Black, White and Resolute
Some great topics often get raised in my client discussions, and yesterday was no exception. We were talking about the various styles throughout the ages and how a lot of things get repeated without much change The topic shifted to movies and how special effects, noise and actions have taken precedence, whilst the story no longer matters as much.
I started talking about photography suffering from this too, where these days, everyone is a photographer of some kind, but with the changes in technology, the resolution and detail possible is far higher than it was. This has led many to evaluate the quality of a photo with the image detail, where being able to zoom in and see everything is more important than the story the image is telling.
And then, a great question was raised:
Do you feel more relaxed watching black and white movies?
What a fantastic question and something I hadn't considered!
But, it only took a moment to answer, because with some slight reflection, it was easy to say that black and white films are more relaxing to watch. Diving into this a little, I suspect that it is because of the contrast between light and dark means that the eyes have to do less work to translate what is being seen. I also think that it is because of this that also provides the impact of black and white, where rather than the brain needing to do as much work, it can take in more of the image and have space left over to process it through emotional centers also.
The last point would probably be aided by the various depths of the image, highlighting some parts clearly, whilst leaving other parts shrouded, bringing in mystery and a sense that there is more to know laying in the depths, just out of sight.
Black and white photography conveys more story, because there is less for the audience to process, less information provided, so they have to make some of it up. This sounds like additional work, but it is the kind of process the brain relishes and therefore, it will willingly take the cue and feel relaxed whilst working. For as they say,
do something you love...
When it comes to story, the imagination is our most important tool to translate because it takes what we are fed and turns it into something that is uniquely ours, giving us ownership. When there is too much information given, the story suffers because our brains will spend all the time processing the provided information, leaving no space or time to do anything else.
Most of the action movies these days are like this, where there is constant movement and a visual feast for the eyes, but no space to relax and process the story. It is as if they know that because the story is lacking, they need to cover it up with glitter to make it sparkle like a diamond, even though it is just a plain old rock.
Because of that contrast between light and dark, black and white is also more brutal, because imperfections aren't blended into the color palette, they are highlighted and stand out. Combined with less information leading to more free processing power, it gives space for the viewer to more readily detect and evaluate flaws.
Not having to "work as hard" in regard to the volume of information, actually can trigger the brain to work harder in other areas, more deeply considering what is being consumed, rather than glossing over everything, taking in nothing of value. In this respect, I see it like the speed of information coming in from content platforms today, where volume and speed has replaced quality and depth. A stream of information that makes us feel like we are consuming something of value, whilst it doesn't deliver anything we consider deeply enough to make it truly actionable.
Even though the resolution is so high, we no longer understand what is happening the world, as we are spending our time looking at all the glitter and explosions, without considering the story or how it impacts on us at all.
Are we more relaxed?
Taraz
[ Gen1: Hive ]
These pictures were taken in Barcelona over a decade ago. It was our first trip together as a couple. The entry image with the man walking a French bulldog in the gothic quarter, was printed on canvas and hangs in our bedroom.
I miss those days when I learned how to develop b&w film on a development pot, putting the film inside a plastic helix inside a black sac to avoid light, adding the helix into the development pot, adding the developer and fixing liquids, and waiting for the final images to slowly appear while the film was drying. There was magic in that process although some of the shots were far from acceptable.
You had a chance to understand the process, experiment with it and experience how everything was done. Today, smartphones do everything, it is good as the price has dropped and "reasonable" shots are there for everyone, but we have lost the chance to learn about photography.
I have never developed film, but I granddad had a darkroom in his wood-working shed. He even had a color enlarger, which was very rare at that time. I would have liked to have learned, but I only started getting into photography when I was 18ish, years after he had passed.
I think that part of the "miss" is the methodical process. Like a meditation with checkpoints where something is actually experienced.
And learn about scarcity and cost.
I have to sometimes watch a separate video to understand the storyline of a movie or series. Because they create a mess by putting all action and a bunch of plots.
Yes I agree that black and white movies were relaxing but as the world progressed and humans developed, their mind also developed which needed modern solutions that is why we are gradually moving towards 3d and 4d effects.
So every good thing will be past in coming days I think.( my opinion)
it's fascinating to see what people were wearing in the old days and some still do often and we see it in the fashion industry all the time
Rinse and repeat. That is fashion these days - as there is no additional need for new function.
There was a time I so much love action movies but now no more. I think I still prefer cool, romantic storyline
I also noticed that your clients asked interesting question and sometimes i also wanna meet to people who ask questions and there's a debate between us.
I don't used to watch movies but yes black and white pictures also inspired me most than color picture but there's a time when people want color photography but they had only black and white, just like some pictures of my grand Perants 🙂
Go out and connect with people :)
I would say no, we are most likely not relaxed. I did just post something related to how writing has been a tool to help ground me. But so has reading and engaging on the blockchain as well. Taking some time to read a post as if you are actively listening to the writer is quality of consumption. We often talk about quality of content, but I think what you hint at here, and may have on other occasions as well, is quality of consumption driving quality of content.
Absolutely!! Quality over quantity and, the chance to practice the skills of listening, reasoning, arguing, acceptance of difference, perspective shifting... the list is long. Most just consume these days in order to say yes or no, yes if they agree, no if they don't - never considering why on either side of the argument.
IDK, I am a bit interested in WWII and bw photos somehow make it hmmm distant? like it happened long long time ago and is a bit unrealsitic.
now there is a trend for colouring bw photos and once they are coloured it changes the impression - it could happen today, it is real
interesting
The colored ones are interesting, but they don't have the same depth for me I think. A few years back I had the opportunity to photograph in Auschwitz and the b&w is far more meaningful than the color for me. It is interesting to note.
Example:
https://peakd.com/hive-163772/@tarazkp/two-directions-from-which-to-choose
First off, I should say that your clients are really smart to raise discussions like this. Having people who bring up intelligent conversations is a blessing.
And I'd like to say that I enjoy your writings because of how in-depth it is. We just have to keep thinking you know, stimulate our minds with each piece. I don't think I'm a fan of black and white movies but I understand now that all that colour and glitter could be a way of making really poor storyline. So amazing.
I agree. Topics are easy when there are real world experiences to draw on :)
According to my thinking, I don't feel relaxed by seeing black and white movie. I think life should have colors. Thanks to Allah Almighty who given us eyes to see beauty of the world.
Black and white is still one of the best medium of transferring information, because it doesn't have multiple colour and feature that will make the brain to interpret does information unconsciously, but when it comes to colour they are a lot of feature and colours that can even change your focus from the mean story
Just like reading a book and watching a movie,
Reading will make you focus on that particular story line, while watching the movie will divert your focus because of the graphics, and other features.
a friend recently photographed black and white nudes. clever girl 😅 . she enjoys photography.
I haven't done many portraits, but would like to.
Black and white conceals so many insecurities and I think the era of black and white movies was the blissful era.
Even whenever it comes to black and white I think life is also the same. It's just like ups and down of life.
I agree with you, Mr. Taraz, that we should always consider history, because everyday life (history) reminds us of what we have lost or gained.
For now, I am more relaxed, with my artwork, which will only be possible, yes, I dedicate myself to soul, life, and heart, in its construction. Of course, with one step at a time, but stepping firmly, with the color that I want to give it. "Life is what I decide." Jani... I would say, my wise dad, who is still alive at the age of 87... still repeats this life mantra to me.
Beautiful photos... Have a great Friday
The experience of our life is up to us, and no matter the situation we may be in, there is a "make the most of it" position, even if it isn't a lot.
You have so many opinions to why black and white makes the brain work some more. I honestly feel that when it’s not black and white, it tends to catch our attention faster and we get extremely interested. Most times when I see a movie with black and white, I find it boring.
There was a time I watched the Othello movie written by William Shakespeare. It was showed in the black and white form. I actually enjoyed it even better than the colored ones that we watch.
I think there is a way black and white pictures or videos makes things look. It makes things look beautiful. Black and white is a unique way of life.
They are neautral colours. They are lovely!!!
So true. You also learn what is essential. The day you learned that you let go of a lot of nonsense consumption. But in reality there is no thing as non sense consumption. Every trash or gold out there has a place and people to consume.
Journey starts from the Essentials then Luxury then Charity then contentment. That is the equation of life I suppose.
In some sense yes, but I do think a lot of what we spend our time on is nonsense in the sense it doesn't bring us the value ew could have if doing something else. A lot of it, the value is so low, it is like eating cardboard and calling it steak.
You have made a very good observation. We fantasize more when we watch black and white films or photographs.
Now I understand where my love for black and white cinema of the 1960s comes from :)
And the stories were based around the characters and dialogue, not special effects.
Many times too much resolution acts just as a distraction for shallow watchers that got distracted from glitters and (fake) gold. It's like smoke in the eye, more or less like mass medias.
Reminds of going to see the Hobbit at the theatre and noticing Gandalf's makeup.
I was born with congenital cataracts, grade II. I was in a special school for visually impaired children until I was 7 years old. Between the ages of seven and eight, I underwent surgery. I remember perfectly that day in the clinic when the bandages were removed and for the first time I saw shapes and colour. Although the operation was not 100% successful, today I can see monocularly.
I enjoy colour, but I learned to develop in black and white as well. At the age of 20 I had a Nikon reflex camera and because of the cheapness of the negatives, I took a lot of photographs. Today, technology is my ally, what I used to do in black and white, today I do in colour and if I want to change it to greyscales, it's just a click away, and for me that's a marvel.
It's not a question of saying that the past was better than the present. The past left its traces and just as human beings evolve, the world evolves with them. Whether we like it or not, we have to adapt.
A bit different, but a long time ago I noticed that a friend of mine's young sister needed glasses. She was about seven. Once she got them, she spent days walking around just looking at normal things, because she had never seen for instance, the hairs on her arm. The world had become magical for her, like seeing the matrix.
Cam you describe the feeling when the bandages were removed?
The first thing I saw was my mother's face, and when she realised that she was seeing, she cried with joy… I felt a slight discomfort in the light of the office, but I gradually adjusted. By then, I was writing and reading Braille, I remember that I started to touch everything and I looked out of the window. All those sounds I heard that day, I could see them. They put sunglasses on me, because I found it hard to stand the light, like a vampire ha, ha, ha, ha. Years later I found out that I didn't have an iris and that's why I couldn't regulate the light coming in through my eye. When I have eye strain, I tend to see rainbows in any light reflection and I have to rest for about 10 minutes in the dark -routine-. It's like being born again and feeling the world from a different perspective…
That's an interesting take, but I feel in my senses you have a point. So many deals of rushing information being inyected through our senses it feels almost overwhelming. It makes you wonder if we, as an species, are losing something through the years of civilization. Are we more blind? more deaf? Once we shared the animal kingdom with our animal brothers. In comparison, their senses are way too sharp than ours!
We are less aware of when seeing others in pain, and we do not listen as well as we did. It is all connected - our current culture is about disconnecting from community.
And from the entire process of our relationship with the very world. I am seeking constantly, how to recover an "original" self, as we were once.
Yo no sé porque siento gran fascinación por las fotos en blanco y negro, muchas personas dicen que las de colores son mucho más lindas y si en parte puede haber un poco de razón, pero las fotos en blanco y negro creo que transmiten más emociones, drama, tristeza, complicidad, recuerdo. No lo sé son fantásticas y a mí me encantan
I think the world today is infinitely more complicated and there is constant information to absorb. Certainly less time to process it. As a teenager in the 80's no one carried a cell phone, if you weren't home. you weren't home. Life was much less complicated, no phone to be checking every few minutes. There is almost no escape from news and distractions. We really aren't relaxed!
I enjoy old black and white movies, more was focused on the story and the writing was usually far better. I'm not knocking action movies, I love good ones just like every other guy. But so much story quality is replaced by wows. One of my favorite old movies was "Bringing Up Baby", well written and hilarious and far more relaxing than the color eye feast that you see so much today.
By the way nice shots in Barcelona! Amazing how black and white has it's own distinctness. You details you would miss in color!
This is good food for thought, I've never considered the merits of black and white like this. In NYC, when people tell me about black n white, I assume they are talking about the cookie.