The #1 Community for black and white photography
WHERE PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO SHOOT IN BLACK AND WHITE COME TO LEARN, SHARE AND GROW
Photographer Spotlight: Lori Naumes
Lori Naumes got into photography because of encouragement, not obsession, feedback on social media, family cheering her on, and a decision to buy a "real" camera and give it a shot. Now she photographs people, emotion, and the quiet stories between them, favoring a zoom lens precisely so she can observe rather than stage. We asked her about the shoot that didn't go as planned, editing on her phone, and the piece of advice she wishes someone had given her sooner.
Weekly News Roundup
A genuinely eventful week. Fujifilm marks 40 years of QuickSnap with its first ever black and white disposable camera, Capture One and Hasselblad bury the hatchet after years of mutual silence, Annie Leibovitz gets caught in a real conversation about color grading and cultural bias, and two black and white exhibitions are worth knowing about if you're near Maryland or planning a trip to the south of France.
Everyone Thinks Pizza Is Easy. That's The Problem.
There's a new pizza place in Boston doing authentic Roman style pizza, the only one in the whole city. It's delicious and it's packed, and it got us thinking about why so few pizza places, or photographers, ever actually stand out from the crowd.
Learning to See: Part 3
Alex figured out exactly what caused the freeze at the bus stop, too many decisions happening at once, and found a way to remove most of them before the next outing. The fix worked. The moment arrived, the shutter fired instantly, and the exposure was perfect. So why did something still feel off?
The Collective Eye No. 2
Every week we feature one photograph from the Collective and invite honest feedback from the community. No names attached, no backstory beyond what the photographer was trying to achieve. Just the image, open for genuine critique.
What You're Actually Supposed to Learn From the Masters
Every serious photographer is told to study the masters, Cartier-Bresson, Fan Ho, Weston, Moriyama. But there's a right way to do that and a wrong way, and most people default to the wrong one without realizing it.
Behind The shot With Lindsay Brice
Lindsay Brice timed her visit for 8am specifically so no one would be loitering under the sign that told them not to. Then two men on the corner told her the liquor store wasn't a liquor store at all, it was a club, and led her through an upholstered door into a room where the jukebox was playing and day had quietly become night.
Does It Matter How You Carry Your Camera?
What's actually attached to your camera right now? A neck strap, a wrist strap, a hand grip, or nothing at all? This is one of those topics where there's no single right answer, just a lot of photographers who've landed somewhere specific through trial and error. We want to know where you landed.
Weekly News Roundup
A big week. Adobe is buying Topaz Labs, which has photographers asking real questions about what happens to their workflow next. LK Samyang and Schneider-Kreuznach round out a lightweight zoom trio that's been turning heads since CP+. And an exhibition opening this weekend shows the very last photographs Martin Parr ever made, shot at the place where photography began.
Photographer Spotlight: Lee Griffith
Lee Griffith started developing film in a shed with duct taped light leaks and chemistry stored in bottles his mortician gave him. Decades and a near-death experience later, he still shoots ninety five percent spontaneously, rotates through Polaroids and Hasselblads depending on how his hand feels in the dry cabinet, and credits a small town yearbook printer for the high contrast look that still creeps into his black and white work. We asked him about all of it.
The Collective Eye No. 1
Every week we feature one photograph from the Collective and invite honest feedback from the community. No names attached, no backstory beyond what the photographer was trying to achieve. Just the image, open for genuine critique.
What Graphic Designers Know About Your Photographs That You Don't
A graphic designer decides exactly what you read first, second, and third. Nothing is left to chance. Most photographers never think this explicitly, they just feel whether a composition "works." Borrowing the designer's vocabulary directly gives you a sharper tool than instinct alone.