One of my very first real appreciation in the world of photographer came when I was in eighth grade. I was working on an assignment for my geography class where we were to research our own personal family histories, and my mom and me visited my grandma to do some of that required research. Over Chinese food we talked about all the family that came before us when my grandma exclaimed “Wait! I just found something the other day!” She bolted out of her kitchen up the little stairs to her bedroom, reemerging with a tarnished frame that contained a simple black and white photo and two pieces of tin..
“Those where my parents,” Grandma said of the monochromatic print. “And these were my grandparents,” she stated as she revealed two portraits recorded as tintypes.
They were (and perhaps still are) the most beautiful things I have seen.
There is a special place in my heart for black and white photos. Taking out the saturation of an image replaces the blues and greens with emotion–pure, concentrated, unarguable emotion. Rather than seeing the rainbow, we can see what was felt. The emphasis shifts from location and settles on the facial expressions. The smiles. The tears. The laughs. The cries. The joy. It all is so much more clear and evident in a black and white image.
I will just admit it, right here, right now: I love monochromatic photography. I feel so thankful in our digital age that we don’t have to go through a whole roll of film and hope that one contains the emotion and composure that we desire. Delivery these images that are rich and classic is an absolute joy, and I love that I can provide them as options to you.
As an ode to black and white photos, I thought it would be fun to take a peek at a few of my favorites over the years.
