Colors: Black

Today we want to bring to your attention the continuation of the series of entertaining reports "Life in Color" from the National Geographic magazine. Today we have a black, gloomy color, which is often a symbol of escape from earthly joys, death, grief, stress, mourning, ambiguity, mystery and frightening uncertainty (“mystery covered in darkness”). However, in Japanese culture, black is a symbol of age and experience, in contrast to white, which symbolizes apprenticeship, youth. The black color symbolizes the highest rank in many martial arts.

(Total 10 photos)

1. Boutique, Paris. photo of Catherine Karnow

On the right bank of Paris, wealthy patrons flock to fashion boutiques like this one, La Petite Robe Noire, where acclaimed designer Didier Ludo doesn't stray from fashion's most classic staple: perfect stylish little black dresses.

2. Alligator, Florida. Photograph of Medford Taylor

A Florida American alligator population like this one pictured in the Everglades has bounced back from being critically endangered and is now thriving in its natural habitat of swamps and wetlands in the southeastern United States.

3. Girl and cat, Chile. Photo James L. Stanfield, National Geographic

A girl in Chile looks out the window while a black cat sits under the window. The black cat is the object of superstition around the world and is often considered a harbinger of bad luck.

4. Medusa, Antarctica Photography by Bill Curtsinger

An inch-long, transparent jellyfish glows in the dark in the waters of Antarctica, home to many different - and sometimes bizarre - species of deep sea life.

5. Water lilies, Florida. Photo by Raymond Gehman

Water lilies, illuminated by the afternoon sun, grow in an open swamp in Florida. Wetlands are very important as a habitat for wildlife, but are under threat due to the development of agriculture and agribusiness.

6. Portrait, China. Photo James L. Stanfield

A woman stands half-shadowed outside a commune building in China. The population of the country consists of Chinese - about 92% - and numerous ethnic minorities.

7. Pine Forest, California Photo by Peter Essick, National Geographic

In the Californian desert region, lodgepole pines cast long shadows at sunset.

8. Buddha statues, South Korea. Photo Martin Gray

Light and shadow play on a row of Buddha statues at a cave temple on Sanbangsan Mountain, Jeju Island in South Korea. About a quarter of the population of South Korea consider themselves Buddhists.

9. Mont Saint-Michel, France Photography by Jim Richardson

Standing on an islet, the fortified abbey of Mont Saint-Michel looms against a stormy sky in Normandy, France. The bridge connecting the island with the mainland appeared only at the end of the 19th century.

10. Actress, Italy. Photo by William Albert Allard, National Geographic

From shadows and silhouettes to fashion and the depths of the sea, dark color makes light more interesting and adds mood and complexity to images. Whether it flatters the figure or adds contrast, black really goes with everything. Looking through the veil of this Sicilian actress is strikingly dramatic in a photo that appeared on the cover of National Geographic in August 1995.