color

I love black and white photos.

Whenever I found a picture I liked, I’d immediately change it to black and white. Sometimes I’d switch to sepia. They’re gorgeous and kind of artsy.

Lately, though, I’ve been looking at life (and photos) in a new way.

Last week I wrote about hiding by being covered up, but is removing something a way of hiding, too? Is getting rid of colors just the flip side of covering them?

I still love sepia and black and white but I’m going to give myself a moment to appreciate what the colors have to say before I make the decision whether or not to strip them away.

Now that my children are older, I flip through albums filled with colorless photos of newborns. They’re beautiful but I want to see my babies as they really were—spit up, cradle cap, rosy cheeks…everything.

I found this picture from last autumn. My husband snapped it as I was about to pull wisps of wind-blown hair out of my face. Upon closer examination, I thought it looked cool. So I turned it black and white. Taking away my skin tone and purple streak. Taking away my true colors.

My Sunday thoughts in 200 words or less.

Which image do you like better–the black and white or the color? Which photos do you generally prefer? I still love the B&W and sepia filters. There’s something about them. But I’m being more careful about keeping color in my life and in my photos.

When I was little, I thought leaves were green.

Of course, they’re not.

The chlorophyll, which has been covering their color, is fading. Soon, the maple leaves will be candy-apple red. Oaks will darken into deep purple, bright orange, or brown. Elms and birches will turn mustard yellow.

It’s amazing watching the leaves change. They show us their true colors then they drift down from their branches.

We go for a walk and see edges losing chlorophyll. On our next walk, the leaves have more of their natural pigment. “Look at me! I’m orange!” They let me take pictures, those patient leaves, before letting go. We find them in the grass the following week, pick them up, bring them home and give them a place of honor in our mini-pumpkin pile.

I’ve always loved autumn.

This year, though, for the first time, I realize I’m a leaf. I thought I was green but that was just hiding my true colors. What are they? I’m not sure. But I’m ready to find out.

My Sunday thoughts in 200 words or less.

Do you ever wonder who you are underneath? Have you ever thought that the roles you play in life might be your chlorophyll? If you showed your true colors to the world, what would happen?