Numbers are intellectual witnesses that belong only to mankind
Honoré de Balzac
Humans are unique among living things, it seems, in counting things. While many animals can distinguish between ‘more’ and ‘less’, or recognise small or large quantities instinctively, only humans have developed the ability to count accurately using numbers. This seemingly simple skill has transformed our understanding of the world. It has allowed us to measure time, calculate distances, record trade, build civilisations, and interpret the laws of nature. And yet:
Many of the things you can count, don’t count. Many of the things you can’t count, really count.
Albert Einstein
It’s often said that odd numbers of objects make for more interesting compositions in photography: three, five, maybe seven. And I’m sure we’ve had photo challenges linked to this concept, especially threes. But today I’m talking about photographing numbers themselves. Photographing not three objects, but the number three. Not five objects but the number five.
Numbers everywhere!
So that’s my chosen theme for this week’s Monochrome Madness. And when you start to look you will see numbers everywhere, because yes, we humans love to count things. Numbers help us to create order, literally, and we love order and patterns. Look for house numbers, price tags, dates, street signs …
Your photos can have other things in them but each must include a number. I’m looking forward to seeing what you come up with!
Pingbacks don’t usually work on my site so if you’d like to join in please leave a comment below with a link to your post so I can check it out. And to find out more about Monochrome Madness have a look at the information on Leanne’s blog.
As always I’ve used Nik Silver Efex Pro to convert what were originally colour images to black and white. My feature photo is of a beach hut in Whitstable as are several of the others below. In fact, that was where I first got the idea for this challenge!
Click on any photo to open a slide show with captions, to see where they were taken
54 Comments
Dawn M. Miller
I think these look great in black and white!
Annie Berger
Enjoyed the numbers’ theme, Sarah, but I’d still prefer the color options to the black and white. Afraid you haven’t converted me quite yet!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Annie 🙂 There are some subjects which I firmly believe are best presented in black and white but I agree these aren’t among them. Many of these, to me, work equally in either format while others, I have to admit, look better in colour – but this is a monochrome challenge!
Annie Berger
Guess I lost sight of the challenge!
Sarah Wilkie
Haha yes 😆 I do the Monochrome Madness challenge most weeks, and host it from time to time as I did with this post.
grandmisadventures
beautiful and unique collection of numbers!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Meg 🙂
wetanddustyroads
This is a fun post. I’ve never really thought about taking photos of numbers (maybe there are a few in my archive that I’m just not aware of). I’m really impressed with your collection though … and how nicely it works in B&W!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – and I bet you’d find you have at least a few numbers in your archive 😀
PR
That is such a good challenge and with lovely examples! I am so shocked at the lack of photos with numbers in my collection. Now, I’ll be keeping my eyes open for that 😀..hopefully there’ll be another challenge like that in future!
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much 😊 It’s a shame you don’t currently have enough numbers in your own collection to join us but maybe one day you can find enough to share!
leightontravels
A fun and curious post Sarah! Once you plant the idea, numbers indeed start leaping out everywhere. I suspect I’ll now be unable to walk down a street without spotting them. The beach huts sparking the whole thing is a lovely origin story, and I’m firmly in the camp that wants a Parisian-style number of my own now too. I have a few tomatoes in my fridge, but not sure any of them are even faintly sexy-looking.
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Leighton 😊 I had fun with those beach huts. They all had numbers but some were more interesting than others!
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Priti
Beautiful. Good calculation 🧮
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you – nice comment 😆
Priti
🙂💐
eklastic
I like the theme, Sarah. It opens so many possibilities. I like your variety of house numbers, the tiled ones are my particular favourites. Here are my numbers (only one house number among them, or rather fence number): https://picturesimperfectblog.com/2026/07/30/numbers-numbers-everywhere/ — After seeing Anne’s comment I had to go back and search for the sexy tomatoes. I missed them (the “sexy” at least) , they do look luscious and juicy.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Elke, and I’m glad you managed to find the sexy tomatoes 😀 Off to check out your post now …
Cath Moore
great post Sarah…I love no. 8 with its embellishments. https://cathscamera.wordpress.com/2026/07/30/box-number/
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Cath – also for joining in 🙂
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Rose
Interesting collection of numbers. Route “66” a most memorable drive… “23” is my lucky number… I think? 😊
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Rose 😊 I’d love to drive more of Rte 66 one day! And I’m glad you found your lucky number here.
restlessjo
So much fun! Great collection, Sarah. I especially like Agrippa’s pad xx
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Jo 😊 I had lots of fun putting this one together!
margaret21
You set the bar high here. Lots of interesting numbers and shots. Here’s mine: https://margaret21.com/2026/07/29/a-number-of-images/
Sarah Wilkie
Many thanks Margaret 😊 I did get a bit carried away! I’ll check yours out in a mo. Can I ask how you accessed my post – via Reader or directly? Leanne and Brian have been having problems but it’s working fine for me.
margaret21
This time, I accessed you via email link. It’s 50-50 whether I reach you that way or via the Reader. Some people I subscribe to NEVER appear in my Reader. All very odd.
Sarah Wilkie
So directly on my website? Through what sort of device? See Brian’s comment with my menu – the same thing is happening to Leanne!
margaret21
Ha! Yes, this morning it was email to website direct. I’ve just tried to go back in now to see Brian’s comment, and … I can’t get in. This is via ther Reade as the email is now deleted. The plot thickens …
Sarah Wilkie
It’s all very bizarre, but I did have a brief full outage yesterday evening so that might have coincided with your most recent attempt.
margaret21
😕
Leanne Cole
I can’t access your site at all Sarah. I have looked at your post earlier this morning, it was great.
Sarah Wilkie
As I said in my email, it’s working for me (via laptop, tablet and phone), and apparently for most other people apart from Brian, so I can’t think what the issue could be!
Leanne Cole
I managed to get on it later, so not sure what was happening. who knows. You have some great numbers Sarah, it was a great theme.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for persevering 😊 Teresa also had a similar issue!
bushboy
I can’t access this post. I’ve tried so many different ways
Sarah Wilkie
And yet you managed to comment on it? I know Leanne’s had problems too but it’s working for me (via laptop, tablet and phone) so I can’t think what the issue could be!
bushboy
I commented via Reader. I just looked again and it is just a whole lot of dot points that cover all of your topics.
Home
Destinations
England
London
Newcastle-upon-Tyne
Europe
Albania
Austria
Bulgaria
Croatia
Estonia
Finland
France
Paris
Germany
Hungary
Iceland
Italy…..etc
But guess what I found when I scrolled down to the end. There was the wonderful photos 😀
I couldn’t resist a big sexy tomato and that strange #27 with the hand in the biscuit jar 😂
Sarah Wilkie
It’s very odd – Leanne got exactly the same thing, which is my menu strung out vertically instead of running across the top as it should. But no one else has mentioned it! It seems to be an Australia only issue 😏 Thank you for persisting!
Sarah Wilkie
PS I think that number 27 is a potter at work 😆
bushboy
It is even odder that It’s just here 🤔 A browser is a browser no matter where you live I would have thought
Sarah Wilkie
Indeed!
Egídio
Interesting and very original idea! The photos are nice, too.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Egidio, I’m pleased you liked it 🙂
DailyMusings
So many beautiful door numbers! I especially liked the one with the boy door knocker. Such a fun theme!
https://dailymusing57.com/2026/07/28/monochrome-madness-numbers/
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you for the nice comment and for joining in with the challenge 🙂
Anabel @ The Glasgow Gallivanter
An interesting variety of styles – nothing simple about these numbers! I like 119 and 430 best, largely because of their carved surroundings.
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you Anabel 🙂 Yes, those are beautiful buildings – 119 in Seattle and 430 in Chicago.
Monkey's Tale
I always love seeing the different ways people decorate their house numbers, but I’ve never done it myself.
Sarah Wilkie
Same here 🙂 I’ve always rather fancied a Parisian style number!
Anne Sandler
Great collection of monochrome numbers! And what can be sexy about tomatoes???
Sarah Wilkie
Thank you very much Anne 😊 I guess you’d have to ask the market traders at Pike Place about those tomatoes, but they were certainly big and juicy-looking!