The Beauty of Black and White
Lately, I’ve been considering the timelessness of black and white photographs. Without the distraction of color, I’m drawn to the sense of drama it can create. It’s a beautiful medium in its own right, nostalgic, sometimes mysterious, and a step removed from reality.
Yet, it’s even more than that. Don’t get me wrong, I love color when it has a starring role, like a brilliant sunset, or a street scene with popping primary colors that can’t be ignored. But when it’s not a color aesthetic that counts, a black and white image can be more striking, engaging, moody, and breathtaking. An image void of color tends to give way to shadows, patterns, textures, and lines that only black and white can rightfully express.
With this in mind, it’s how I’ve ended the year, and started the new one -- adding to and revisiting my black and white collection. Each image is available as a fine art print in multiple sizes, framed or unframed, and free shipping.
Living in New York City, I don’t often find myself in nearby nature settings that take my breath away; that is, until recently discovering Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, Connecticut – a short drive from Manhattan.
It was a strikingly bright day over the beach and walking trail that soon evolved into a sunset sky. The shifting atmosphere, replete with exceptional shadows and light draping the wintery ocean coast, winding gravel path, and surrounding forestry, spoke to me in black and white. A figure in the distance enhances the composition as it punctuates humanity’s connection to nature no matter the season or sense of solitude.
A surprising synergy between New York City’s urban streets and the trappings of a classical garden provide a timeless reflection image captured through the glass window of a flower shop. A Romanesque statue, urn, and plant textures in the foreground against city life’s cars and skyscrapers are as if ancient and modern civilizations overlap and collide.
Black and white offers an aesthetic that creates a sense of agelessness, compelling the eye to linger on the many hidden details without the distraction of color. As a fine art photography print, its designed to entice conversation and looking more closely.
Clouds sweep the sky, making way for sunlight over the Seine, the iconic river that flows through Paris. With romantic sightseeing boats and the City's lively life along the river's edge, I intended for this image to put the viewer directly into one of the most beautiful of cities in the world. Black and white leant itself to summoning a surreal heaven above, and to highlight the lines, shadows, and beauty in classic French architecture.
Flowers are inherently beloved (and often named) for their colors – red roses, blue bonnets, lilacs, marigolds, to name a few. But when color is removed from these hydrangeas, black and white expresses a softness you can almost feel. Texture, huddled petals, detailed pistils, and shades of gray challenge realism. In macro abstraction, I aimed to have the beauty of nature come alive unlike what can be seen by the naked eye in actuality.
These four images show how I’ve been refreshing my Gallery collection, and thinking about my photography. I find the word “refresh” a perfect New Year mantra for so many things that we currently do and yet want to accomplish. It's also a great word for rethinking your environment.
Are you thinking about refreshing your home or office with fine art photography? Click on any photo title above to enlarge or purchase. Or browse my entire Gallery here. Here’s how I imagine the impact of fine art photography enhancing and enlivening any interior space.
Feel free to be in touch. I would love to hear from you. Go to my contact page here.
We can all be creators, in whatever form that takes.
Artfully yours,
Sharon
