Black and White Portraits

A sense of both bewilderment and loneliness emit from looking at this beautiful portrait of a young girl at a concert. We get a sense of isolation she must feel, like being lost even though you are surrounded by lots of people. We don't get to know the show she is watching and listening to and that is what makes this image and gives it its visual power. WE have to bring that information from our own experiences of going to concerts. On a technical level, the photographer has spotted the girl and captured her brilliantly, using a shallow depth of field and slight telephoto lens so that she stands out from the crowd and the highlights on the face and details in the eyes are superb. Its such a lovely moment. I hope the young girl gets to see this image.

A great portrait and wonderful and confident use of space. It has a Dutch masters painting feel with the clothing and expression on the sitters face. The tight crop works well and the highlights on the left hand shoulder are wonderfully controlled as are the details in the head garment she wears. The sharpness really brings our attention to the details in the clothes and that stare to camera is warm and draws us the viewer in. Really lovely photograph.

A really interesting solarised close up portrait similar to the images that Man Ray made famous at the start of the 20th Century with his muse Lee Miller. The head turning away from camera works really well as does the smooth skin tones. The shadow on the top lip is lovely as is the shape created by having a darkened background. Unique capture. Well done.

Beautifully controlled and exposed portrait that offers a powerful and unique vantage point that places the power with the sitter. The stare out of the frame gives a sense of strength to the lady in the picture as does the strong pose and the gun adds that extra dimension. The quality of the exposure is superb and those details in the dress and clouds could not be bettered Great and fun capture. Well done

A really well crafted and great example of an environmental portrait. The high key, high contrast tonal range really work in this documentary style picture. The photographer has filled the frame perfectly making great use of the entire rectangle from the coconuts hanging from the top of the right hand side to the concrete block holding up the stall. Between all this we have the star of the image. The younger stall owner holding center stage. Great facial expression and placement of the arms. By taking a step back instead of filling the frame we get to see the stall and its environment. A superb picture.

This was really close to my top 10. The cat head scarf is amazing as are what looks like scratches on an old negative around the frame. Or double exposure? The straight to camera stare is powerful as is the framing. A unique capture. Really beautifully crafted. An image that gets me thinking. Really well done.

The intensity and very tight close up crop really adds power to this lovely portrait. What book is the little girl reading? We will never know but reading is such a good thing so well done to her. The tonal range is superb from the highlights in the eyes to the soft shallow depth of filed that leads us the viewer straight to that wonderful face and expression of concentration. Lovely. Well done.

Tricks of the trade on show in this engaging and witty studio portrait. Taking inspiration form the greats Richard Avedon and Irving Penn who were happy to take a few steps back to reveal the space and lighting set ups that they had employed in order to make the picture. This stunning technical portrait makes use of stunning lighting which showcases the photographers talent for light and exposure. It's a really lovely and well constructed image. I'm so pleased the photographer included the mechanics of what goes into making a picture so wonderful. It's hard work and lots of skill. Well done.

The square format really works in this wonderfully complex portrait of a young boy as the main subject but it is the way the photographer has captured the movement, sense of aura that surround him that really make this image. The highlights on the face as they look up is a lovely break against the darkened shadow areas surrounding him. The relationship between the youngsters and the older persons hands gives a real sense of age and youthfulness, whilst the framing offers a unique take on a family portrait. Great technique and camera angles go towards making this a sublime and powerful group portrait. Well done.

The stunning synchronicity in this image could be staged. The sense of attack against defense, positive against negative are so well crafted and controlled that regardless of how it was made, it really is a visual delight. The highlights stand out against the dark background and are controlled so well, the shadow detail in the water before fading into a solid black gives that sense of space and theater. The droplets of water and spray suggest movement and performance. It's a stunning example of a beautifully controlled black and white portrait. It would look fantastic really large as a print in a frame but it shines on screen. Superb.

The catch lights in the eyes almost stare back at you they are so bright and vivid. The attention to detail is what makes this superb portrait stand out from many others. The lovely darkened highlights on the tree bark either side of the person frame them beautifully whilst also adding a sense of space within the rectangle. The subtle tonal range especially the skin tones make the individual come alive off the screen and the details in the hair work so well as does the highlights off the neck bracelets they wear. A stunning and beautifully crafted portrait. Well done.

A stunning and well crafted black and white environmental portrait. It is often asked in photography - who owns the power within a picture, especially about relationships between sitter and photographer. All the power belongs to the subject in this stunning image The photographer has allowed the dignity of the person to shine through whilst they are happy to stand for the camera. Great technique and framing really add power to this wonderful image. The shallow depth of field really brings our attention to the lady and the object she is carrying and the tonal range is superb. Great capture.

I love the title of this image ' The girl and the dead horse' It takes me back to the great portraits by Julia Margaret Cameron in the 19 century, It has that other worldly feel about it. Everything is well controlled and the attention to details are perfect from the clothes chosen to wear to the placement of the wooden skeleton polls and horse. The faded bleached sepia tonal range is perfectly appropriate to replicate the historical time period and the nod to modern times with the girls contemporary pose works so well and brings the image right up to date. The woodland setting just adds that additional drama to what is a really wonderful and engaging portrait. Really well done.

A great example of how black and white portraiture works in contemporary photography. The sense of what the individual does is placed within an appropriately realistic setting. The smooth tonal range, away from the traditional high contrast works so well in this instance especially the skin tones against the mid grey paints on the walls and staircase in the background. The subtle shallow depth of field allow us to retain what is happening in the background but the real star is the focus on the eyes. That sense of concentration and pose of a boxer is wonderful. The highlights off the handlebar of the bike just add that sense of dimension to what is a fantastic contemporary portrait. Very well done.

If softer tones are making waves in black and white photography right now, this is an example where contrast really works and suits the image perfectly. The tight crop and use of shallow depth of field place all the attention onto the intensity that this young man brings to the image. The contrast between the real world and dreaming is perfectly shown with the patterns of rockets and the moon on his top. It is a wonderful contrast to his facial expression of grit and determination. It reminds me of the main character in the film 'Kes' A young man fighting against all around him. This is a superb portrait full of passion. Well done.