Reflecting on the Past as We Approach the New Year

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Ring of Brodgar Stone Circle, Orkney, Scotland

On a narrow moor between the Loch of Harray and the Loch of Stenness, on the largest of the Orkney Islands in Scotland, there is a vast circle of 36 standing stones called the Ring of Brodgar. It was built 5,000 years ago, making it older than Stonehenge. Originally, there may have been over 60 stones.

When I see stones that have been extract­ed from the earth and then shaped and set into the ground, I think of the people who placed them there and why they chose to make this extraordinary effort.

May the new year be the start of many beneficial collaborations and achievements.

Callanish Stones in Black and White

Callanish 2

I was quite pleased with the color images in my previous post, especially given that they are from negatives over 30 years old. However, when I made prints for a print critique session, I was surprised by everyone's reaction: “Make them in black and white.” The subject is the stones, their forms and textures, they said, not the color. So I made a black and white version of each, which you see here. Quite a different feeling in black and white! Why is that?

This is what I think occurs when viewing black and white photos. By removing color, an image is one step removed from reality. It is partially abstracted, and the viewer reacts differently to the image because of this abstraction. With black and white, the viewer's imagination plays a bigger role, much like the way a radio drama can engage the listener's imagination in ways that television can't.

I still like the color versions, but for me the black and white versions have a stronger impact. They are mysterious and mystical. To put it simply, the color image is closer to what I saw when I was there; the black and white is closer to what I felt.

What are your thoughts? Which version do you like better, the color or the black and white? Why?

Ancient Rock Stars

Here are two shots I’m including in my March 13 presentation, Beyond Stonehenge – Rock Stars of the Neolithic Era.  These are the Callanish Stones in Scotland on the Isle of Lewis. In their own way they are as magnificent as Stonehenge.