Black and White, the Shape of Light

I have been playing around with black and white lately. I have never gravitated towards black and white photography but since experimenting with it in the Love and Lewis pictures, I have realised that by removing the colour you can really draw attention to the beauty in the dimensions and the shape of light and shadow. I think it can also heighten the drama as well.

Here are some photos from a really fun party I went to. I didn't know many people and so initially did my usual trick of hiding behind my camera. As I warmed up with a couple of drinks, I started to work up enough moxie to just start taking photos of people I didn't know who had unique faces or were doing interesting things.

Who doesn't love Doctor Who? Maybe it's because my family's British I have a special place in my heart for all things Doctor Who-esque. Okay, there's nothing 'dramatic' going on in this picture. This was pre-moxie.

A guy tuning a uke. This was pre-drink, early moxie.

My lovely friend Tess. I'm so fortunate to have such photogenic friends who put up with me photographing them!

Backyard. I loved the dramatic angles of this space and the way the light sharply punctuated the darkness. The vines snaking across the window created an interesting pattern as well.


For all my recent jibber jabber about black and white, there is ALWAYS something to be said for colour...

Man, I wish this guy had turned around. I like in the black and white image that we just see his back because I think it captures that outsider feeling you have at first at parties where you don't know many people (where in your head you hum 'don't know what to do with myself'). I tend to look at details of the environment in search of things to photograph and sort of shyly stand back from people at first. (Don't worry, I warm up pretty quickly.) In the black and white image, the eye is really drawn to the intricate details of the lamp, which I quite like. But when I see the same pic in colour, the hue and shape of the light coming from the foreground is so interesting ithat it would have been wonderful to see how it played across a face.






I love the look of happiness on my friend's face in this picture. I got her to stand and look up under a red light globe which was in a small ante-chamber space in this marvellous old house. I love the red wash of light and the open/expectant look on Tess' face.

The colour points your eye to different things first. When I look at this image now I think: 'yellow uke!' Whereas, when I look at it in black and white, I find that my eye is drawn to the face first.

The black and white images don't show friendly green eyes and rosy cheeks! There's something to be said for colour photography!

The colour gives a different perspective on light and dimension in this pic. In the black and white version the light looks sharp and stark, whereas here it looks more warm and inviting.


What a fun party. I could have done without falling up the stairs like I did later in the evening, but still. I really enjoy taking photos at parties and it's good practice for me working up the moxie to approach photogenic strangers on the street - a desire I have discussed before.

Mood: One Crowded Hour, the Mighty Boosh and Film Victoria