Shades of Black and White

There are images that stand the test of time in either color or black and white - where neither color nor tones tell the primary story. Photographs that in their initial state are in color, may also make a striking statement in tones of black and white. And a black and white image may tell a different, though equally compelling, story in color.

Here I take color images I have taken and transform them into black and white images to make my point.

Having said this, however, mastering the art of moving in the other direction, from black and white to a colorized image, holds less interest to me - the artistry of a black and white image is only in part in its composition. It is primarily in the dynamism of contrast, in the interplay between the darks and the lights, between the highlights and the shadows, that a black and white image makes its statement. Even the words convey the draw of mystery in this interplay, which color would disrupt...

Here is number one grandson, Casey - an artist with chalk on the slate backyard patio at Auntie Diana's, Uncle Chris', and cousin Venice's house...

I was invited to a recital of a children's dance group, and there found a subject so preciously innocent that I had to shoot this image. Here is a princess awaiting her turn to perform, and like all consumate artists, she is preparing herself with a moment of inner quiet...