Colour or Black and White?

[William]

One thing I've noticed is that as I get older I have more appreciation of colours and Nature in general , Every day is great , I see things that I did'nt see when I was younger , Does that have any relevence in percieving colours and tones , Do you think , I think it might

[Steve Axford]

Probably fits with the idea that your ability to describe something dictates your ability to perceive it. Sounds the wrong way around, but that's the way it often seems to be.

[mudman]

there is only one bit of hardware used in perception, it is called 'the brain'. that is common in all people.
how accurate a perception we create can depend on the health of the sense in question.
in sight, the eye has two types of sensors, rods and cones. one is used for low light sensory work and the other for colour.
if the eyes have some sort of damage or wear the strength of the sensory input may be weaker than eyes that are functioning correctly.

[Ms Monny]

I work in a quilting shop and we are alway referring to the colour of the fabrics. Some will say "oh, no, that has too much green in it!!" I look and I see hardly any BUT that is the customer talking and the customer is always right!! Some ladies (not being sexist here either, there are a smatter of blokes) will go for the 'in your face' colour and it will be quite normal for them but others prefer the pale soft colours and you can see them whince at the bolder ones. The older we get or the more damage the eye has had, the more toned down we prefer, perhaps! I love seeing and hearing what the customer prefers and what colours they would put together. There is a saying in the fabric world...'Blue and Green should never be seen' but it is always the opposite of what people choose cos blue and green work beautifully together...just look at nature!

I know this sounds bizarre but I have always been fascinated with light and how colour is only there because of it! In the moon light colour is hardly there...take a red jumper for instance...it looks nearly dark grey in the moonlight! There is no colour (or hardly any). Colour is a vibrancy that our eyes see....I googled the following.....

'Colours consist of waves of different wavelengths. Objects around us have colours because they absorb these wavelengths to different extents. Visible light interacts with the electrons in molecules. When light is absorbed by a molecule, it can have two consequences for the electrons:

■Electrons can become briefly excited before quickly returning to normal and emitting the light
■Electrons can become so excited that they cause bonds to break.

The first of these processes is non-destructive and is the origin of the colour of dyes and other solutions and solids. The second process causes chemical reactions to occur which may be beneficial (such as photosynthesis in plants) or unwanted (such as sunburn). Chemicals that interact with light in this way are called photochemicals.'

Isn't it fascinating???? I was talking to a friend about this one day and, no we weren't tripping, but it really made my head hurt thinking that really the colour isn't actually there without light!!!

sorry for the ramble

[Steve Axford]

there is only one bit of hardware used in perception, it is called 'the brain'. that is common in all people.
how accurate a perception we create can depend on the health of the sense in question.
in sight, the eye has two types of sensors, rods and cones. one is used for low light sensory work and the other for colour.
if the eyes have some sort of damage or wear the strength of the sensory input may be weaker than eyes that are functioning correctly.

Well, I think your eyes play some part too, unless you call them part of your brain. Also, your brain is unique to you, we don't share brains. They have many features in common, but they are not the same. Back to your eyes. It is now known the the relative number of colour cones can vary dramatically between people. This is new information and previously it was thought that they would be the same.

[Steve Axford]

'Colours consist of waves of different wavelengths. Objects around us have colours because they absorb these wavelengths to different extents. Visible light interacts with the electrons in molecules. When light is absorbed by a molecule, it can have two consequences for the electrons:

This is not true. While a pure wavelength will be seen as a colour, two or three or four different wavelengths will also be seen as a colour, maybe the same colour. eg blue and yellow = green. This is an animal thing, not a property of nature.

[Steve Axford]

And there's more. One wavelength (or a mix of) can be seen as different colours and the same colour can be many wavelengths, depending on context. Remember when you painted a room. The get some colour charts from the shop and are amazed at how different they look at home. You then decide on a colour and paint the room, and again are amazed that it doesn't look the same as you remember the chart looked. This is called "colour constancy" and is why we need white balance on a camera. The camera sees wavelengths or mixes of them. We see colour! That is different. It is an amazing world we live in, and we are amazing animals.