Anyone can take a nice image these days. The barrier to entry has never been so low, which is a great thing, but it also means a nice photograph isn’t really enough on its own.
Anyone can pick up a camera, and I like that, because it means more people can shoot. It also means you need something to stand out. I don’t just want to take a nice photo, because a lot of people can do that. A lot of people can put a camera on automatic settings, run an automatic edit, and come away with something that looks good. The colours can be nice, the composition can be nice, it can still be a good photo.
With my work I want people to feel something. I want you to feel like you were there. I want you to understand the situation and understand the story. All of my work, if I’m doing it properly, should be able to tell a story, and that’s partly why I love black and white.
When you shoot in black and white you strip away the colour, and with it a lot of the noise and a lot of the distractions. You don’t have nice golden light or a pretty palette to lean on. What you’re left with is the subject, the composition, and the emotion, and I think that’s where you can almost create more of a personal image, because you have to show the viewer the real story without anything else getting in the way.
Maasai Mara · black and white
I love black and white now. Of course it isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but you can portray so much through it. The only thing you have to look at is the emotion of the subject. That’s when you really have to think about the person looking at the image — what they’re going to think, what they’re going to feel, and what you can show that isn’t shown by colour or by distracting light.
There is a time and a place for colour, and I love colour as well. Sometimes you get these beautiful colours and beautiful light, sunsets and sunrises, and it would be a shame to take that away. But I’ll always have a special place for black and white, and I think it’s important to have it in your portfolio. They’re such powerful tools if you want a picture to add to a story and really add to the emotion.
