Black and white photography is simply a collection of shadows and highlights. Add to that some texture from film grain and perhaps an image border, and you end up with an image. That's the just the beginning ...
What does the image mean? What is the story behind it? Who was the photographer? These are all questions that a good image will cause you to ponder. This is exactly what happened when I saw a seemingly random collection of images by Ikmaliah Idi.
A blurb by the artist, Ikmaliah Idi:
Every photo is an attempt at amplifying the tender moments in life. I think about time and space and I wonder if this moment in frame will remind me of what home feels like. The world moves and everything changes at the speed of light — when tomorrow comes, where will our shadows fall?
These images all showcase the strongest qualities of thee EZ400 film stock. They are contrasty, moody, and grainy; all of which lend additional character to dynamic street scenes, especially in very urban areas. Concrete, brick, asphalt all become three dimensional, to the point where you can almost feel the texture through the screen. The glowing rays of sunlight give shape and direction. There's no way around it -- the character is hard to miss.
Is it necessary to assign meaning or value to every image? Perhaps not. Sometimes it's just about how you feel; your reaction, your pulse. You don't have to think, or wonder. All you have to do is look.
