I walked with Gwynn around the neighborhood today, admiring the colors and textures of Hawaiian Paradise Park. Our yard was abloom. Kaloli Street, Beach Drive, and that lava road access to Kaloli Point was verdant and picturesque. The rain just moved on somewhere else and the world glistened and smelled fresh. I took lungfuls of air and enjoyed bursts of running on the rough and uneven lava rock road. Gwynn continued her exploration. A few feet away, a rooster made a mistake of walking out of the bushes. With a burst of energy, Gwynn gave chase. I called her back. I was afraid she would fall into some lava hole hidden by the thick underbrush. Obediently, she came back grinning and panting with excitement.
I took short rests to snap pictures. When I got to Kaloli Point and sat on a lava shelf watching overlooking the ocean, I looked at the photos I took. Some I snapped in black and white. Then I wondered . . .
With the advance in the art and technique of photography, we can manipulate colors and reduce or increase their vibrancy to get different effects. Why is it that black and white images still hold so much drama? They pull at emotions and thoughts that cannot be explained easily.
Black and white photographs create mystery. Doesn't it make you wonder? Doesn't it make you ask questions? What color is it? What would it look like if it's red? or blue? or yellow?
Stripped of color, we notice details that we, otherwise, would not have noted. In this instance, color would just be visual noise.
Looking at the black and white photos I took and the thoughts that ran through my head made me smile; then, I took a leisurely walk back home with Gwynn enjoying the real life color around me.
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