Black & White Or Blanco Y Negro

In Spanish, The White Comes First, In Between Is Balance

It is generally agreed upon that a balance of dark and light makes for the best monochrome images in photography. This balance is something I strive for in my own work, as well as in my life.

Though at times the scale wants to tip one direction or the other. At these times my innate preference has always been towards the dark. It is my nature.

I like dark photographs, dark imagery. As an introvert, I prefer living in the shadows. I avoid the spotlight. I find the brightness disorienting.

This is an image I made a few days ago as I was walking towards home. The small buds and tiny blossoms were the only part of this scene catching the sunlight.

My camera nearly jumped towards my eye, insisting that this photo be made. And right now, thank you! I rarely argue with my camera.

When editing the morning’s images a few hours later, I was glad I had listened to the wise one. This is my kind of photograph. Dark, moody, and mysterious in its own way. I will gladly sign my name on this one.

I will admit that since arriving in Oaxaca, my photo vision has begun to change. I don’t know if it has something to do with the tropical climate, the closeness to the equator, or the constant Spanish I hear on the streets.

I have been finding myself drawn to high-key scenes like the one above. The predominant tones are all above Zone V. There are just enough tones below that level, to allow the higher tones to sing in lovely harmonies. Their voices enchant my vision.

Since making this image five or six weeks ago, I have been on the lookout for more high-key scenes. Like so many things, when one begins to look, one soon begins to find.

The opening image, of the Volkswagen tail, is a subject I could not walk by without making its portrait. How has the beauty, of a nearly all-white image, escaped me for so long?

These days I find myself drawn to one or the other. The dark ones, like this one, I am now calling Black and White. The lighter images, like the VW at the top, I am calling Blanco Y Negro.

In Spanish Blanco, the white comes first. When I first discovered this, my mind did a backflip. Of course, the white comes first! The white is the light.

The light is what makes photography possible. Without the light, there is no photography. The black, the shadows, play an essential role, albeit a secondary one.

I am having a new adventure looking for subjects that will result in blanco y negro images. The spindly bush above, against a white wall, is a good example.

The image overall has that high-key feel. That feeling of living in the light. That feeling of being seen. It still feels a bit foreign to me, and rightfully so. I am living in Mexico after all. And I am loving the shift in my visual vocabulary.

I will never lose my love for black and white images like this one. The ones with deep, rich blacks I want to get lost in. The shadows that call me home to my true nature.

The thin stems of this quietly flowering bush, are like a road map to my soul. I innately know where these roads lead. They lead to solitude and quiet. They lead to that soothing place I have always called home.

In my new photographic vocabulary, this image is neither black and white, nor blanco y negro. This image represents the ultimate destination in the bigger picture. From now on I will refer to views like this as, Monochrome, as Balance.

Yes, I love playing in extremes. They are part and parcel of my innate nature. They are what I came in with. I now have language for the dark, and the light.

By experiencing both ends, and loving them equally, I am offered a path towards a middle ground. I am guessing this is where I ultimately want to live. Though I will always want to play in the extremes.

Thanks so much for reading, and looking. I welcome your comments, always.

Until next time, To wide open lenses . . . and wide open hearts. — G.E.