Magic in Black and White

I really enjoyed the IPC’s gallery exhibit.  Before, I considered black and white to be repressive, almost sucking the life out of art.  Sebastião Salgado and his new show Genesis completely changed my mind.  Although every photograph was in black and white, they were all majestic and vivacious.  It seemed as if the lighting contrast offered by black-and-white photography worked better than vivid colors.

The Eng Ubari is a vast expanse of sand dunes covering about 31,000 square miles in  Libya.  It has no fresh water but it does contain a number of salt lakes.  In Arabic, they are called “Ramla d’El Duanda,” or in English “Dune of the Worm-Eaters.”  This photograph portrays one salt lake.  Immediately, my eyes went for the twinkling lights.  The tops of the tall grasses are illuminated with diamond-like lights as if stars have showered down upon them.  The salt water lake beautifully reflects the light.  They twinkle as they dance upon the smooth surface.  Palm trees sway calmly in the background.  Farther down, you can see the sand dunes.  The contrast between light and dark makes this photograph seem magical.  It is what makes the twinkling lights so breath-taking.  The land and the water, both fairly dark, allow the lights to pop – as if they are floating off of the photograph and into our reality.  It did not seem as if a moment like that could exist on this planet, a glance at heaven on earth.