The Deeps Of Paeonia

Day 237: For all that we love the richness of color, it is sometimes a distraction in an image, the subject better served by a black-and-white treatment even when the contrasts are not sharply defined. Shot as an in-camera monochrome, this opening peony flower illustrates the point. As seen by the eye, the background was a welter of greens, the blossom itself a bold, deep red. Visually, the rich texture of the petals was lost in the assault of color, the nuances of shade hidden behind the shock of hue. The greens afforded confusion rather than clarification, sight taking in only the distinction between verdure and the contrasting flower. In black-and-white, the peony becomes an exploration of depths, of peaks and valleys, of folds and soft curves; its flamboyance is gentled. In greys, the peony is an essay of contour and form.