Halloween is just around the corner, and the northern hemisphere is staring Autumn in the face. Now that leaves are falling, colors are fading, and darkness is closing in with each passing day, I thought the monthly color challenge “BLACK” fit the mood nicely.
Not that I’m complaining…I love each season. I welcome Autumn with its cooler, shorter days, a feeling of coziness, and the idea that families are looking forward to various holidays and events.
The Color Black in Home Décor
When we were contemplating our home’s style and color scheme in 2019 and 2020, the industrial look was popular and still is, as shown below in this A-I-generated image. I’ve seen many homes mixing rustic wood tones with black and white.
Black, as a strong neutral, adds complexity to home décor. I prefer black in smaller doses as an accent to seasonal décor.
My dining table and other areas of my home boast seasonal decor.
“Black is always elegant. It is the most complete color in the whole world, made of all the colors in the palette.” – Ricardo Tisci
We added black accents in one room of our home.
This seasonal vase stands in the bottom right corner.
I collected ceramic light-switch plates over the years.
I created this image of the front of our home by playing with color (or lack thereof) and filters. Our house is dark blue, but the desaturated filter adds something special.
“There’s something about black. You feel hidden away in it.” – Georgia O’Keeffe
In addition to your images showing the color black or in black and white, you can also share monochrome and desaturated images. Creative filters used to achieve these effects are also encouraged.
The Color Black on the Road
Last weekend, we took a road trip to the North Cascades of Washington State to attend a family wedding. We stayed in a beautiful KOA campground in Winthrop, located in the Methow River Valley.
We strolled through our campground, taking in nature’s beauty,
We spent a few hours in the quaint town of Winthrop,
And on the afternoon of the wedding, we enjoyed the views of the small lake behind the Inn.
In the low light, the lake cast black reflections of the trees.
“Without black, no color has any depth. But if you mix black with everything, suddenly there’s shadow – no, not just shadow, but fullness.” – Amy Grant
A Sky Full of Wonders
If you follow me on Facebook or read my previous post, you know the Northern Lights put on an incredible show Thursday night (Oct 10). I’m sharing this “image comparison” to give you an idea of what the aurora looks like to the naked eye. Because Winthrop is located a bit further north than our town near Spokane and is located in the mountains, the lights looked much more intense.
Using your phone or camera lens to shoot in night mode will allow you to see the colors of the northern lights in their colorful glory in each image. These lights were so intense that even seeing them in shades of white and gray was plainly visible. Not only that, but the lights pulsed and coalesced, something I hadn’t seen during the light show in May. My black-and-white image gives you a good idea of their appearance.
The half-moon was also quite beautiful, shot in its natural monochrome (no editing needed).
Back at home this week, I drove through town and enjoyed what is probably our Autumn peak color. The black really pops against the vivid colors.
I like to try my hand at shooting in color, monochrome, or black and white. I converted this image of Yosemite Valley from my trip in August.
“There are no rules for good photographs, there are only good photographs.” ― Ansel Adams
Sharing for Cee’s FOTD, Dawn’s Festival of Leaves, and Johnbo’s Cellpic Sunday.
Sunday Stills Photo Challenge Reminders
The Sunday Stills weekly-themed photo challenge is easy to join. You have all week to share and link your post. Please use your own original images, whether new or from your archives.
- Remember to title your blog post a little differently than mine.
- Please create a new post for the theme or link a recent one.
- Entries for this theme can be posted all week.
- Tag your post “Sunday Stills.”
- Don’t forget to create a pingback to this post so that other participants can read your post.
- I also recommend adding your post’s URL to the comments.
I can’t wait to see how you interpret the various shades of BLACK (and/or black-and-white) this week! You can also share monochrome and desaturated images, and creative filters are encouraged.
Please share your own photographs (old or new), poems, original short stories, and music inspired by the theme. Join me next week as we explore EERIE.
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