course I love the elephant!
Christie
Grey can be classy, although it is not my favourite colour😉 Anyway, you turned this dull colour into something beautiful with this whole selection! You have a great imagination, and so many awesome ideas🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much 😊 It’s not my favourite either but I agree it can be classy and can even be beautiful at times!
Susanne Swanson
Wonderful photos and I love the quotes, too! And that crocodile!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Susanne – I’m glad you liked the crocodile (not many do 😂 )
Susanne Swanson
😁😄
bluebrightly
You don’t need to convince me of the beauty of gray…but it’s nice that you decided to do this. I love the apsara. The piece of driftwood from San Juan is. looks like an old stone European ruin, maybe a statue of a lion fallen by the wayside. 😉 And your heron is quite handsome. 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you so much 😊 I see what you mean about that driftwood – it could also be a fallen Corinthian column maybe? The heron was so tame, I’ve never got so close before or since!
Marie
I love gray so really enjoyed your collection Sarah…
Sarah Wilkie
Oh, it’s nice to hear you love grey, it’s so underrated!
Monkey's Tale
You’ve proven that grey is not dull 🙂 My favourite is of Los Cuernos in Patagonia, also because they’re one of my favourite mountains. Maggie
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Maggie, not only for the nice comment but also reminding me of the name of those mountains, which I’d forgotten!
Monkey's Tale
😊
Amy
Love your take on, Sarah! Beautiful grey gallery. Love these creatures.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Amy 😊
I. J. Khanewala
Wonderful set. Black and white photos are grey, aren’t they? They can be quite good too
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you 🙂 Yes, a good point about black and white, and I did consider including some, but decided that colour photos of grey would make my point a bit better.
Mike and Kellye Hefner
Grey/gray is a beautiful color when the photographer’s eye captures it the way you do, Sarah. As always, I enjoyed your photos.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Kellye – and as always I really appreciated your kind comment 😀
rosalieann37
If it is not tipping down rain, an overcast cloudy day is great for photos – especially if you are traveling in a vehicle – less reflections. My grandson and I had a helicopter ride over Hawaii (the Big Island) on a cloudy day, and without the sun we could see the red of the hot lava glowing through the surface.
Sarah Wilkie
Yes, an overcast day can be good for photography, although I do like some blue sky if I can find it!
Aletta - nowathome
Great photos Sarah!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Aletta 🙂
Denyse Whelan Blogs
What a lovely visual tribute to grey…(my spelling too)…I loved all the ways you found to honour this word..which we obviously see a lot but can under appreciate it. Denyse #sundaystills
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Denyse, I’m glad you enjoyed these greys 🙂
100 Country Trek
Thanks for sharing this grey image .Anita
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks for stopping by Anita 🙂
Forestwood
I see you have visited a few of the same places as me. Luckily, it was a beautiful day when I was at Gullfoss and although we hit rain in Tokyo, we also had gorgeous weather. I was a bit worried about those tourists at Gullfoss slipping on the rocks.
It was far too windy and bitterly cold for me to go down where they stood. I stopped on the stairs. Fantastic mountains also at Torres del Paine NP – I can see why tourists want to visit.
Sarah Wilkie
I didn’t go down to that spot on that visit Amanda. I’d been before (on a cold snowy day) and got pretty close, so I decided on this occasion I didn’t want to get THAT wet! The photo was taken from just outside the Visitor Centre and that was as far as I went 😉
Terri Webster Schrandt
I love your gray (grey) gallery, Sarah (I even see peeks of white)! Of course I love to see elephants and the rest of the wild and domesticated animals in their various shades of grey, but your landscape of the mountains of Torres Del Paine is exquisite!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Terri 😊 I had fun putting this together, as I do with all the colour challenges. The scenery in the Torres del Paine is amazing, and we were so lucky to have bright sunny weather for most of our time there!
thehungrytravellers.blog
The one that really drew me is the shot in Iceland…that looks an amazing place. And yes, of course you had to include an elephant, it would be rude not to!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Phil 😊 Gullfoss is indeed amazing, even in that weather! I’ve also seen it in winter when it’s part frozen. I’d love to go in good weather to be abel to get really close to the water – on both those visits it wasn’t advised because of slippery surfaces.
margaret21
Grey can be smart, soothing, classy, as well as dour and dull. But your photos avoid the dour and dull. A rich gallery of images. But Sausage Island? Why? Do you know?
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks Margaret 🙂 Yes, Sausage Island is named for the so-called sausage trees that grow there, with fruits that look a bit like sausages! See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kigelia
margaret21
Thanks. I see what you mean. Rather sausagey.
Jane Lurie
Hi Sarah, I enjoyed every image in your Grey theme. You have an excellent eye for detail and it’s fun how many different places are in this grouping. Of course I love your Africa images, and Angkor Wat and Torres Del Paine bring back fond memories. Here’s to more adventures in 2023! 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Jane 😊 I’m happy to have brought back some good memories for you! And yes, here’s to more adventures this year!
Anne Sandler
Grey or gray, the color is the same! Great captures of gray scenery. I really liked the one in the rain.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anne 🙂 Out if interest, do you mean the rain in Tokyo or in Iceland? Both were really awful days in terms of weather – in both cases I was lucky to be able to rescue a few half-decent photos out of the day!