Photography is a wonderful way to capture the vivacity and emotion of our most important moments. Below are 3 breathtaking modern photographs that have been painstakingly decolorized and drained of their vibrant reality.
CLINGMAN’S DOME, NORTH CAROLINA, APPALACHIAN TRAIL
This photograph, taken by George Schultz of New York and winner of the 2025 North Carolina High Country Photography Prize, originally depicted a breathtaking sunset panorama from the summit of Clingman’s Dome on the Appalachian Trail, the verdant greens of the lush Carolina forest accentuated by the almost surreal gold, pink, and teal of the setting sun. The backpackers appeared as mere living specks against the powerful backdrop of the great outdoors. Yet with one black and white filter, we have drained it of all vitality, made it flatter than the screen on which it is squinted at, rendered it useless as art and worthless as a historical record.
RED FOX CUB, ARCTIC TUNDRA, ALASKA
What is cuter or more playfully fascinating than a tussle of red fox cubs? You see red fox cubs reposted on social media, glamorized on clothes and totes, you probably even have little red foxes on your screen saver, tumbling and barking. Well we drained this award-winning photograph by Colleen Titz (2024) of its vitality by slapping a black and white filter on it. Not so cute anymore without your flashy red fur, are you, little fox?
NORTHERN LIGHTS, LAKE WICHITAWANEEKLAW, ILLINOIS
We had always wondered what the North Lights, the mysterious and effusive, most magical of natural phenomena, would look like in monochrome, and now our suspicions have been confirmed: completely drained of vitality. Photographer Ralph Sunnysite of Peoria spent more than 6 years attempting to take the perfect photograph of the aurora borealis from his family cabin on Lake Wichitawaneeklaw, and he finally got it. Unfortunately, this is not it — this is a version that has been completely ruined for posterity, drained of all vitality.
Cover image generated on Magic Studio
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