And after it rains there’s a rainbow
And all of the colours are black
It’s not that the colours aren’t there
It’s just imagination they lack
Paul Simon, My Little Town
We all know the colours of the rainbow and our imaginations can supply them even when photographed in black and white. The colours of many other photographic subjects are equally recognisable too. But when we strip out those colours and leave our imagination to fill them in, other elements of the subject, like texture and form, come to the fore.
For this week’s Lens Artists challenge Egidio asks us to see ‘colour in black and white’. He suggests that:
Even when a scene is presented entirely in shades of grey, our brains—conditioned by a lifetime of experience—can effortlessly ‘see’ the familiar hues we expect.
I’ve selected some images from my archives, all of which (I hope) show subjects whose colours you can easily imagine thanks to that ‘lifetime of experience’ mentioned by Egidio. But without those colours present in the image, what else do you see? Are the shapes, patterns and textures more prominent? And do you find yourself adding the colours in your imagination?
My feature image was taken at Druridge Bay in Northumberland, north east England
Camel at Wahiba Sands, Oman
Elephants at the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Nairobi
Water’s edge, Baobab Beach, Madagascar
Yacht mast reflection, Port Townsend, Washington State
Rice terraces near Bangaan, Luzon Island, Philippines
Rice growing near Hamhung, North Korea
Leaves in the grounds of our hotel in Pokhara, Nepal
Succulents in Mendocino, California
Dandelion ‘clock’, Ealing, west London
Birch bark peeling, Ealing, west London
Pine cone in Lassen Volcanic National Park, California
Fallen tree, Mount Rainier National Park, Washington State
Peacock’s tail, Sri Lanka
38 Comments
Klausbernd
Hi Sarah
That’s very clever! You made it clear that colour is an imagination; that we don’t see colour, but our brains produce them.
The Fab Four of Cley
🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much 😊 That’s just what I was aiming to achieve so I’m pleased you found the colours in these images!
equinoxio21
Excellent. There was an air or Weston in this selection.
Sarah Wilkie
Really?! I’m hardly in his league but I love his work so I’ll take the compliment!
Sofia Alves
I love the details on your nature close-ups, Sarah. Pine cone is also my favourite!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Sofia 😊 I enjoy looking for textures in nature that will work well in B&W!
Leya
Well chosen pictures – as usual. I must chime in on the pine cone – it’s a great one! I also love the camel in the desert. And we both chose peacock feathers.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much 😊 The camel seems to be particularly popular! And yes, great minds think alike 🦚
wetanddustyroads
As always, I enjoy your B&W photos. I think I would like to see the rice terraces in the Philippines in colour – because it is not an image I really know, and it makes me wonder what it would look like in colour (green, I suppose). The camel in the desert, however, works perfectly in B&W.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you again Corna 🙂 If you’re curious you can see the colours of the rice terraces (mostly green, yes) in my post about our visit there: https://www.toonsarah-travels.blog/a-visit-to-bangaan-among-the-rice-terraces/
wetanddustyroads
I read your post (and interestingly, it was exactly a year ago that you posted it). I immediately thought, if you go down, you have to climb back up again 😉. Working on a rice farm seems like hard work (and the weather doesn’t look very favourable either). But the views are beautiful … and it’s green, just like I imagined it would look in colour.
Sarah Wilkie
‘ exactly a year ago’ – that’s an interesting coincidence that I didn’t spot! And yes, the coming up was even more challenging than the going down! But it was worth it – that day was one of the best and most memorable of the whole trip, despite the weather.
photobyjohnbo
Sarah, as always, your photos are admirable, especially in the context of this challenge. Your Paul Simon quote is so relatable to the challenge. Even without the imagination of color, the textures show so much more of those identifying features, especially in the close-ups.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much John 😊 That Paul Simon song is a favourite of mine and it came straight into my head when I started to think about the challenge!
Suzanne
The camel and rice fields are my favourite. As I’ve mentioned numerous times, B&W photography is stunning and a favourite medium.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Suzanne 😊 You might be interested in Margaret’s comment below, and my response!
margaret21
I think the first four work very well indeed in b/w. And the cone and tree shots. And even the peacock’s tail feather, remarkably. In fact, oddly, the only one that really doesn’t seem to work that well is the shot of the rice terraces. And I can’t really work out why …. Interesting.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Margaret 🙂 It’s interesting that the rice terraces shot is the only one you don’t think works well given that Suzanne (above) picked it as a favourite – just shows how subjective this photography lark is!
Tina Schell
Hi Sarah. Tried to leave a comment on your post but it’s having some kind of issue – just a heads-up to check it out. Loved your response this week – my favorites are the pine cone and the wheat. The color was not at all missed in either of those. The details are spectacular.
Sarah Wilkie
Very odd Tina, as I did get your previous comment AND this one!
Tina Schell
Terrific choices Sarah. Especially loved the pinecone and the rice. In most of this week’s responses I really missed the color but for those two examples the details are so beautiful the colors aren’t really important. Well done!
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Tina, I’m glad you enjoyed those details 🙂
Anne Sandler
Great selections Sarah! The pine cone baffled me until I read the caption. The B&W really shows off its textures. Two other standouts are the elephants and leaves in Nepal.
Sarah Wilkie
Very many thanks Anne 😊 I had a feeling the pine cone might be harder to identify than the other subjects, but like you I enjoy seeing the textures. I’m so glad you like the elephants!
carabeinsplash
Great photos Sarah! I like the camel the best.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Cara 🙂 I’m glad you like the camel shot and I hope you could ‘see’ the desert sand shades in it?
Vicki
Beautiful examples, Sarah, and very easy (for me) to imagine them in colour. The yacht mast reflections is the most unusual image which I’d never thought of in this challenge.
Sarah Wilkie
Thanks so much Vicki 😊 I’m fond of that yacht mast shot in the colour original, but this is the first time I’ve attempted a black and white edit.
Pepper
This are wonderful! 👏
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much 🙂
Egídio
Sarah, your photos are simply beautiful. I tried to look at the photo before reading the caption. I saw the colors in almost all of them. The only exception I needed the caption to assist me was the pine cone. I especially liked that you used close-ups in some photos. Even then, the color would stand out in my mind. The camel in the desert was my favorite. I could also hear the theme to Lawrence of Arabia there.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Egidio 😊 This was such an interesting challenge to take on! I’m glad you could see the colours, and also that you like that camel shot.
thehungrytravellers.blog
Great collection, as always!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Phil 🙂
grandmisadventures
it’s amazing that even in black and white you can still know the color…or maybe you feel the color. Of course the elephants are always a win. I also really love the succulent picture 🙂
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Meg 🙂 Yes, maybe ‘feel’ the colour is a better way of describing this effect? Glad you love the elephants too!
Wandering Dawgs
Sarah, beautiful collection! I can “see” the colors in each one. My favorite is the pine cone.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Beth 😊 I’m so pleased you could see the colours!