on the colors black and white
Yes, I know… they’re not really colors but moreover an absence thereof. But the shades between are something to marvel at. For whatever reason, I’ve been for all intents and purposes obsessed with those shades of grey lately as all my work has been absent in color. There’s even a posting over at the Online Photographer that discusses b&w vs. color instead of the usual film vs. digital nonsense debate.
In the process of my current New Dance Project (a working title, by the way), I showed a colleague of mine one of the selects first in color and then without color and what she said to me was illuminating. She commented upon the subject’s color of hair and leotard; in the absence of color she commented upon the subject’s facial expression and line. What was it about color that was taking her away from the dance in the image? Moreover, what was it about the simplicity of the colors black and white that placed her back into the frame upon re-viewing it?
It’s those two questions that have me exploring in the studio more than ever.
