Meet Nicole

Hey y'all! I'm Nicole & I capture authentic moments for classically elegant, unconventionally adventurous couples who believe in stylish simplicity. 

2017 Top Ten: Black & Whites

Top Ten Series

When sitting down to write this post, I realized we’ve never had a frank conversation about black and white photos, have we? Well settle in because I’m about to tell you all about my love affair with black and whites!

I’ll start by saying that I LOVE my color images. I love working with color. I love creating those soft romantic images with my couples. And I love capturing the colors around you as they are. For my engagements and portrait sessions, you’ll primarily see color images, with just a few black and whites sprinkled in for variety. The reason for that is that the majority of my portrait sessions take place outside with beautiful soft natural light and gorgeous backgrounds that lend themselves best to color images.

But then we get to wedding day, and something magical happens. The vast majority of the day takes place INSIDE. And one awesome thing about shooting inside is you have ample opportunity to create rich black and white images. Weddings are also candid and emotional in nature, which is a great base for a good black and white. Nothing captures emotion quite like a black and white image. By cutting out distracting colors and backgrounds, black and white allows you to focus on the emotion of the image above anything else and creates a timeless image.

Here are a couple times of day where you will see a LOT of black and whites sprinkled into your gallery:

Preparation:

One of my favorite times to utilize black and white is when the bride and groom are getting ready. There’s something about a black and white image that allows you to feel the anticipation of the moment. The hour that I’m present for prep is usually one of the most hectic times and nerves are the highest, but put those images in black and white and you tend to forget about what was going on. Work with me here, but to me, it’s like the image itself is a deep breath. It just feels calm and peaceful.

Ceremony:

If there’s ever a time where you want to just focus on the emotion of a moment and nothing else, the time when you are committing your lives to each other should be it! Indoor ceremonies are probably the most black-and-white dense part of my galleries. Partly because of what I just stated, and partly because church lighting can be very distracting and just looks 10000 times better in black and white.

Speeches:

To me, speeches just beg to be put in black and white. My entire goal when I’m photographing speeches is to capture the best reactions. And again, I think that reactions are more powerful when turned black and white.

Dancing:

I go probably half and half here. I love giving you color images to showcase all the fun lighting you paid the DJ big bucks for. But as I’m going through your photos, every now and then I come across a snap that is just MADE for black and white. For your first dances, I’m way more black and white heavy, because those dances tend to be more intimate and emotional.

 

Ok now with all of that said, let’s move on to the 2017 Black and White Roundup! This one was BEYOND TOUGH you guys. I have about 150 black and white images that I’m obsessed with and I truly want to post them all. But because I boxed myself into a top 10 series, here we go with the 10 I picked out, in no particular order 🙂

 

This image embodies everything I love about black and white photos. It’s classic, timeless, and it draws you immediately to the excitement Hannah is feeling.

 

I’m absolutely in love with this shot of Iliana and her sister as they are putting her veil on before walking down the aisle. Moments like this just wouldn’t be the same in color.

 

This was one of my favorites as soon as I snapped it. Amanda looks like she came straight out of classic Hollywood and truly looks at peace as she does her final prep.

 

Churches with balconies allow for some amazing ‘fly on the wall’ photos. And, as always, churches look so timeless in black and white!

 

I love all of the joy and laughter in this photo. I hope 20 years from now all the girls in this photo look at it and say, ‘we still laugh together this way’!

 

Texture on texture on texture. I love how black and white brings out the texture in your details and makes them look like a million bucks.

 

This was one of my first black and whites of the season and I have loved it ever since. Morgan decided to wear her grandmother’s bracelet for her wedding and this capture was of her grandmother putting it on for her. I just love seeing two generations side by side on wedding day. Also, I’m SUCH a softie for the relationship between grandmother and granddaughter.

 

I don’t know about you, but I think group shots of groomsmen turned black and white are straight up FIRE.

 

This photo of Danielle as she’s getting her hair done has always resonated me. She looks so peaceful and radiant. The way every bride should feel as she’s preparing for her wedding.

 

 

First dances are always full of emotion that black and white enhances. By the way, I’m usually sobbing behind the camera during this part of the wedding. First dances get me every time.

 

 

And it’s at this point in the post that I realized I miscounted and actually had 11 images in my upload folder sooo BONUS PHOTO!

 

Really guys, a black tux and a textured gown are the perfect recipe for a classic, timeless black and white image.

 

I hope you guys enjoyed today’s trip down memory lane! More posts coming before the end of the year so stay tuned!!

xo NJ

Miss the first Top Ten post? Check it out here!

 

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