INSPIRATION
My Favorite Shot
BLACK & WHITE
What’s the favorite photo you’ve taken?
Could you pick a favorite image you’ve taken? Not easy we know, but to coincide with our November 2024 BLACK & WHITE call for entries, we asked some of the photographers in our community to do just that. Or at least to pick a shot related to the topic that they hold dearly, were happy to have taken recently, has a great story behind it, or that resonates with them in some other way right now. Here they tell us why…
(Banner image: Jaume Llorens)
DAN GIANNOPOULOS
www.gianphotography.com / @dan_gian
Grandad’s hand during his final days from the series Losing Dennis (2008-2010.) .
“In 2008 my grandfather Dennis had a massive stroke just one week after his 86th birthday. That stroke triggered the rapid and brutal onset of Vascular Dementia. I was studying photojournalism at the London College of Communication at this time and so I had naively asked the family if I could document his recovery. Sadly, it became apparent quite early on that he wasn’t going to recover, and I was documenting his decline. The next 2 years was an incredibly gruelling time for the whole family and the photos I made aimed to convey, in some part, the impact that dementia has on the sufferer and their loved ones.
This image was one of the last photos I made with him. At this stage, the dementia and lasting effects of his stroke had left him extremely frail and bedridden. It’s hard to believe that almost 14 years have gone by since he passed away, and whilst this may not be what I would consider my very best black and white photograph, I remain most deeply connected and proud of the work I made with him and my family and this picture almost makes me feel like I can hold his hand one more time.”
JAUME LLORENS
www.jllorens.com / @jaume.llorens
“Since starting the diptych series, this one has been a favorite. I love the dialogue that emerges between two seemingly unrelated images. They feel like a game where one image starts a sentence and the other completes it, or like two verses that come together to form a single poem, even when they seem impossible to connect. It’s remarkable how something as simple as juxtaposition can create image pairs that feel richer and more complex and evocative than the sum of their parts.
I think I shoot in black and white because it allows me to wander into a space that isn’t strictly ‘real’; reality is in color. And I find that far more intriguing, more suggestive. Moreover, removing this layer of information—the color—helps simplify the image, reducing it to its essence. I believe this leaves more room for interpretation, allowing the viewer to engage in the process of completing the image and reinterpreting it in their own way. If that happens, it closes a beautiful circle of communication.
ANNA LIGUS
“This self-portrait, taken at dawn on my favorite beach in Georgia, became a moment of unity with nature. It was five in the morning, and the beach was enveloped in thick fog. A ringing silence filled the air, and the sea was calm, as if the world had yet to awaken. I set up my tripod, took a piece of fabric, and began shooting.
This image is more than just a photograph; it’s a reflection of my emotions through nature, a deep exploration of self. The shrouded figure, blending into the misty haze, feels like a part of the surrounding landscape. The soft shades of grey and gentle contours create an atmosphere of solitude and peace, as though I am both part of nature and its observer. For me, this self-portrait symbolizes the process of self-discovery—a quiet, contemplative journey that allows me to look within and feel connected to the world around.”
BOB HAFT
Homage to Escher
“When I saw the scene it reminded me of a lithograph by the Dutch master entitled “Three Worlds”. What I enjoy about this image is the multiple layers of visual interest: the fish beneath the water, the duck sitting on the water, and the reflection of the tree above the water. I also enjoy the numerous range of tonalities and the various things in contrast with one another: the lively movement of the fish versus the utter stillness of the duck, for example, or the jittery nature of the tree’s reflections versus the solidity of the actual tree or the plants along the banks of the pond. It’s an image that I can look at over and over again without getting bored.
I choose to shoot in black and white for several reasons: first, those artists whose work I admired and which inspired me to begin making photographs seriously (Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Minor White, and the conté drawings of Georges Seurat) were all masters of that genre; second, black-and-white film in the 1960s and 70s was cheap and readily available; third, and probably most importantly, working in black-and-white taught me to pare things down to the essentials of composition, lighting, and content. Today, whenever I’m working with a digital camera, I have to remind myself that I’m now seeing things in color.”
KUNAL KOHLI
www.kunalkohli.com / @kunalsnarrative
“The series, Absolution, explores the profound journey of releasing ourselves from the weight of a past that no longer serves us. It reflects the universal struggle to confront, accept, and ultimately let go of the identities and memories that once defined us but now hold us back. True transformation, it suggests, is only possible when we make peace with our past, allowing us to step into a space of personal freedom and renewal. In Absolution, I aim to capture the emotional spectrum we encounter on this path, the turbulence of unresolved pain, the quiet resistance to letting go, and finally, the liberation that acceptance brings. This series offers a visual meditation on the act of release, embodying what it feels like to reach genuine inner peace and the emotions while going through our struggles.
Since 2016, I have created seven pieces for Absolution, and this marks the second rendered solely in black and white. This image existed in monochrome in my mind long before I began photographing it, with the intention that its impact would be felt most deeply without color. Black and white photography, when conceived as such from the outset, creates a depth and intensity that cannot be replicated through color. It is within this medium that the essence of Absolution is best revealed.”
ERIKA SCHMIDT
The Passing of Time
“This is a double exposure image of my son taken in 2022 and of an old man that I followed through the alleys of Venice in 2024. I was beyond thrilled when the two images came together as one with such a strong contemplation of mortality and the inevitability of it. Choosing to do this in Black & White adds drama and mystery. For me Black & White photography is timeless, classic and refined.”
NATALIE ARBER
www.nataliearber.com / @natalie_arber_photography
Mr Scruff, a portrait of my beloved Silky Terrier Kahuna.
“I love this image because it displays the beauty of the moments in between – the ones we rarely notice and if we do, we don’t remember or value. When I took this image I had headed outside to my home office and had taken my camera with me to upload photos. I had left the sliding doors ajar to let some air in the house and Kahuna, who is my little shadow, stuck his head through the gap as if to ask me if he can come too. Noticing his expression and the framing I quickly pressed the shutter and got this portrait. This image is more than Kahuna’s cute face sticking out of a door. To me it is a story of connection and an unbreakable bond and had I not have been holding a camera at that time, the moment would have likely passed and faded from my memory.
Furthermore this is an important image as it directly shaped my practice when I began to define myself as a black and white candid portrait photographer. I became conscious of how powerful it was to transform something so ordinary into something cinematic which made me see a great deal of value all the little things and interactions in my daily movements. It was also where I began to understand the unique story-telling power of black and white seeing it almost like choreography between shadow and light.”
