--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Black and white is abstract; color is…" description: "\"Black and white is abstract; color is not. Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world.\" — Joel Sternfeld" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/joel-sternfeld-26021_abstract_black-and-white-is-abstract-color-is-not_3012740.jpg" --- # Black and white is abstract; color is not. Looking at a… ![“Black and white is abstract; color is not. Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world.” quote by Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/joel-sternfeld-26021_abstract_black-and-white-is-abstract-color-is-not_3012740.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/joel-sternfeld-26021_abstract_black-and-white-is-abstract-color-is-not_3012740.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ee6/joel-sternfeld-26021_abstract_black-and-white-is-abstract-color-is-not_3012740.jpg) > “Black and white is abstract; color is not. Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world.” [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Monochrome photography abstracts reality, revealing a strange, altered world. **In simple terms:** Black‑and‑white photos show a strange, abstract world. Key Takeaway Use contrast to highlight hidden details. Themes photography abstraction perception Mood contemplative artistic Type educational inspirational When to use this quote - gallery curation - photo essays - educational workshops Key Concepts visual art color theory composition Questions to Reflect On - When does color enhance storytelling? - How does monochrome affect mood? A Different Perspective May limit emotional impact compared to color. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) [Abstract Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract-color-4838578/) [Black](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black/) [Black and white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white/) [Black And White Photo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-and-white-photo/) [Black white](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/black-white/) [Color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color/) [Color Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/color-looking-4838580/) [Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/looking/) [Photograph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph/) [Photograph Looking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photograph-looking-1557730/) [Photography](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/photography/) [Strange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange/) [Strange world](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strange-world/) [White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white/) [White Abstract](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/white-abstract-4838579/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) [You](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/you/) ## Related quotes > [Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/looking-at-a-black-and-white-photograph-you-are-already-looking-at-a/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [What difference does it make whether you're looking at a photograph or looking at a still life in front of you? You still have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-close/what-difference-does-it-make-whether-you-re-looking-at-a-photograph/) [Chuck Close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-close/) > [Sometimes I photograph without looking through the viewfinder. I have mastered that well enough, it is almost as if I were looking through it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josef-koudelka/sometimes-i-photograph-without-looking-through-the-viewfinder-i-have/) [Josef Koudelka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josef-koudelka/) > [A good photograph was never what I was looking for. I like to have a point. I had to have a point or I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-vreeland/a-good-photograph-was-never-what-i-was-looking-for-i-like-to-have-a/) [Diana Vreeland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-vreeland/) > [One teacher told me that my work belonged in the trash. That day I ran out of the classroom and ended up in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-parla/one-teacher-told-me-that-my-work-belonged-in-the-trash-that-day-i-ran/) [Jose Parla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-parla/) > [I don't have anything against colour. It is just not my first preference. I have always found black and white photographs to be quieter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-kenna/i-don-t-have-anything-against-colour-it-is-just-not-my-first/) [Michael Kenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-kenna/) > [Doesn't the world inside a black and white photograph seem more real? It's because the real world is losing its color](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tablo/doesn-t-the-world-inside-a-black-and-white-photograph-seem-more-real/) [Tablo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tablo/) > [“I sat on my Dad's bed and flipped through the page after empty page. No stamps. No exotic locales. No travel-worn smudges or creases.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miriam-toews/i-sat-on-my-dad-s-bed-and-flipped-through-the-page-after-empty-page/) [Miriam Toews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miriam-toews/) > [“Meaning is also a colour and that’s why there are many colours in the black and white photos!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/meaning-is-also-a-colour-and-that-s-why-there-are-many-colours-in-the/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Love is the color in the black and white photography!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/love-is-the-color-in-the-black-and-white-photography/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“footage of him and Bonnie Rae into an old black and white photo of Bonnie and Clyde, she began to tell their story, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-harmon/footage-of-him-and-bonnie-rae-into-an-old-black-and-white-photo-of/) [Amy Harmon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-harmon/) > [“A boring colourful photo is always black and white; an interesting black and white photo is always colourful!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-boring-colourful-photo-is-always-black-and-white-an-interesting/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [I grew up with very elegant parents; their black and white photographs and style are still a huge source of inspiration in designing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tory-burch/i-grew-up-with-very-elegant-parents-their-black-and-white-photographs/) [Tory Burch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tory-burch/) > [I started as a black and white photographer, but the colors I was seeing were just so lurid and compelling and awful at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-maisel/i-started-as-a-black-and-white-photographer-but-the-colors-i-was/) [David Maisel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-maisel/) > [Black and white photography is truly quite a 'departure from reality', and the transition from one aspect of visual magic to another was not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ansel-adams/black-and-white-photography-is-truly-quite-a-departure-from-reality/) [Ansel Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ansel-adams/) ## More by Joel Sternfeld > [Even the photographs of Henri Cartier-Bresson, with all due respect to him, are notoriously burned and dodged.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/even-the-photographs-of-henri-cartier-bresson-with-all-due-respect-to/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [I grew up in Belle Harbor, which is in New York City, but it has the most powerful sense of nature and seasons. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/i-grew-up-in-belle-harbor-which-is-in-new-york-city-but-it-has-the/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [Some of the people who are now manipulating photos, such as Andreas Gursky, make the argument - rightly - that the 'straight' photographs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/some-of-the-people-who-are-now-manipulating-photos-such-as-andreas/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [For me it was sort of career suicide to work in color, but I did it because I perceived myself from an early stage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/for-me-it-was-sort-of-career-suicide-to-work-in-color-but-i-did-it/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [I could get my camera and point it at two people and not point it at the homeless third person to the right of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/i-could-get-my-camera-and-point-it-at-two-people-and-not-point-it-at/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [A photographer must choose a palette as painters choose theirs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/a-photographer-must-choose-a-palette-as-painters-choose-theirs/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [With a photograph, you are left with the same modes of interpretation as you are with a book. You ask: 'What do we know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/with-a-photograph-you-are-left-with-the-same-modes-of-interpretation/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [You take 35 degrees out of 360 degrees and call it a photo. No individual photo explains anything. That's what makes photography such a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/you-take-35-degrees-out-of-360-degrees-and-call-it-a-photo-no/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [I loved the High Line when it was just mine, when I was the only person up there, and I had a private park…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/i-loved-the-high-line-when-it-was-just-mine-when-i-was-the-only/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [When you have unity, I think it squares the reach or power of the work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/when-you-have-unity-i-think-it-squares-the-reach-or-power-of-the-work/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [I'm trying to take pictures of less and less.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/i-m-trying-to-take-pictures-of-less-and-less/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [The job of the color photographer is to provide some level of abstraction that can take the image out of the daily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/the-job-of-the-color-photographer-is-to-provide-some-level-of/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [The digital print is becoming the look of our time, and it makes the C-print start to look like a tintype.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/the-digital-print-is-becoming-the-look-of-our-time-and-it-makes-the-c/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [Looking at a black and white photograph, you are already looking at a strange world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/looking-at-a-black-and-white-photograph-you-are-already-looking-at-a/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) > [Photography has always been capable of manipulation. Even more subtle and more invidious is the fact that any time you put a frame to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-sternfeld/photography-has-always-been-capable-of-manipulation-even-more-subtle/) [Joel Sternfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) [Explore all 22 Joel Sternfeld quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-sternfeld/) ## More Abstract quotes > [Love is like that, fragile and light. No wonder it rests upon our hearts in intangible moments, bids us follow fleeting thoughts and ideas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-like-that-fragile-and-light-no-wonder-it-rests-upon-our/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Wisdom is the abstract of the past, but beauty is the promise of the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/wisdom-is-the-abstract-of-the-past-but-beauty-is-the-promise-of-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Where human eyes have never seen, where human beings have never been, I build a world of abstract dreams, and I wait for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-ra/where-human-eyes-have-never-seen-where-human-beings-have-never-been-i/) [Sun Ra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-ra/) > [A little too abstract, a little too wise, It is time for us to kiss the earth again, It is time to let the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robinson-jeffers/a-little-too-abstract-a-little-too-wise-it-is-time-for-us-to-kiss-the/) [Robinson Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robinson-jeffers/) > [“Happy is very abstract, you can't touch it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julius-veal/happy-is-very-abstract-you-can-t-touch-it/) [Julius Veal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julius-veal/) > [Abstract Expressionism was invented by New York drunks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joni-mitchell/abstract-expressionism-was-invented-by-new-york-drunks/) [Joni Mitchell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joni-mitchell/) > [The more horrible this world (as today, for instance), the more abstract our art, whereas a happy world brings forth an art of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-klee/the-more-horrible-this-world-as-today-for-instance-the-more-abstract/) [Paul Klee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-klee/) > [Describing comic sensibility is near impossible. It's sort of an abstract silliness, that sometimes the joke isn't the star.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dana-carvey/describing-comic-sensibility-is-near-impossible-it-s-sort-of-an/) [Dana Carvey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dana-carvey/) > [For people of color - especially African Americans - the idea that racist cops might frame members of their community is no abstract notion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/for-people-of-color-especially-african-americans-the-idea-that-racist/) [Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/) > [The word of the Lord never comes to us as an opinion, no attempt is made to support it by argument, it comes as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-w-ivins/the-word-of-the-lord-never-comes-to-us-as-an-opinion-no-attempt-is/) [Anthony W. Ivins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-w-ivins/) > [A mobile is an abstract sculpture made chiefly out of sheet metal, steel rods, wire and wood. Some or all of these elements move,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-calder/a-mobile-is-an-abstract-sculpture-made-chiefly-out-of-sheet-metal/) [Alexander Calder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-calder/) > [I'm this superphilosophical kind of person. Stuck in a prison of abstract ideas and overpowering emotions, I have this personality that makes it really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natsuo-kirino/i-m-this-superphilosophical-kind-of-person-stuck-in-a-prison-of/) [Natsuo Kirino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natsuo-kirino/) > [Future lawyers should be more aware that law is not a system of abstract logic, but the web of arrangements, rooted in history but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/felix-frankfurter/future-lawyers-should-be-more-aware-that-law-is-not-a-system-of/) [Felix Frankfurter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/felix-frankfurter/) > [The trouble is that when you read criticisms about the other films that I've made you get the impression that they're all about themes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-haneke/the-trouble-is-that-when-you-read-criticisms-about-the-other-films/) [Michael Haneke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-haneke/) > [Painting is... a richer language than words... Painting operates through signs which are not abstract and incorporeal like words. The signs of painting are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-dubuffet/painting-is-a-richer-language-than-words-painting-operates-through/) [Jean Dubuffet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-dubuffet/) [Browse all 1,403 Abstract quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abstract/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Black and white is abstract; color is not. 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