Sentiments of the Black and White Photos by Vostok Press (discontinued/arreté.
VOSTOK PRESS is an independent publishing house based in Seoul. Korea. It publishes a bimonthly photography magazine, VOSTOK, and books on arts and photography. VOSTOK PRESS organizes exhibitions and events, directs lectures and workshops. It also carries out projects for institutions and private companies.
Another World Possible Only in Black and White
In this special feature of VOSTOK Magazine, titled “The Mood of Black-and-White Photography,” we approach a world that becomes visible only through black and white, not through color. The decisive difference between color photography and black-and-white photography lies not simply in the presence or absence of color, but in the photographer’s gaze and sensibility—sharpened and disciplined by the distinct material properties of each medium. In works by photographers who delicately handle light and shadow within the realm of black and white, moments that go unnoticed in color, and scenes easily missed in everyday reality, appear before us with a particular allure. This issue introduces a wide range of photographic works from Korea that reveal the unique characteristics and appeal of image-making possible only in black and white. In addition, contributors such as Yoon Haeseo, Park Solme, Hyun Hojeong, Shin Yeseul, and Noh Suntag revisit intimate memories associated with black-and-white photography and reflect on both the possibilities and the limitations of black-and-white imagery.
A Certain Mood Evoked by Black-and-White Photography
There was a time when I carried a camera loaded with color film on one shoulder and another loaded with black-and-white film on the other. At first, I would photograph the same scene from the same spot, once in color and once in black and white. As a result, the two rolls of film contained nearly identical scenes, separated by only a slight time lag—like identical twins. Yet upon closer inspection, the images were more like fraternal twins, each subtly different from the other. No matter how similar the scene, one image was in color and the other in black and white; they could never be entirely the same. Even in the brief moment it took to switch cameras, the light and air shifted continuously, lending each image a slightly different atmosphere. Moreover, even when standing before the same scene, I found myself responding differently depending on whether I was shooting in color or black and white.
When working in color, I did not worry much if the sky occupied a large portion of the frame. With black-and-white film, however, the larger the presence of the sky, the more concerned I became about the exposure of the shadows—there was always the risk of turning the subject into a silhouette. To compensate, I would add more exposure or use a flash. If green and red subjects appeared together in the same frame, I paid little attention when shooting in black and white; after all, both would be rendered as black. With color film, however, I had to consider carefully whether the complementary colors would harmonize.
Over time, the two cameras gradually stopped capturing the same scenes. Through experience, I began to sense that certain moments were better suited to black and white than to color, and others the reverse. More than anything, once I realized through the results that the two cameras were ultimately pointed toward entirely different worlds, I no longer felt the need to press the shutter twice. With black-and-white film, my gaze remained close to the ground; with color film, I lifted my head toward the sky. Among the images I captured this way, the forlorn irony of concrete fish sculptures “swimming” in a dried-up fountain might have gone unnoticed had I shot it in color. On the day after a typhoon, I would prepare my camera and wait eagerly for magic hour—yet had I been shooting in black and white, I would never have known that, within that brief window, the sky reveals every color it holds.
Thus, there were moments visible only in color, and scenes that could be seen only in black and white. The two cameras hanging from my shoulders led my eyes into different worlds. Within the worlds of color and black and white—realms made possible only through photographic representation—I was able to grasp and contemplate things that would have remained invisible or overlooked in reality.
The journey of this issue begins by recalling certain facts that can only be visualized through photography, and certain truths that become visible only in black and white. These may not correspond exactly to the facts and truths of reality, but we hope they will offer a particular mood—one that can be fully savored only within the world of black-and-white photography.
Sentiments of the Black and White Photos, Vostok Press. South Korea, March 2024.
Format: Magazine
Dimensions: 170 mm x 240 mm
Pages: 224
Publisher: Vostok Press
ISBN: 9791170370604
Language: Korean
