Seeing in Black and White

Andrew O'Neill · Jul 21, 2024

I'm an educator, and I've never heard of testing children in schools for colour blindness, at least here in BC. However, I grew up in Saskatchewan, and back then they may have. We had a ton of art education (which I loved), with only primary colours, black, white...(the ones shaped like hockey pucks...the ones that David and I snuck out to the rink during recess, taking slap shots ala Bobby Hull, against the boards... left a very colourful mess, to which we got strapped for . It was David's fault) . Anyway, there may have been some secret testing on us going on in the background. I do remember mixing up the three primaries and getting a colourful black...After that, everything was painted black. That' how I get my blacks for gum printing...

Vaughn · Jul 21, 2024

Here is the classic test for color blindness. They have me run through them once a year at the eye doc's.

Color Blind Test | Test Your Color Vision | Ishihara Test for Color Blindness

See if you are colorblind by taking our online Ishihara Color Test. Learn about Color Blind treatments and how to pass a color vision test.

colormax.org

BrianShaw · Jul 21, 2024

Vaughn said:
Here is the classic test for color blindness. They have me run through them once a year at the eye doc's.

Color Blind Test | Test Your Color Vision | Ishihara Test for Color Blindness

See if you are colorblind by taking our online Ishihara Color Test. Learn about Color Blind treatments and how to pass a color vision test.

colormax.org

Does color blindness change over time?

pentaxuser · Jul 22, 2024

BrianShaw said:
Does color blindness change over time?

Well if you try that classic test and get less than 100% , it would appear that you can contact the company to improve your colour deficiency

I thought there had to be a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow or the test and sure enough .....

Next I am going to see if I can pass the "getting sand kicked in my face and being a failure with the ladies" and if I fail apply for the solution from that Mr Atlas

pentaxuser

guangong · Jul 22, 2024

Vaughn said:
Perhaps they were blind to color blindness...color recognition was one of the goals in kindergarten. I do not remember when testing for color blindness became standard in our schools. Relatively new routine eye testing of students probably caught my bad eyesight (near-sighted) at age 11.

I find it fascinating how our brain handles all the visual stuff. I have been looking at negatives on light tables for so long that I understand what I am seeing as a positive. And there are rare times under the darkcloth when I see the image on the GG as right-side up, but I usually just work with it as if it was right side up. YBMD (your brain may differ)

I do not work with viewing filters, although I make Ls with my fingers to get a quick idea of what a lens might cover.
I keep an eye on colors within the scene, considering if a color filter could blend or differentiate forms. For example, a yellow filter under the redwoods in the Fall can help to create depth (Redwood, Vine Maples, 8x10 carbon print)

Vaughn, all that you describe boils down to one thing…you are using your mind throughout the total photographic process. Your mind is engaged in making a picture ( the L with the fingers indicates the intent for more than just shooting an object). All comes from experience, a lot of experience accompanied by a lot of thought. Painters and sketchers often turn the canvass upside down to double check composition. Unfortunately we can’t stand on our heads when using a view camera.
There are no quick fixes in art. Even a fix requires a lot of practice.

Vaughn · Jul 22, 2024

BrianShaw said:
Does color blindness change over time?

It could be an indicator of various diseases of the eye -- and even brain function. Diabetes can damage the retina, for example. Stroke or tumors might change the way the brain interprets color.

Vaughn · Jul 22, 2024

pentaxuser said:
Thanks Vaughn It's probably a test used in U.K. schools as well for good reasons in regard to children's well being It's just that it sounded as if Tim was at least hinting that being colour blind was a potential barrier at least in terms of making educational progress and it was that aspect that provoked my post

Perhaps all will be clear when Tim replies

pentaxuser

I am assuming they thought Tim could not yet learn the names of the colors, one of the goals of what the students should be able to do before first grade at the time. I doubt very much that it would have kept him out of the first grade on its own. But combined with the failure to achieve the other educational goals (writing one's name and counting out loud, for example) it could indicate a child is not ready to move on in grade.

pentaxuser · Jul 22, 2024

Vaughn said:
I am assuming they thought Tim could not yet learn the names of the colors, one of the goals of what the students should be able to do before first grade at the time. I doubt very much that it would have kept him out of the first grade on its own. But combined with the failure to achieve the other educational goals (writing one's name and counting out loud, for example) it could indicate a child is not ready to move on in grade.

Thanks Let's hope you are right with your explanation for the sake of children's education in Tim's location . It was just that it sounded so stark in terms of colour blindness beíng the sole reason for having to repeat a year.

pentaxuser

eli griggs · Jul 22, 2024

I've not read through all these old post, but the Written #90 gel filter is still a great value placing filter and I still use mine when viewing a busy scene.

More basic is using the stop down feature of your camera, which also helps visualize values and does not cost you a thing if your camera or lens has that choice for you

Seeing in black and white values are the moment you trip your shutter is a very real skill and you can practice your needed brain skills to do so, with most types of cameras, but SLRs are a great learning tool for the exercise.

Try to fix a moment in your picture taking routine, by training yourself to visualize the image, at the moment the shutter is tripped.

You don't need film in the camera to do this, just relax into the visuallized screen through

250swb · Jul 22, 2024

Good grief, 'learning to see in B&W' is nothing to do with colour blindness but the inability to imagine, something that has been knocked out of people by worrying about 'profiles for this and profiles for that' in recent years. If the creativity is missing the ability to see is missing, and that goes for B&W and Colour, and creativity in both cases means seeing and doing what you imagine in your minds eye and knowing how to bring it to fruition. You can't train somebody to see in B&W unless they have the basic ability to follow it through. This is why there is so much poor B&W photography posted nowadays, just doing something without colour is treated uncritically as a triumph in itself.

RalphLambrecht · Jul 22, 2024

GregY said:
but then you'd have to own a digital camera.....
oops this is the analog forum

full of digital photographers in hiding.

GregY · Jul 22, 2024

RalphLambrecht said:
full of digital photographers in hiding.

...."Behind Monochrome". ??

Tim Stapp · Jul 24, 2024

Late in responding, my apologies. At my school, knowing colors was a biggie. I could read prior to starting Kindergarten, so I could read the color names on the Crayola wrappers. At the end of the year, the wrappers were gone, couldn't read them! My uncle (Mom's brother, color blindness is passed from mother to son. Thankful that my daughter has only female children!) is the one that diagnosed me, as he was as color blind as I am.

My step daughter bought me a pair of clip on glasses for my prescription glasses that "correct for color blindness." They work extremely well. I've never printed color, so I can't comment upon that. But the first time that I put them on and was looking at a colorful sunset, I broke down in tears! For the very first time, I was able to witness personally what other had been seeing.

Vaughn · Jul 24, 2024

I am not color blind, but with a friend, I watching the end of a sunset with the colors all gone from the sky -- she was still marveling at the colors she was seeing. Its all relative.

pentaxuser · Jul 25, 2024

Tim Stapp said:
Late in responding, my apologies. At my school, knowing colors was a biggie. I could read prior to starting Kindergarten, so I could read the color names on the Crayola wrappers.
My step daughter bought me a pair of clip on glasses for my prescription glasses that "correct for color blindness." They work extremely well. I've never printed color, so I can't comment upon that. But the first time that I put them on and was looking at a colorful sunset, I broke down in tears! For the very first time, I was able to witness personally what other had been seeing.

Thanks. My God, so I was right! Colour blindness was the reason to hold you back for a year! If you can't distinguish colours then how in the hell are you supposed to say what they are. Was the head educationalist called J Heller( of Catch 22 fame) ?

It beggars belief - well mine at least

pentaxuser

Seeing in Black and White

Moderator

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency