Seeing the World in Black & White....

Lead the Way

Black & white images have always spoken to me.

There's something about the absence of colour that makes the presence of light & shade so much more powerful.

The way they work together to create bold visuals, raw drama, & emotion that colour can sometimes hide or hold back on.

Mum Duties

For me, black & white is a story told entirely in light & shade.

Playing with how the light & shade dance with each other knowing that one can't exist without the other, & how together they shape something far more compelling than either could standing alone.

There's something a little rebellious about stripping colour away.

It feels like peeling back a layer to reveal what lies underneath: the form, the emotion, the truth, connecting me to images on a much deeper, almost soul level.

With no distraction, what's left is honest & bare.

Of course, just because an image is 'black & white' doesn't mean the process is that simple.

The technical side is anything but black & white.

It's not about pressing a button, changing an image to monochrome & calling it done.

Editing, lighting & composition in a black & white image play a huge role!

Because the eye is naturally drawn to the brightest part of an image first, light becomes the tool that leads the viewer exactly where I need them to look.

The Manor Windows

I play with individual colours within an image to make parts of the image pop.

With basic editing (playing with contrast, blacks, shadows, highlights, etc.), use of dodge & burn (Photoshop tools of lighting or darkening certain parts of an image) to add depth, mood & energy.

Strong use of contrast can carve out drama allowing me to sculpt the atmosphere in ways colours just can't.

With composition, by using the power of negative space allows the emptiness to evoke introspection or isolation of a subject for maximum impact.

A minimalist landscape, an empty interior, or vast open sky can take on a whole new perspective when colour is stripped away.

What's left can feel striking, almost haunting, for the viewer.

Beautiful Bell

The magic of black & white is it lays a photograph bare.

It removes distraction & lets raw emotion rise to the surface.

Without colour present, an image demands more attention to form, texture, & feelings asking the viewer to lean in to truly notice an image rather than just glance at it.

That's why black & white images will always be my favourite...