James Lambert Patrick

Although he typically carries a complement of lenses and cameras with him, some of James’ favorite images have been captured with a point-and-shoot camera. “The best camera is the one you have with you at the right moment.”

Werner Heisenberg once said that once you’ve observed something, you’ve changed it. James’ approach to photography is to not contrive the landscape, but to capture the image, enjoy the moment, and leave without a trace. He believes that you don’t need to construct beauty; it’s already there. You just have to be in the right place, whether by meticulous planning, or plain dumb luck. Nature doesn’t have to be forced or manipulated, its beauty exists whether we observe it or not.

On His Upcoming Book: Living In One Color, Travels In A Monochromatic World. (Available This Fall)

Of the several elemental forces working in the universe, the electromagnetic force produces an infinite spectrum ranging from super energetic gamma rays (produced by some of the most violent reactions in the universe), to the soft glow of low-energy radio waves (produced by burnt embers of long-ago events such as dying stars, as well as human made, artificial devices). The human eye observes only an infinitesimally small part of this vast spectrum. It is the tiny photons in our small visual spectrum that act as messengers for our eyes. Photons come in many different energies, and our brain ultimately converts these energies and their flux into what we see, as images and as color. The reality is that color is a construct of our mind, and it varies slightly in perception between each individual human being.

So what happens when you remove color from the equation? When color is removed, the structure and geometry of objects is enhanced, and the beauty of their symmetry (and asymmetry) is accentuated. One may think of it as removing the image from the face of a jigsaw puzzle, thus making it easier to appreciate the beauty of the individual shapes of the puzzle pieces.

Let us focus on the intensity of light and how it relates to color. Black is the complete absence of light and color, while white is the complete saturation of light with the absence of shadow and tones, and therefore is the absence of color. The concept of black and white photography in a conventional sense is a bit of a misnomer; although you can have photographs in which each pixel may represent black or white, the reality is that most pixels represent a shade of gray.

Why would we look at things only in shades of gray? As alluded to earlier, by removing the color from the puzzle, you can better focus and appreciate the remaining pieces: the lines, the curves, the subtle changes in intensity as light hits an afternoon ocean wave, or how sunlight glints off the curvature of someone’s eye. You can appreciate how tree shadows fall on grasses in a savanna, and how the reflection of man-made objects shimmers off of a water surface in the moonlight.

By simplifying the color puzzle while traveling the world looking for unique images and forms, what do you gain? For me, words like reverence, wonderment and awe come to mind. When you peel back the layers of this world to help simplify it, it becomes more beautiful and complicated than you could ever imagine.

I think I resigned myself at a young age that each of us will only see a small portion of this vast world, but it really is the journey to do so that is the most exciting part of the adventure. There doesn't have to be a goal. This journey may be deep in the Himalayas, in the highlands of Eastern Africa, in your backyard, or maybe even simply in your mind. All that this journey requires of us is the curiosity and willingness to keep our minds open, much like when we were small children. The journey is to enjoy the beauty of the individual puzzle pieces, and not necessarily about completing the puzzle.

I hope you enjoy the photographs that I have taken on my travels in a Monochromatic World.

Sincerely,

James Patrick