Thoughts on black vs white in photography, approach, technique, etc:
Black vs White
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/02B59ACF-9CC5-4674-BE84-2E0830408132.png?resize=1200%2C1200&ssl=1)
The interesting thing about black and white photography:
A photograph which is all black is meaningless. A photo all white is meaningless. A photo needs BOTH the white AND black.
Furthermore, inherent in the black or white portion, there is a dot of the other extreme:
![](https://i0.wp.com/erickimphotography.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/4DD008AB-7127-4DB1-91B6-065D302864EF.png?resize=1200%2C1200&ssl=1)
For example in the white space, there is a black dot. In the black space, there is a white dot.
In the context of my black and white photography, I see a strong and stark contrast between the white and black region in my photos:
Extreme action or extreme tranquility?
Another yin and yang concept:
Perhaps the most effective types of images are the ones which have a stark yin-yang contrast between the extremes.
For example, the extreme zen photos:
Then the extreme action photos:
Dark Skies Over Tokyo, 2017 Dark Skies over Tokyo // RICOH GR II x FLASH Seoul, 2011 Seoul, 2016. Flash with layers of Cindy and my mom.
Don’t focus on only one extreme
I believe the notion of yin and yang is this:
Extremes don’t exist. They’re simply different sides of the same coin.
And we need both.