Landscape in grey (Monomad)

Sometimes you take photos and then struggle with what to do with them. I’m not talking about completely failed shots that go straight in the trash; rather, I mean the kind of pictures you feel have potential, but you can't quite capture it effectively.

Yesterday, I took a few photos in the fields around the hot summer noon. I know that midday light isn’t typically ideal for photography, but in the moment, it seemed okay to me.

The problem arose when I got home and transferred the photos from my camera to my computer.

They looked flat to me. I boosted the contrast, but that just increased the color saturation. Then I reduced the saturation, and the photos became dull. It felt like a vicious cycle.

I struggled with this for a while, but it became clear that there was no easy solution. Finally, in a moment of desperation, I decided to convert them to black and white. It turned out to be a good idea.

Instead of the fruitless battle with colors that just wouldn't harmonize, the structure of the images stood out, the contrast was enhanced, and details emerged that would have been lost in color. The photos gained drama and depth, allowing the viewer to focus on the composition and atmosphere.

People often say that black and white photos are a cliché of pseudo-artistry. Maybe they are. But in this case, I’m really happy with the black and white results.

When there aren’t enough clouds, we can always add some. (Chimneys of the Precheza chemical plant in Přerov.)

This shot might be my favorite. The sky has texture, and the path in the field along with the horizon creates a guiding line for the viewer's eye. The figures add scale and dimension to the scene.

And in the last photo, I only noticed at home on my computer that I had unknowingly captured an ET alien. You can only see its head with antennae, but it's still proof. They are among us!!