There are photographs that become black and white later, and there is black and white portrait photography shaped in shadow conceived that way from the beginning. This collaboration belonged to the second kind. We all agreed on a semi goth, sensual direction, dark, feminine, slightly theatrical, but never costume. I wanted the mood to feel as though it belonged to her rather than something I had placed on top of her. She brought the attitude and confidence. My job was to build the visual structure around it.
Because I knew the final photographs would be black and white, I asked for makeup toward the gray side and heavier than one might have for a color portrait. I was not thinking about whether it looked natural in color. I was thinking about how it would translate into tone. Would the eyes separate from the skin? Would the cheekbones hold their shape? Would the hair retain detail rather than disappear into one dark mass?
When you photograph specifically for black and white, color is no longer the primary relationship. Different colors collapse into similar shades of gray. The decisions become contrast, texture, density, and separation.
Her styling gave me all of that. The fishnets created a precise graphic pattern against the softness of her skin. The dark lingerie and oversized shirt added weight. The metallic necklace caught controlled highlights. The platform shoes strengthened the silhouette. The worn wooden boxes introduced a rough texture that made the skin and fabric feel more refined.
I also knew before the session that I would use only one large light source. I had no interest in building a complicated setup or making the technique announce itself. I wanted a source large enough to remain soft, but directional enough to sculpt the face and body. A four-by-eight-foot foam board provided subtle fill, opening the shadows just enough to preserve detail without flattening the mood. The fill was there to protect the shadows, not remove them.
That distinction matters. Lighting does not always need to appear dramatic in an obvious way. Sometimes its strength comes from how quietly it shapes the subject. I wanted the light to define her cheekbones, hold detail in the eyes, control the specular highlights, and describe the body without screaming, “This was lit.”
A large source can still create structure. Soft does not have to mean flat. Its position matters as much as its size. I watched how the light moved across her face, arms, legs, and the fishnets. I wanted the pattern to wrap around the form rather than sit on top of it as a distraction.
The poses developed through the collaboration. In the closer portrait, she folds inward, creating a compact shape with her arms and knees. The pose feels private, but her expression remains direct and self-possessed. In the second image, the boxes allow her body to open into a more angular composition. The shirt, necklace, lingerie, and fishnets become separate tonal layers. The sensuality came from attitude, not exposure.
Once the files entered the digital workflow, converting them to black and white was only the beginning. I treated the images much as I would have treated a print in the darkroom. I adjusted the relationships between skin, makeup, hair, clothing, jewelry, and background so each element had a place without competing equally for attention.
The corners were burned down intentionally, not as a fashionable vignette, but to control where the eye traveled. In the darkroom, lighter edges could allow the viewer to escape the frame. Darkening them brought the attention back toward the model.
The tools have changed, but the thinking has not. The camera was recording color, but I was not. I was already seeing light, shadow, surface, and tone before the first exposure was made.
Making a black and white result was not added later. It was there from the beginning.
Work with David – If you’re a creative director, a marketing lead, a brand builder, an interior designer or a collector looking for work with authorship, consider this your invitation to begin the conversation. For commissioned work, contact or send a message to david@siqueiros.com
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