Taking Photo I introduced me to the wonders of black and white photography. Suddenly, I saw the world in texture, shape, and tonality as opposed to a spectrum of color. All objects were equalized and devoid of their natural aesthetics associated with color. It was challenging, but eventually gratifying. In b&w, it becomes job of the photographer to capture aspects of an object or moment beyond its initial perception. Thus, the photographer is presented with a challenge to see the world in a new way and present it in a form that allows others to see it that way too. Like Andrew Maclean says, “The world is in color, you have to work at black and white.” The human eye processes in color and so b&w photographs are an anomaly and can easily be considered interesting and great just because of this different form.
So, the challenge in great color photography is the ability to capture something in a form that is natural to everybody. Especially with the explosion of digital photography in mass culture, it becomes more difficult to maintain a critical eye in color photography. Are we up to the challenge? Am I up to the challenge? I know I need more than a photograph of a sunset.
Kirsten Captures 