Once again, we are expressing ideas about a photographic subject with only one basic color in it. When we remove the color, the meaning shifts. The color version, which can be seen in my Myanmar trip article at: http://www.worldisround.com/articles/139134/photo50.html , shows the plates with a golden hue. It may be due to the material of the plates, or perhaps the reflection of the color of the light coming into the tent where these plates were being displayed and sold. The golden hue suggests wealth and power, or perhaps tarnish, depending upon the context you bring to the picture. The light that falls on the plates abstracts them to a degree. The interplay of light and shadow in the reflections make the image less literal, and more interpretive. This color version is quite real, attractive, and perhaps a bit ambiguous. I thought it worked well in my travel article, giving the flavor of what you might want to shop for if you were to visit.

My black and white abstract version removes the color and the ambiguity that came with it. It also removed the emphasis on reality and turned these glistening discs into symbols of Burmese skill at making such handsome products. Because they have been abstracted twice, once by light and shadow and again by conversion to black and white, they acquire a mysterious dimension as well. They almost look like ancient breastplates or shields, lined up for display in a museum. They engage the imagination to a greater degree. Though a bit less real in black and white, these plates become more symbolic in their monochromatic incarnation.