Life is quite funny and so many don't even realize it. Those of us, who are on Hive and interested in photography are experimenting with different filters, to get the best results (by our standards of course). Should I use black and white? Would the photos look better if colors are taken away? Should I increase brightness? Should I add more contrast? Or should I use sepia to make it more vintage and interesting?
Imagine not having this option as all you can see is monochrome. Have you thought of that? Have you ever tried to imagine what your life would be as a photographer without seeing colors? I kind of do. I know people who are living with conditions that preventing them from seeing or distinguishing different colors and even if sometimes the stories they tell are funny, it's nothing to laugh about. You need to learn to live with it, to find a solution to manage your daily tasks that require seeing those colors and so on.
Today I decided to post some black and white photos, which I don't do too often (maybe I should), but I think it's time for me to appreciate the possibility of being able to see colors the proper way.
Monochrome is my obvious choice, when it comes to architecture and I'd like to think I'm not alone with this choice. Once the colors are not influencing your eyes, you can focus on the light and on the architecture itself.
The funny thing is, there was a time when only black and white was available. My dad used to be an amateur photographer and color films were a luxury, available only for the lucky ones and only years later, years after he started photographing. I remember when I was a kid, he used to do the whole process, starting from taking photos, to developing the film and the photos on paper too.
Back in those days, we had no computer, there was no photo shop, no photo cropping, no filters, no erasing, no nothing. You took the photo and that was it. Only professional photo studios had the equipment and skills to retouch photos.
I remember once my cousin needed some photos for some document/project and came to my dad for help and he gave me the camera, the light measuring device (yeah, you needed that too, in order to set the camera light correctly) and sent us to take photos. No pressure, right?
I did well, in case you're wondering, no out of focus, blurry photos and my cousin had her head and all her body parts on the photo 😆 Dad said I did ok for my first test.
My biggest worry, and his too, was that I'd waste the film and come home with any usable photo. Those films were not cheap and not available all the time either.
Back in those days, you wouldn't have to worry, that your blouse doesn't match your hair color, or your lipstick were worries that came later when it came to photography.
Without wanting to hurt anyone, I think today only the dumb ones can't take photos. All you need is a decent camera (mobile phone is good too), keep the camera steady and that's all. You can edit the photo after and fix what is not right. Is that a skill? Have people lost their ability to take good photos? I think it depends on the individual.
So today monochrome is a choice for most of us, rather than a necessity, but there are still those, who were not given this choice at birth. The were left to live in a monochrome world. I personally don't know anyone in this situation from close, just a distant relative, who I only meet occasionally and we don't speak about this, but I know someone who's confusing green with brown and can't really distinguish between shades and I know what a struggle life can be sometimes. But even so, they make things work, they even take photos, it doesn't stop them from living a normal life. It's just that their normal is different from our normal. Is it a problem? Only if you make it to be. It's a matter of perspective.
I for one I'm grateful I have the luxury of seeing colors.
If you're a newbie, you may want to check out these guides:
