When you photograph people in color, you photograph their clothes. But when you photograph people in Black and white, you photograph their souls!
Ted Grant
The prompt for #SundayStills this week is sharing a favourite Black and White photo. I found the quote from Ted Grant which started me thinking about more than just photos. It started me thinking about how we live our lives.
Living a life of colour is vibrant and alive. It brings joy, a zest for living but too much colour can also be brash, loud and as this quote says it can hide who you truly are. We put on colourful clothes or the colourful mask of makeup to stand out, make us feel uplifted but by doing this we can also hide our true feelings or our true self. I know that if I’m feeling low, wearing a bright colour or putting on some make up certainly helps lift my spirits.
Conversely, we think of black and white as boring, staid, and stark.
To me, it can also mean sophistication. I preferred colour photographs for some time and always thought of black and white photos as old fashioned, from another era. However, recently I’ve seen coloured photos edited to black and white and they look so much better. I also found on there are various shades of black and white filters I can use to edit my photos using my Iphone 10XS such as Noir, Silvertone and Mono.
When we look at our life without the filters, without the colour and ‘noise’ we can delve into our very soul to connect with our inner self. We can find who we truly are as an individual.
In a recent post, Become and Explorer and discover your true self I listed 10 ways to start exploring who we really are. Life can take over and because women, in particular, have so many roles in life, it can be easy to lose focus on who we are as individuals.
Exploring our inner self is a great way to reconnect with who we are and what is important to us as individuals. It is a voyage of discovery!
Peeling back the colours to Black & White
As we peel back the layers of our life to explore our soul and inner thoughts things become clearer. There are no colours to distract our thoughts there is only black and white. As you can see from these photos the distinction between black and white is clear and strong.
Do you also notice that the eye is drawn away from the centre of the flower as the colour takes over. Yet in the black and white we are drawn to the centre of soul of the subject. Do you agree?
In this image below my eye is drawn from the sky in the coloured photo to the deck and the horizon.
What waits beyond your horizon? Just take the first step to discover.
I prefer the black and white photo of me. It is stronger in contrast, it is defined. Look at the painting the women in the white dress is lost in the vibrant colour of oranges and yellows yet in black and white she becomes the centre of the piece.
Will you take time to peel away the layers of colour and noise in your life to examine your inner self?
Thank you to Terri from Second Wind Leisure for the weekly #SundayStills prompt.
Enjoying #SundayStills? Why not check out posts from these bloggers? And if you would like to join in, we would love to have you. The community is awesome. You can get more details here.
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28 Comments
I loved these black and white images , Sue – they are fantastic. When my sisters got married in the early sixties, all their wedding photos were in black and white., but they were beautiful photos. Toni x
Thanks so much Toni, I think B&W photos are underestimated really and can be so simple, yet powerful. x
Hi, Sue – I learned a great deal about black and white photography from this post. Your examples are truly spectacular. In all cases, the black and white drew my eyes to the centre of the soul of the image. I will now be experimenting more with this! 😀
Hi Donna, I’m sure I would learn much more from you especially now you are doing the photography course. Maybe another interview to be explored???
Hi Sue – B&W photos definitely catch our eye these days because we expect things to be in full (usually computer enhanced) colour. I always associate B&W photos with my childhood and the family photo album. It was interesting seeing your images of colour/b&w comparisons and the subtle differences that emerged.
Yes I agree Leanne, B&W photos usually are associated with my parent’s generation but I do like them. I really learned from this prompt and am enjoying the #SundayStills challenge. x
You’ve tackled this prompt really well Sue and I also learnt lots of new things from you! I’ve shared my thoughts on black and white photos and although I like them, I do also like a pop of colour every now and again! Your comparison photos showed your thoughts and examples very clearly – loving your creativity!
Hi Deb, thanks for the encouragement and I really enjoyed this prompt. When I started I had now idea the result would be the post I’ve written but it really made me think and I’m loving that! x
Hi Sue, I read earlier that you have not been feeling great, then I didn’t see the email for the post and thought maybe you were taking a break from SS today. But here you have a wonderful post with your thoughts on life without filters and how black and white show the stark contrasts of life in an image. I particularly love the quote juxtaposed over Miss Hepburn!
Hi Terri, I’m always encouraged by your comments each week to keep going with your prompts for #SundayStills. I’ve learned quite a bit since I’ve started joining in and I think this prompt has been my favourite so far. x
I have a “thing” (preference? quirk? brain thing?) where if a photo is going to be in B&W, I have to set my camera to B&W mode first. I can’t take it in colour and then remove it. I guess I feel if it is going to be in B&W I have to commit to it? I’m really not sure of my reasons, I just know that’s how I do it.
Hi Vanessa, I hadn’t even thought of that but now that you mention what you do it is something to think about. Committing at the outset to B&W rather than taking the colour away. Love this concept. x
Hi Sue, I found this fascinating. It’s amazing that in the B & W of the irises the yellow completely disappears and the petals look incredibly white. I haven’t done any B & W photography but I might have to experiment myself.
Hi Christina, I was blown away when I actually examined the irises of the flowers without colour, they really did draw my eye to them. I’m certainly not a photographer but I am enjoying B&W images more than colour these days. x
An amazing and thought-provoking quote by Ted Grant. You bring up great points, Sue, how black is sometimes lumped into boring, yet we also equate it with sophistication. Your phrase “…life without filters…” and the concept of ‘noise’ also made me stop and think. I have been reading through the black and white posts today, and you have brought a new and refreshing take to the entire prompt. You look beautiful in both photos, Sue! I ‘see’ your beautiful soul.xx
I loved Ted Grant’s quote when I read it, Erica it really spoke to me and made sense. The quote also inspired the post for #SundayStills and made me think outside of the box. Thank you for your lovely comment about the photos of me. You are always one of my cheerleaders which I appreciate greatly. xx
Loved your post, the photos and the quotes. Such great thoughts to ponder. I totally agree with what you shared.
Thanks Kirstin and I’m pleased my post gave you something to think about. Enjoy the rest of your week. x
I do like black and white photos these days Sue and yours are lovely, especially the beach. I love the words you have to go along with the photos.
I agree Jen, black and white are now my favourite images. Have a lovely week and great to have you back after your break. x
This is creativity at its best. You have led me into a new world of thought and sight.. Am so grateful
Thanks so much Judith, I’m so pleased I’ve sparked something for you to think about. Have a great week. x
I remembered more about my long ago photography lessons finding objects to capture in black and white for this challenge. I really enjoyed reading your words too.
For our wedding, all of the photos were black and white. I think that’s how it was then. Fortunately just to have the memories of the colours B’s older sister took some shots with her camera.
Lovely post Sue.
Thanks so much for linking up for Life This Week #231. Glad to have you add your post as part of the community here. Next week. the optional prompt is Good. Hope to see you there. Denyse.
Hi Denyse, I do think B&W photos are making a comeback and I really enjoyed this prompt. #SundayStills is really taking me out of my comfort zone to think more creatively. x
I’ve never heard the Ted Grant quote, but I absolutely loved it (and have saved it to Pinterest for future reference). I have found that black-and-white photos help me focus on the subject and ignore the distracting background. I suppose put another way, black-and-white focus help ground us to stay in the moment a little while longer.
#lifethisweek
Hi Molly, I loved the Ted Grant quote when I came across it and it was perfect for the basis of my #SundayStills prompt.
Hi Sue, these were lovely, especially the one of you. I think the one that showed the most contrast between the black and white and color was the one with the orange flowers. I can’t remember their names, but I love them. I liked that you displayed them next to each other for easy comparison.
Thank you Marsha, I enjoyed playing around with B&W although I’m not a great photographer! Looking forward to you hosting the next two weeks.