My husband always jokes with me that if I could.. I would edit an entire session or 95% of my work in black and white.  And he is absolutely right!  Black and white images to me have more emotion and that's what I strive to capture with my client work and personal work.  And the image I saw that inspired me to be a photographer was in black and white.  So, I guess it makes sense that I am still so drawn to black and white images.

Black and white tells a story just as much as color images do.  But, not every photo is meant to be black and white.. some moments require the final image to remain in color.

So.. What makes a successful black and white photo?

The moment itself for sure.  When I capture emotional images, stripping it of it's color draws the focus into that specific moment. 

The direction of light and the shadows of the image are major factors .  When I am photographing a family or child in an open shaded area with little to no directional light, a black and white edit will be flat and lacking.  I also love to pull up the clarity slider in Lightroom for my black and white images.  Doing this really makes my portraits pop and you'll see and feel the texture within the image... this beautifully highlights those precious details.

When I see high contrast (sometimes harsh) light, more likely from a single light source such as a single window.. my photographer heart gets so happy!  This usually works extremely well during an in home-lifestyle family session or your newborn session.  There are so many nooks and crannies in your home that provides excellent lighting like this to create stunning black and white portraits.

I even had photo earn an Honorable Mention in Click Magazine's annual Voice competition for the Black and White category!