Why Black and White

I’ve been shooting black and white for as long as I can remember. Originally it was cheap. Film was cheap and I could process it at home in a dark bathroom. But I stayed with it. Not out of nostalgia, not as some rejection of modern tech but because it does something for me that color never could—it strips away 'something'.

Take away color, and what’s left? Form, texture, contrast, geometry?. The eye moves differently through a black-and-white image. It lingers. The absence of color forces the viewer to fill in the gaps with their own interpretation.

I shoot people. Faces, hands, expressions. These things don’t need color to tell their story. If anything, color can be a distraction. A red jacket or a bright background can pull focus from what actually matters—the person, the moment, the weight of their presence.

There’s also time. A black-and-white portrait doesn’t feel tied to an era. It exists outside of trends, outside of fashion. It could be from last week or 50 years ago.

For me, shooting black and white isn’t just a technical choice. It’s about how I see and what I remember.

What about you? Do you see black and white as expressive or limiting? Drop a thought. Let’s talk.