MonoVision

First edition

When you photograph people in colour, you are showing the colour of their clothes. When you photograph them in black and white, you are showing the colour of their soul. - Ted Grant

Welcome to the very first edition of MonoVision! MonoVision is a weekly bite-size article featuring five mono photographs per week.


That's right, just 5. This way, it forces the reader into “seeing” each photo as it was meant to be seen (as one separate, complete photo, not just a part of a large ensemble of photos). It also means I can each and every photo featured its own fair review, here in this article.

So, bear with me, as your host, ~Redandwhite takes you on a short tour of the cream of deviantArt's monochrome works.


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Magical Monochrome Masterpieces

_{(in no particular order)}

"Discontent" - by =Nullermanden

"My family went to Norway, and all I got was this friggin' balloon " -- Such a lovely caption to go with it!

The expression on the kid's face is priceless, and really shows a sense of discontentment. This is a great example of how being "in the right place at the right time" can lead to stunning results; if you're ready for these moments.

My favourite photographer on all of dA has got a great photo to his name, and one anybody would be proud to exhibit as their own. It's got a ton of humour, it's got shock value, it's got drama, and everything else. Bravo!

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"Norway 11" - by *lonelywolf2

This shot is just spectacular. Another shot that can be universally defined as "excellent". It might not have drama in the traditional sense, but the photo carries a ton of impact. The tone work really helps deliver the feeling that *lonelywolf2 was trying to convey.

The lead-in created by the boat is a fantastic composition, as is the square format. The flawless reflection creates a sense of balance, broken up nicely by the perfectly placed boat.

All these elements combine to make up one masterpiece of a photograph. This could only have been done in mono.

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"Faith" - by ~joannapad

Composition is everything. The lack of colour in this photo gives an effect that no colour photo can possibly achieve. The gritty details of such a simple composition mean this is extremely striking.

There is no colour to distract. There are no other features or elements in the photo. This is minimalistic composition taken on a grand scale. A technically very good photo, and a very, very strong message if one looks just a little deeper.

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"Fisherman" - by *angelreich

This one has some lovely monotone work. The colour really lends the scene some authenticity and a feeling of the time of day. The rocks and the coast perfectly lead us to the solitary figure that is the fisherman.

The horizon is central, and this gives the picture a sense of stillness and calmness. The ray of sunshine is just a glorious touch which puts the whole thing together.

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"Watching the fisherman" - by ~mnogueir

Another photo of a fisherman. This is such a deep photo. One just needs to look a little further from the surface. Look at the man on the right, watching the fisherman. Then look at the fisherman, proably unaware of his watcher. Then look at the moving people beyond the man on the right.

The connection is instant. In the photo, the two men have a relationship. They balance the photo nicely; separated by the lighthouse in the middle.

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So that's it for this week! Tune in for five more next week