Just a couple of days ago, I captured a colour photograph of an old tree near the shore of Strangford Lough — its misshaped branches reaching out over the stony beach, adding texture and character to the scene. The image was full of life, a feeling that colour naturally brings. But my intention all along was to produce a black-and-white photograph, and it left me wondering: How would this scene hold up without colour?
Yesterday, I returned to the same spot, determined to create a monochrome image. The aim was not simply to reproduce the colour view in black and white, but to reimagine the scene through light, shadow, and texture. Where colour guides the eye, now contrast, form, and composition carry the weight — a challenge made even greater by changing light conditions in the landscape.
Shooting in black and white forced me to see more deeply. I noticed details I hadn’t previously recognised: the rhythmic pattern of the bark, the delicate interplay of light, shadow and texture, and the way the tree framed the scene in a quiet, cinematic symmetry.
The result is not a replica but a reinterpretation. In colour, the photograph spoke of majestic landscape, the rocky shoreline and the sculptured form of the tree leaning over the stoney beach. In black and white, it resonates with solitude and endurance.
Revisiting the same location with a new intention turned a familiar subject into something fresh — a powerful reminder that sometimes, limitation invites the greatest creativity.
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