The Art of photography

WhattheCameraSees:TheVisualElements

RecordingColor

Colormightseemtobethemostimme-

diatelyevidentofallthecomponentsof

seeing:Who,excepttheblindandthe

color-blind,doesnotseethegreenof

leaves,theredofvalentinesorthe

ever-changingtintsoftheocean?But

thefactisthatcolorsarecarelessly

perceivedagreatdealofthetime,be-

causepeoplegenerallyseethe colors

thattheyexpecttosee.Anobjectthat

isusuallypinkisonlymoreorless

pink

—

or

not

pink

at

all—under

a

tree,

whereitmayassumeagreenishcast;

intheblueglowofafluorescentlight;

orplacednexttoa yellowwall,whereit

picksupareflectionofthewallscolor.

Acamera,whichlaborsundernopre-

conceptions,mayrecordallsuchsub-

tlecolorchanges.

TakeMilito'srock,forinstance It

waspickeduponanislandoffthecoast

ofRhodeIsland;mostsuchrocks,worn

bytheglacialice that
depositedthem

andbymillenniaoffriction,appearto

becolorlessatfirstglance—mostly

white,orperhapsalittleyellowish.But

thetexturedclose-up
at

leftand

the

highlightedpictureoppositerevealthat

therock'svisualassetsincludestriking

rust-red
flecksandstainsonitssubtle

beigebackground.Itisnot,then,tobe

regarded
solelyasanobjectofshape,

textureandform;itexhibitsanotheras-

pectofvisionthatis
detectablebythe

seeingeye:color.

J.

'

• 
  

* '

L

'

'6'.TLemMuSr.m

/

'

*

A'*s

VBHH

7bseewhatadifferencecolorcanmakeinthe

perceptionofanobject,comparethephotograph

abovewiththeblack-and-white

close-upofthe

rock'stextureonpages24-25.Inthepicture

oppositethecolorviewbringsout arichnessof

tonethatsetsthisrockapart

asa

unique

object.