This week I went looking for something different from my usual autumn pictures, and here it is. Amazingly, sage just keeps growing, almost defying the approach of winter – this is lovely if you use it for cooking!
I love looking for the shape and line in all plants; here, the almost monochrome look also appeals to me – remember, monochrome doesn’t have to be black and white!
Black and white photography is often referred to as monochrome or in other words, one colour. However, monochrome doesn’t have to be black and white; it can be any single colour of your choice. In nature, one obvious choice is green. Here, I have used a wide lens opening (aperture) to give a shallow depth of field, so that the dock plant stands out in sharp focus against a blurred background.
I captured this image only today, and when I first viewed it, I thought I’d try a black-and-white conversion (it was almost entirely green and white, anyway) so as to emphasise shape and line. See what you think…
OK, so these are clementines, not oranges, but I’m thinking of the colour orange. The real point I’m making in this photo is that monochrome doesn’t have to necessarily mean black and white; any colour can be chosen to dominate a picture, with interesting effects. Here, the absense of variety of colour leads the eye to study the patterns caused by texture, instead.
