A landscape suited for monochrome – Volcanic ash on the mountainsides of Katmai National Park, Alaska
In my first job out of college, I became friends with a designer who had a knack for describing many things in the terms of how they “want to be.” It was only our job of trying to figure out what that something wanted to be, whether it is a shape, a color, a pattern, or to have a certain feel. Every idea or concept then contained a bit of mystery in trying to determine what it wanted to be. The creator became merely an interpreter. Needless to say, we had some very entertaining conversations.
Photographs are no different. Some photos want to be monochromatic, some want to explode with color. Forcing a color photo to be black and white is one way to make a very unhappy picture so to speak. It is kind of like forcing your dog to wear a sweater. You know the look – the look all dogs have when they are forced to wear something.
Novarupta volcanic ash remnants, Alaska
Of course, we all have our own personal bias as well. If you surveyed a group of people on whether they liked a photo in black and white vs. color, you would probably get a variety of responses based on a lot of personal preferences. Most of these responses are probably in disregard with what actually suits the photograph best. If the photo could actually speak, how would it want to be?
I know thinking along these lines sometimes helps guide me in which way to take processing an image, even if it is anthropomorphizing. I may finish, and something will still be a bit unsettling that I can’t place my finger on. It may take me a good while to figure it out. When I think back to those conversations I started with my friend so long ago, it certainly gives more meaning to post processing than just pushing buttons to see what “looks cool.”
You probably know how enthusiastically I embrace your phrasing here. Sometimes I feel that the process is a Dance of Discovery. There are moments when I lead, then moments when I must follow or get lost. I believe when an image that connects with ohers is made, a lot of listening was done by the person interpreting the image. A lovely post, as always, and, of course, beautiful images that we have come to expect.
I really appreciate your supportive comment Anita, and I love the term “Dance of Discovery.” My dance may resemble more of a drunken stupor sometimes, but I sometimes find my way.
Nice post Mark. Sometimes I’ll sit there mindlessly pushing buttons and sliders to “see what looks cool” as you say and on occasions I hit on something I like a lot. When that happens I can’t help but wonder whose buttons were really pushed and who, or what, did the pushing (if you know what I mean).
Good point Cedric – I know exactly what you mean!
Great images. I also really like the idea of creator as interpretor. Sounds very ‘Minor White like’. And I really like Monor White!
Thanks Howard! I can only hope that Minor White would agree! 🙂
There have been times when I knew at the time of pressing the shutter if the image will be converted to black and white but that is not very often. I like your statement, “The creator became merely an interpreter.” Never thought of that way. I find it interesting for someones statement to give us a new way of looking at things. I wonder now what the next photo I encounter wants to be. Thanks, Mark.
It is about 50/50 with me Monte, especially if the colors aren’t particularly contributing much or there are interesting shapes. Good luck in figuring out what the next one wants to be!
Both fine abstracts, I really like the diagonal patterns in the second image.
Sometimes I reach for black and white processing to solve a problem. I’ve done ice images that are already largely B&W, with some distracting colors (usually browns); converting removes the distraction. Or it’s a monochrome image and B&W presentation enhances contrast and emphasizes patterns.
I also do the same Tom regarding distracting colors. And I suppose I explain it by thinking the image wanted to be that way anyway. 🙂