But as the light fades the edges appear to look black and colorless. The same theory holds true for the photograph of cattails. These are two examples how light dramtically effects the eyes perception of an objects color. Without it, not even the faintest colors exist. The answer to the question lies in the interrelationship of three elements.
Light is a form of electromagnetic energy.
Our eyes are only perceptive to a small percentage of the electromagnetic spectrum, color, is our response to stimulation by energy at those wavelengths. Visible light, the only slice of the spectrum that our eyes can see, is that part of the electromagnetic spectrum, shown below, whose wavelengths range from approximately 380 mn to about 750 mn. Return to Color in Mind page one.