"We are all wanderers on this earth...our hearts are full of wonder, and our souls are deep with dreams." ~ Gypsy proverb

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Black and white

I will admit, I am not a big fan of black and white, figuratively or photographically.

I think figuratively I have worked so hard at finding the gray that I've learned to shy away from the extremes.  Photographically, I am just head over heels in love with color. Color is a language all its own, helping me sense and express the words and emotions that sometimes are so difficult to find. In my darkest days, all the colors in my closet were gray, black and brown. These days, I am finding pink, purple, red, blues, and patterns in my closet!! Yes I am wearing patterns now Mom!!!! To be clear though, I love my earth tones, but I am not bound by them anymore...

I do appreciate black and white though. They are, after all, just another way of looking at things, and being flexible enough to consider other perspectives is something I don't ever want to take for granted. I'd be foolish to think that black and white doesn't evoke emotion at all, oh quite the contrary....

Joining Bella for 52 Photos Project...

Happy Wednesday

xoxo

19 comments:

  1. Great post, MJ. Loved the bit about your clothes, I could find my own very similar thoughts and feelings in your words. xo

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  2. I am a huge fan of old black and white photos, you know the kind, the ones from the beginning of the twentith century, those kind. I just don't think the modern b & w's can compare.
    As for clothes I wear all colors, but must watch out for some blues or I look ill! ;)

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  3. oh yes...love the emotion that b+w can evoke...loving the subjects you chose here...the balloons which are usually full of color, and the paintbrushes which are a tool to carry color...so interesting to consider a different side of things.

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    1. Love the way you notice and see the details Michelle!
      xo

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  4. Yes, sometimes black and white images does make you look more closely at the details. I used to wear a lot of dark colors too, but also tons of greens and blues. Then after having 2 little girls I discovered...I actually like pink! And now, with this third little girl, the deal is sealed and pink is here to stay :)

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    1. Pink is lovely! So, will the Mr. wear pink too?
      xo

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  5. i prefer B&W! lol

    sometimes it HAS to be colour though. the soul would be missing on that particular 'story'. but the thing with b&w is that without colour, we are asked, forced even, to sink into form, pure light, shadow, and pure essence. and oh my, those things have gut-wrenching rawness.

    as a photography student we had to use only b&w, for a year! of course i loved it so didn't analyse it, but it wasn't until the next year that i understood why. while we think we hide in black and greys, in art, we can hide behind colour. Monotones push the artist.

    okay, obviously i'm passionate about this topic. lol

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    1. the gut-wrenching rawness of b & w that moves me mostly is in portraits, up close shots of people whose stories could be written with each contour. I'm thinking of this page on Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/mommijune/people-love/ Benicio Del Toro, Ray Feinnes, good god...That's interesting about artists hiding behind color. I think I know what you mean though. But in clothes, people wearing color completely draw my attention :).
      xo

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  6. I think I realized that most of my clothes are grey or in that general vicinity. But I do so love pops of color! I love shooting film in black and white I've found. But figuratively it's all about the grey!

    xo
    cortnie

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  7. I've been wanting to play with black and white more. Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos.

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  8. I don't like metaphoric black and white either. but in photography it's different. these pics are great. and do you have a new header image, too? love it!!

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  9. I've always loved the simplicity of black and white. The absence of color seems to heighten the subject. Glad you had a creative MLK day weekend.
    Cheers,
    Leah

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  10. I love black and white photography. I think it sometimes shows more depth than color. Even my color photos I often soften and tone down the color, sort of muted.

    my closet - has always been soft earth tones. afraid of bold color for my clothes!! usually the only place you'll find color is in my gardens.

    beautiful photos, MJ. xo

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  11. There seems to be a clarity and crispness with black and white photos. I do love colors though. Hooray for your closet expanding from earth tones. I venture out every once in awhile, but I look good in the earth tones, being of autumn complexion :). Love the photos! xo

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  12. I love the paintbrushes. I enjoyed your discussion of what color means to you.

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  13. For me, black and white evoke sadness. It makes me feel lonely. It takes me back to the past.

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  14. I am just making the rounds now. I get how you feel, there is a sort of sadness to black & white images but the lines & shadow.. I just can't look away.
    Thank you for sharing, MJ.
    xo

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“Life isn't about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”
~ George Bernard Shaw