The Life in My Years

When I first saw Egidio’s challenge and the words “Black and White,” I thought, well, this is right up my alley. I love monochrome. I literally chase scenes that ask for monochrome.

And then I read on, “Even when a scene is presented entirely in shades of gray, our brains—conditioned by a lifetime of experience—can effortlessly “see” the familiar hues we expect. We project our own memories onto the print. This week, we will explore this cognitive phenomenon, showcasing how the absence of color can often create a deeper, more personal perception. That is this week’s challenge: seeing color in black and white.”

Oh. Wait.

It all seemed counter intuitive to find images that seem meant for color and transform them into black and white. It took some hunting but after a few tries it came rather naturally. I think that some images work and others . . .

The golden pyramid of the Louvre at night and it’s reflection on the pavement is a classic image. This image was taken from across a street and included the light trails of cars. I did boost the red to enhance the light trails and I increased the contrast. For me the pyramid becomes more of a bit player in this image.

I have to admit that searching for images to use wasn’t easy until it dawned on me

Food.

The image below was taken at Marche Jean Talon in Montreal. In post processing I removed all of the display leaving only the fruit. One of the items has an obvious hint. But what color are the apples? Here’s a hint. They’re the same color as the unripe plantains in the corners.

I didn’t have to change the image below of the broken fortune cookie for this challenge. When I first saw it on my computer I thought that it works better in black and white than in color.

The chocolate and the mousse of the Mozart cake at Cafe Mozart in Vienna are delicious in any color.

Unless it’s autumn leaves are usually . . .

What works for me in this image is that in the color version there is a lot of multi-colored foliage in the background which takes the eye away from the leaf. This is an example of why I like monochrome. Color oftentimes distracts.

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During our trip to France we visited the D-Day sites in Normandy. It was one of the more emotional experiences in my 70 years and maybe none more poignant than the American Cemetery near Omaha Beach. I often post process cemeteries in black and white. When I post processed the images of the American Cemetery I didn’t even consider black and white.

In the image below we can see the green of the grass and the trees, the blue of the sky and, between the trees, a hint of the blue of the English Channel.

For comparison I included the original color image. I think that this image wants color.

Thank you Egidio for this challenge. It inspired me to consider black and white where I would normally eschew it; the Mozart cake and the leaf in particular. A lesson in thinking outside the box.

Egidio’s wonderful images can be found here, along with other takes on this challenge in the comments section of his site.