void of color

I have to admit this was probably one of the hardest themes for me, I am inspired by color first and foremost. In its absence I'm a little lost. I know that I am not drawn to an object solely based on color. Palm tress aren't especially colorful but the are no wall flower either. When I looked up at the giant I was struck by the glistening palm fronds and its perfect symmetry. The light shining through lent itself for some good contrast so I decided this was a good candidate to concert to black and white.

I saw the same symmetry in this dandelion photo in the Mortal Muses Flickr group by Design by Nicola. I love dandelions in black and white, her composition and shallow depth of field make it float across the page.

The desert-scape void of all color has plenty of texture to play up. The noon day sun give the jumping cholla are misleadingly soft look. Don't be fooled these plants have the ability to eject needles (with force) if you brush up against it.

Lacey branches, rolling mounds of grass and a setting sun were all competing for attention in the color version. I quieted everything down by removing the color so the eye could float around and just enjoy the shapes for a little while.

Sometimes all you need to do to make a stronger visual impact is simplify your photo. You can achieve this without cropping by making it void of color. Try it on your next landscape on a photo with strong shapes or texture. See if converting it to black and white reveals something completely different and new.

Lindsey aka modchik