Reality or Illusion?
Two photos, the same moment. One in colour, one in black and white.
Diana recently shared this striking cloud formation, first in its original colour, then reinterpreted in monochrome. Her response was thought-provoking:
“The black and white is more dramatic. But not real. I think I prefer photos that have not been tampered with. Once you add and take away it becomes a different ball game – an art form. Reality or an illusion.”
Her words touch on a question photographers have debated since the very beginning: is photography a record of reality, or a form of art?
The Case for Reality
The colour version is faithful. It shows the golden cloud against a clear blue sky, the buildings and lawns lit exactly as they were. For Diana, this feels more authentic — a memory captured, a moment preserved. Many of us reach for our cameras precisely for this reason: to hold onto life as it happens.
The Case for Art
Yet the black and white version tells a different story. By stripping away colour, the focus shifts to light, shape, and drama. The cloud becomes almost sculptural, the scene more like a painting than a record. It isn’t less “true,” but it expresses something else — mood, power, imagination. This is where photography steps across into art.
A Medium Between Worlds
Perhaps photography is unique in that it comfortably inhabits both worlds. At one end, it is documentary, memory, history. At the other, it is expressive, interpretive, artistic. The line is not fixed — it depends on the intention of the photographer, and on how the viewer responds.
Diana’s images remind us that every photograph holds this tension. We can ask of each one: is this a memory? An interpretation? Or perhaps a little of both?