Black and White Portrait Photography in Vancouver
Black and White photography Is Not a Filter.
It’s an INTENTION.
What to Expect
This is my short and direct declaration of why black and white isn’t a style choice for the work I create, it’s much more of a philosophical one. If you’ve ever wondered why most of my work is in black and white, here’s your answer.
And for the record, this is not an attack on colour but rather a love letter to why I choose black and white for my artistry. And you may disagree with my points and that is a-ok!
tL;dr
We live in a world of relentless visual noise, like why are there ads in bathroom stalls!
Black and white photography calms the noise when we are drowning in everything screaming
us for attention. With a black and white portrait what’s left is feeling, which in my opinion
is what a portrait was ever supposed to be about.
Black and white photography hits the pause button
I was asked recently (actually I get asked this all the time!) why I am almost exclusively a black and white photographer. First off the truth is I actually shoot digital and therefore do shoot in colour but as soon as I import all my photos into Lightroom they get converted to black and white.
So back to that questions, my simple and honest answer is this: we are so completely inundated with information right now that black and white photography feels like the only honest response, at least for me.
So what the heck does that even mean? Let me explain.
The world is on blast all the damn time, coming at us in Technicolor at light speed. Every screen, every feed, every notification, it’s exhausting! And while I do love the colour the world offers, I also have another hot take on colour which is this. Colour is doing something to us constantly, signalling urgency, directing attention, selling things. We’re overstimulated (I know I sure am!) and if there’s one thing I want to offer as an artist is a place to rest our eyes and our minds, while also creating an impact.
Black and white photography presses the pause button in such an intentional way.
It creates stillness. And inside that stillness, something quiet and bold lives at the same time.
Honestly, the thing people don’t seem to realise is this: removing colour doesn’t remove information.
It removes noise. What you’re left with is light, shadow, texture, expression. With a black and white image you can truly see the details of a face and feel the energy of a moment. Colour tells us you what something looks like, and black and white photos communicate how something feels.
Ansel Adams said it plainly:
“black and white photography is truly a departure from reality.”
He was exactly on point, especially for today.
PORTRAIT: shion carter
Why This Matters to Me Personally
Here’s something quite personal I am neurodivergent (Autistic +ADHD) so this might also be driving why I find so much calm working with black and white photos, I truly feel overstimulated all the damn time. As an artist I have found that when I’m editing a portrait session in black and white, there’s a quality of focus that arrives for me that feels almost sacred. I’m not distracted, I am left just looking at the person.
And that’s the whole point and it’s why I became a photographer. I want to witness the person without distraction, I want to take in the textures of the skin, the lines on the hands and the emotion without competing elements.
Black and white is what photography was built on, and there’s a reason it hasn’t gone anywhere even though colour has been available for decades. It continues to provoke curiosity in a way colour sometimes can’t. It pulls you in and asks you to look harder. It gives that nostalgic energy even in a contemporary time. Truly, what’s not to love about it!
As an artist I want to make work that someone finds in twenty years and is stops them in their tracks.
Not laughed at because of an embarrassing filter thrown on a photo or a dated fashion trend.
Ok I know your photos are not about me, but I am the artist you hired and the work I create for you aims to draw someone in, to feel something, to want to know more.
why you should give a shit about black and white photos
Well I guess you don’t have to care about this as much as I do, so there is that! But, you were looking for a photographer and you ended up here so I suspect you may be digging what I am sharing, and if not that is ok too. Maybe you arrived here not quite sure what you were looking for but you new you wanted something a little different, but something still you.
And then you saw what I offer, and something shifted, you got curious of what it might be like to see yourself in this way.
What would it be like to see yourself in an artist way that holds both grace and badassery in one frame. A style that is beyond ordinary, yet so simple it takes your breath away. A rawness that leaves you speechless, and an artistic edge that that is magazine worthy.
So you’re sat there wondering: “Could I dare see myself in this way?”
Hell yes you can! So let this be your invitation to be a little rebellious, to strip away distractions and get in front of a camera for yourself, open to what might be revealed.
That is not a departure from reality. That is the most raw version of reality you could see yourself in.
If you’re ready to be seen that way, I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for Reading!
Hi, I’m Michele Mateus, award-winning photographer based in Vancouver, BC creating bold, evocative, portraits with an editorial flair for people who want anything but ordinary.
If something here hit the right note, let’s talk!
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