I have always been a fan of black and white photography, especially when it comes to landscapes and nature, and admit to having more than my fair share of Ansel Adams prints adorning the walls of my first college apartment. I love black and white photography for many reasons, one being I feel it forces your mind to view the subject in a whole different way.
Ready for some scientific stuff? Didn’t think you’d see this in a photo blog right? There are various studies out there that state that our minds are wired to first recognize color and automatically attach it to an object; red apple, pink flamingo, green grass, you get the point right? When you look at a color photograph, the first thing your mind registers are vibrant colors and your brain goes through a database of images to determine the object it’s attached to; this all happens within a matter of seconds so you’re not necessarily taking in the actual subject but rather the color. With a black and white photograph, your mind is forced to first establish the subject and then process everything else; you’re forced to use your imagination for the rest which I feel also forces you to study the subject much more closely.
One of my latest pieces, “Delicate” is the latest in my ever growing Monochrome Series. They’re pretty common Phalaenopsis orchids, but I love the visible shadows cast by the surrounding orchids and how the light bounces off of each petal, almost sparkling; things you wouldn’t easily notice or even see in a color photograph. I named this piece “Delicate” because, while the black and white makes the orchids look somewhat steel-like, they still possess the delicate beauty inherent to an orchid. I chose to shoot these in black and white because, while orchids are naturally quite beautiful, I wanted to capture them in a way that would force the viewer to look more carefully at the flowers themselves, not just the colors associated with them.
“Delicate” and other pieces like this can be found in my online gallery with many more to come…
"Delicate"
