Like many of the northern states, Vermont is pretty much a blur of grey and brown right now. Real snow hasn’t yet set in—and it melts quickly when it does visit—and the world is shades of monotone. Splashes of Christmas lights offer a burst of color here and there, but it seems in the staid Northeast, white is the color of choice, and the lights themselves don’t add much color.
It’s a startling change after the vivid colors of Latin America. From buildings painted in a kaleidoscope of colors that would do any circus proud, to drinks that could well provide inspiration to crayon designers, to the startling turquoise blue of the water, Belize was a cacophony of color. It’s like a playground with the camera, and it was a constant challenge to balance the myriad of bright tones into something portrayable on the camera.
I’ve spent quite a bit of time parsing images from the shoot over the past week. Many have gone to Orvis. Some to El Pescador. Still more to editorial contacts, and more are yet to be launched to various publications. And while color dominates the edit, a few shots shine the brightest, perhaps, in simple black and white.
Sometimes the shapes and tones and lines of an image demand a lack of color.
Sometimes black and white is all that is needed to tell the story.
And, after all, isn’t storytelling what it is all about?
