REFER TO GREY: Contemplations by Robert Greigos © 2007-2024

To accurately render what one sees is the creed by which photojournalists live. And yet, there are times when what one sees is not directly renderable. There are always words, but in a few such cases might a picture that is a lie serve better to communicate truth?

This picture is a lie, but it is not a complete fairytale. Strange things happen in the New Mexico desert. When clouds align with a flat-top mountain to suggest an active volcano it isn't much of a stretch to wonder what the somber dry landscape might have once looked like vacillating between lushness and flame.

For those interested in the literal truth of the matter, nothing has been added or subtracted. The falsity lies in the exaggerated saturation of some of the colors, sort of like turning up the treble on your home stereo or mispronouncing a word by putting the emPHAsis on the wrong sylLAble. Touch the link to see what I mean.

Of course, the question remains: why do something like that? And the answer is largely play. A curious mind continually asks: what would happen if ...? And in some cases there is a desire to share what is learned or discovered.