EDITORS’ PICK
Energy, Frequency and Vibration
BLACK & WHITE
BLACK & WHITE EDITORS’ PICK
Following Larry Louie’s selection of winning images for our recent Black & White competition, this compilation of 20 images represents some of the other talented photographers whose work struck us and left a mark. Each a stunning image worthy of exposure and attention…
When selecting for editor’s picks we’re always searching for those striking photographs that make for an unforgettable single image, whether from a broader series or not. We enjoy the accompanying text some photographers submit with their images, and while not always necessary it can be relevant when understanding the work in full context.
These are intended to be a conversation starter… so feel free to join the discussion on our social networks.
BANNER IMAGE: MAXWELL HARVEY-SAMPSON
The photograph proves that black and white aesthetic and fine art photography go hand in hand. More than a narrative, the image conveys sensations and feelings. The viewer can feel the sun’s warmth and the water’s freshness, experience the floating and the submerging, and find themselves in a reverie-like state. Nicely composed, the image meets all the high expectations of an artwork. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – From my current body of work In the Shadow of a Tree on Fire.
CAMILLE RAYNAUD
What a beautiful symphony of proportions and textures! This well-constructed image wouldn’t have been possible without the full presence of the photographer and their attentive eye. The photograph does much more than capture a scene; it captures time, like a sand clepsydra. Using black and white for landscapes is always challenging, but nothing is missing from this frame. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Lacanau, France.
MICHELLE HANSON
A true black and white exposure, this close-up of two very similar, still very different ravens is one of the many lessons nature teaches us. We should be grateful for getting to see it. Their imperfect symmetry is emphasized by the diagonal point of view, their extended wings creating a mesmerizing leading line. Even the sky gave up color and joined the dance. Everything is in perfect harmony. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – A very rare leucistic (white) raven graced Anchorage, AK with its presence last winter. This shot shows it flying in perfect harmony with another common (black) raven.
ANTONIO AVELAR
What a beautiful, candid portrait, a whisper of a story captured between walls and a glimpse into childhood. The mix of blurred and sharp, highlights and shadows, and obvious and imagined creates an impactful image. The unusual composition denotes an inclination for experimental but also the courage to let the subject show up as they are. Photographic genres blend together, allowing the viewer to take in whatever moves them the most. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Cowgirl. A young Tigre girl leads her cattle to a waterhole in southern Eritrea.
DUSTIN MILLER
The joy of working together and defying gravity is obvious. This straightforward environmental portrait reveals a story, a connection, a friendship. By intentionally leaving out color, the photographer makes the subjects stand out even more, putting their bond in focus. The composition is beautifully balanced, using exact proportions and positions for each visual element. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Anna Beth and her grandma’s horse Ripley from ongoing series Lowest Highpoint. Britton Hill is the highest point of Florida at 345ft, making it the lowest highpoint of the 50 states.
RUSSELL GRAY
Only a handful of photographers dare to take a black and white photograph at the seaside. What else is there without the blue fantasy of the water and the colorful presence of the people enjoying it? As it turns out, there is a lot. Motion and contrast and time passing by, shadows and bright white foam, recognizable silhouettes and dreams. The lyricism in this minimalist photograph goes a long way. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia.
MIKE BARRY
By intentionally moving the camera, the photographer transforms an ordinary gathering into a metaphor for the passing of time. Life is ephemeral, and even though we insist on labeling time as past, present, and future, it will be gone before we know it. The fluid composition is mesmerizing, just like life, and lures the viewer into a parallel universe, a bizarre reality where the rules seem to be abolished. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – A gathering, Chicago River. Working on intentional camera movement (ICM) technique.
MARIUS BURGELMAN
There is no doubt that black and white is a versatile aesthetic. From dramatic portraits to minimalist landscapes, from documentary street shots to touching wildlife photos, black and white suits it all. But fine art is probably its preferred genre. This image combines still life and natural movements, simplicity and abstractness, real and imaginary. With just a few elements, the photographer has created a complex message that hooks the viewer. – LIFE FRAMER
PIOTR POWIETRZYNSKI
Conceptual portraiture never ceases to amaze us. The image is stunningly natural and shockingly surreal at the same time. It looks like you figured it out in a couple of seconds, only to reveal something new the moment you try to look away. There is contrast everywhere, which makes a multitude of questions pile up in your head. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Girls with Bows.
THOMAS HILL
Ludic, disruptive, and creative are the words that best describe this image. Reflections and shadows work hand in hand to intrigue us. The composition is rich, with multiple layers, lines, and forms slotting together and demanding attention. Nevertheless, it is not forced in place and leaves the viewer with a sense of pure joy. Taking the time to find the right angle paid off. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Six Legs, Brela, Croatia.
EDUARDO REZENDE
The photograph captures the strength and resilience of the human body by featuring a movement rather than a pose. The body is naturally tense, concentrated on the heavy lift, which makes the image impactful and unique. Artistic lighting and a diverse array of textures add an impressive sense of depth and tridimensionality. It gives the impression of a statue rather than a two-dimensional image. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Gravitas – act 1 #02, 2025. A collaboration with Túlio Pinto to reveal, through powerful black and white portraits, the relationship between the human body and the force of gravity. Far from the idealized aesthetics of fashion photography, my visual language subverts the idea of lightness to highlight the effort, resistance and vulnerability of bodies when faced with the real weight of stones and raw materials. The images present models in moments of physical tension, where hands squeeze, arms support and torsos give way, making the body not an object of contemplation, but an agent that negotiates with matter.Visual precision and tonal richness emphasize textures and contrasts, transforming the gesture of supporting weight into a visceral and symbolic experience that invites the viewer to feel, rather than simply observe, the weight of existence.
NICK PRICE
An aerial shot that takes your breath away and leaves you in awe is a rare gem in black and white photography. This is the wonderful performance of nature, the movement within the stillness, the poetry within the toughest of terrains, and one can only congratulate the photographer for their vision and creativity. It takes one who loves and understands nature to take such a magnificent shot. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – A tributary to the Upper Salmon River in Idaho, US. This stream is often frozen over during the winter but there are periods when there is a lack of ice and from the air the serpentine contrast of the stream and snow is stark.
JONAS DAHLSTRÖM
This is a very artful and sensitive manner with which to document the human condition, encompass the passing of time, and create a narrative between the lines. At the same time, the feelings transcend the image. In the end, it is more about the one who looks at the picture than about the one in the picture, because it leaves you in a meditative, introspective state. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Part of a larger series about my father who is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. The project will be published in a photobook later this year.
L.J. RIPLEY
The photographer creates a striking image by overlapping the living and the dead. Using natural and human-made motifs and a plethora of textures, they rely on complexity to deliver the message. The gray palette is the only common point, the only clue to this mystery, the only known in this thrilling equation. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – After losing my father as a young teen and witnessing my grandmother’s decline into Alzheimer’s, I turn to photography as a way to cope with mortality and seek out the beauty in life. I shoot on 120 and 4×5 black and white film to evoke a timeless quality, intentionally making my photographs feel accessible beyond a single moment in our immediate reality. By making photographs I am concerned with the issues of how we perceive beauty within hostility and tension. Inspired by vaudeville, horror, and dreams–my work is rooted in motifs of impermanence, deterioration, mystery, and existentialism. My images act as a visual diary that navigates myth and the elusive nature of freedom, often melding serene imagery with symbols of decay.
CARLOS MORNELLI
There is an art in simplicity, and this image proves it by focusing on shape and contrast instead of color. The diagonal composition allows the subject to take the scene and show its gracious dance uninterrupted. The space is so well used that it becomes one of the main elements of the scene. The lighting is beautiful, too, and creates a surprising contrast and an inviting mood. It makes the viewer want to be there. – LIFE FRAMER
HEDVIG ØIEN
One may call it natural abstract art. The photograph captures the stunning way nature challenges the status quo while, at the same time, continuing to be itself. It mixes freshness and decay with ease, regular structures with unique shapes, vibrant shades with neutral tones. The choice of a monochrome palette enhances the drama and allows the viewer to dive deep into meaning. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Wild woods, Nøklevann, Norway.
MARVIN FUSSELL
The photographer creates a fine-art portrait that is carefully curated and constructed around the black and white aesthetic. The contrast, textures, and other visual elements are chosen to support the idea behind the image, a poetry of stillness and meditation. The result is a deeply personal work that denotes an authentic artistic voice. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Of the Water. In infrared, my friend meditates in the water — her glowing white form stark against the black depths. A moment of stillness and contrast, as she stretches toward the sky, looking almost otherworldly. Personal, powerful, and a reflection of my early days in art.
JEFF MCMAHON
What we are and what we would like to be come together masterfully in this unusual composition. The low angle puts things in perspective, while the use of black and white makes everything personal. The photograph ultimately conveys disharmony, unbalance, the daily grind of unhappiness emerging from an acute disconnection between our interior and exterior worlds. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – In Japan you’re under the scrutiny of billboards and ads wherever you go. It’s relentless. Moving around like ants in the gaze of unfeeling electrical goliaths.
TARNYA HOOK
Texture is one of the biggest rewards of black and white photography. So, one can only appreciate a photographer who risks breaking the rules of composition for the sake of texture. The image has no strict focal point, no standard proportions, and no ordinary leading lines. However, it is harmonious, artful, and mesmerizing, and all thanks to texture. – LIFE FRAMER
RICARDO PAREYON AVELEYRA
To create an environment for fantasy, the photographer relies on reflections, inversions, and geometric shapes. Therefore, the composition is as surreal as the rabbit hole from Alice in Wonderland. The viewer can’t help wanting to step in, meet the characters, and travel to this bizarre world they can’t get out of their heads. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Costanera is a photograph I made during a trip to the city of Rosario in Argentina and I took it on the waterfront of the Parana River. When I saw the river, I remembered a story I had heard as a child by the writer and singer Mar?a Elena Walsh. The story, entitled ‘The Mermaid and the Captain’ has a phrase that says: ‘On nights of full moon, on the Parana River, a mermaid goes singing’. I have the feeling that this phrase somehow influenced the photograph.
