Imagine a sunny Saturday afternoon on the court in the 1940s. An informal game is taking place, a keen photographer, close friend of the players, finishes his coffee and heads to the court to take pictures of the game. I don’t know about you, but I certainly find black and white photography from that period incredibly curious. It reflects important events and tournaments and manages to depict the birth of a new era in tennis clothing, namely the women’s shorts. On the other hand, consisting of predominantly two colors (black and white), it plays with my imagination, making my brain explore thousands of possible color combinations.
I imagine, for instance, the red sandy court, contrasting with its deep green frame of palms and other exotic trees. Another color joins the picture: two white figures move towards each other on both sides of the net. They start playing, creating a sensation among the spectators with their elegant moves, resembling a ball dance.
The camera zooms out and all I can see is color stains, the sandy-red is completely static, the deep green – moving slightly with the light breeze, and the white ones in the middle – drawing the spontaneity of classical leisure.
The game finishes and the cameraman takes one last picture, capturing the players shaking hands. For a moment, everything is still, even the white figures. It is the perfect shot. All it needs is a tint of color to it, but this is easy, as I already have them in my head.
Image Sources: libex.smith.edu; makegoodtime.net; worldtennistravel.com