Contrast

Sometimes it is the relative simplicity of grayscale which allows the eye of the viewer to see the contrast between elements more clearly. Here we see a pair of images that are strong and successful in full color but which gain simple, timeless power without the hues and tints.

Not Black-and-White

Images we have always called 'black-and-white' have been called that incorrectly since the medium was begun over 150 years ago. Look closely at these images and you might notice that all the colors of the spectrum are represented in the photo . . . often excepting only full-out black and full-out white. You have seen images in black and white, of course, but the term for that is 'silhouette.'
Greyscale in the term that works best, with all colors being represented by shades of grey on a scale between the rarest of colors, total black or total white.
No more vocabulary, for now, just a few more greyscales.

Shades of Gray

Once upon a time, in a previous century, photography required a medium called 'film,' which is now a relative rarity since the advent and growth of digital imagery. I sometimes joke about seeing someone on the street changing film in a camera and suggesting I took a picture of him or her . . . "it was like seeing Abraham Lincoln walking down the street."
This blog is digital, of course. In my mind there is no pressing need to return to the dark ages of film. Virtually anything that can be done on film can be done digitally, but much of the power of digital is not adaptable to film. For the next few days, our photos will hark back to a decision we digital shooters no longer need to make: do I shoot color or black-and-white? With digital, we always shoot color but can easily post-process our images into what was once considered the only art of photography. Ansel Adams shot black-and-white, right? Here are a couple of shots presented in the honored monochrome format. Glassware in a window and bursts of fireworks change their visual nature completely, don't they?
We will discuss the very term 'black-and-white' in the next post.

More Circles

Early in our look at forms and shapes I used a pair of circles, but the perfection of the imagery constantly sends us back to that eternal shape. Here are two of my favorites, one showing the all-important wheel and another suggested those 'amber waves of grain' we all care about.

Over and Under

The dance was in the lobby of a major hotel. The goal of the photography was to collect memories for the students in attendance. That job was enjoyable and I think it was handled with success. But I did take a couple of moments to relax and look up. Seeing a wonderful set of windows above the atrium, I snapped this photo. And now it goes into my Form Studies collection.
Back to circles tomorrow for one final Form Study.

Buildings

All buildings have form and shape by their very nature, but my eye was particularly drawn to several structures during our European trip. The cozy building seen here was available for sale, and the bicycle was parked in a niche in the Old Town wall, both in Tallinn, Estonia. The bike's owner was a few yards away running a tourist cart.

Identity Shapes

Various shapes can become suggestive or symbolic of national identity. Most obviously the flag of any country can derive powerful emotional response from its citizens as well as from other persons who approve or disapprove of the country. To me the collection of Union Jack designs on umbrellas seen here reminds me immediately of London, where I found it. Other shapes, such as these windmills, remind me of Copenhagen and Sweden, the two countires that seemed to feature them most.