Photons to Fotos

why is a monochrome image so fascinating….is it an association with all things artistic and intellectual, or is there something more…

Is it akin to cooking up a good sauce….simmering off the excess fluid to accentuate all that is essential in the image; by removing colour, shadows, contrasts, and gradations of tone come to the fore…as do textures and contrasts.

maybe its also giving space to the viewer to connect with the image. Colour is a strong statement…it TELLS you what to think or feel about an image, while if the image is monochrome then you can put in your little bit and construct or project a feeling onto the image….maybe this is why portraits in black and white work so well.

On the other hand, black and contrast in a monochrome image can be powerful and dramatic, creating a dynamism to an otherwise flat scene.

maybe its a nostalgia to the images and art deep rooted in our collective subconscious. Cartier Bresson and the Leica come to mind…..but it must be more!

Colour is shouting and singing from the rooftops….Black is a gossiped conversation on a street corner….do you agree?