Attempting Achromatization

Lens-Artists Challenge #381:
Minimalism in Black-and-White Photography.

Black and white images are where my photography journey began.  My dad always and only purchased black and white film which he developed himself in his darkroom in our basement.  I cannot possibly explain how magical that process was to a very young me!  Back then, black and white were the colors of photography and, ‘though monochrome, many of dad’s images were stunningly beautiful pieces of art.  Oh, to have inherited that talent!

To this day, there is a compelling magnificence about black and white photography.  I follow some utterly amazing photographers on BlueSky who regularly post stunningly artistic images in full, vibrant colour.  Yet I am much more powerfully and inescapably drawn to their black and white shots.  Family history?  Perhaps, but ‘though the composition might be minimalistic, the impact is not. 

Minimalism is hugely appealing to me.  Are you familiar, perhaps, with NY Times bestselling authors Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus and their book “Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life”?  The last time we moved, Cam and I competed with each other by completing the 30-Day Minimalism Challenge:  Eliminate one thing on the first day of the month, two things on the second, three on the third, etc.  It was a truly liberating process.  Looking around our home, we could stand to do it again this year!  That was my understanding of minimalism. Honestly, I’d never considered photography in that way. 

By eliminating colour, photographers also eliminate distractions, allowing the viewer to focus on the object of the photographer’s composition.  In this case, taking away the colours of the crops and sky seemed (to me at least) to emphasize the enormity of this new greenhouse build.  In case you don’t know, Essex County, ON is the greenhouse capital of Canada, maybe even of North America.  This one will be HUGE!

In thinking about monochrome as a minimalist tool, the geometric elements of architecture immediately came to mind.  Black and white images of buildings always seem to emphasize the symmetry/asymmetry of the architect’s design, in this case with the bold pattern of the ornamental brickwork.  Important to know, this beautiful building is and has always been a factory.

This is one of my favourite brick structures.  The architect’s attention to detail (round windows!), and the company’s willingness to prioritize aesthetics over budgetary limitations both amaze and amuse me. The building and its history are a wee bit of minimalistic urban artistry and charm.

This is an image from one of our visits to the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York State.  By choosing to convert this shot to black and white, I was hoping to make the cut stone and its shape the focal point and, perhaps increase the picture’s drama. 

In the original camera configuration (colour), there were far too many shades of blue and green within and reflected upon the water, making it too chaotic for my liking.  By converting this shot to black and white, all the textures of the stone and the water suddenly “popped” and I liked it much better but… With all those shapes and textures, does this still qualify as minimalistic?

Not all classrooms are in schools, colleges and universities.  Last summer, my classroom was the pollinator garden in my townhouse complex.  I saw, positively identified, and documented 30+ species, mostly bees and wasps.  By simple observation, I learned a lot about their anatomies, their inherent industry and their hierarchy.  I like this shot in black and white because it removes the focus from the very bright flower and puts it squarely on the wasp.  It’s now impossible to miss the “thorny” structure of her legs.  Isn’t she beautiful?

Confession:  I love the next shot in its original colour format; the seeds all appear luminous against the vivid green background.  Indeed — titled “Make a Wish” — I’ve used it on a lot of my cards.  But, intrigued by this challenge, I converted it to black and white and what I discovered is that the Puffball’s curves, angles, patterns and wispy edges emerge as a much more dominant element.  It is simpler, hopefully minimalistic, and I think I like it as much as the colour version.  

Finally, and with apologies (vanity run amok), I couldn’t resist:

Surprisingly to me, I’ve quickly become a fan of monochromatic minimalism.  Working with black and white is like tapping into my introduction to photography with my dad and it brought back many happy memories.  Its use in contemporary photography wasn’t part of my regular groove but, having completed this challenge I’m motivated and excited to incorporate the Minimalism in Black-and-White Photography philosophy into my regular workflow.  As they say, watch this space!

Thank you to Ritva for suggesting this great challenge. Please check out her amazing photography and eloquent blog post: https://sillarit.com/2026/01/17/lens-artists-challenge-381-minimalism-in-black-and-white-photography/?blogid=27841459&blogsub=subscribed&contact-form-id=widget-block-7-sidebar-1&contact-form-sent=72469&contact-form-hash=f2d54f2f393a14001ff8bc3ef3154d1f53780249&_wpnonce=1123d71323

’Til next time, y’all…