Black and White Photography Portfolio by Arpan Parikh (Community Member Feature)
Interview by Mike Simpson, January 2025. Arpan Parikh is @archyfy on Instagram.
Welcome. We support GTA creators and photographers. At tdotshots.com and our community site tdot.cc we publish interviews and features on our artist friends.
Arpan Parikh is a community member from Toronto with a great portfolio of black and white and street photography. These images represent strong explorations of light and shadow, human subjects in moody environments, along with form and composition.
We are grateful to the photographer for contributing to this series. For more content like this, be sure to follow is on IG: @tdot_shots.
Why do you publish black and white images?
I publish B&W photos to convey following emotions: Nostalgia, Isolation and Solitude. For me when I see Black and White photos, it feels like a time travel as if I went back in time. As if watching frames from old Black and White feature films and photo albums. For me Black and White images also represents solitude and sense of loneliness even though I sometimes I shot the photo in busiest environment. As if the time has slowed down and I would want it to be that way but then you come back to reality.
How do you shoot and edit? What’s your process?
To achieve Black and White look, I follow different processes. One is shooting B&W straight out of the camera. Second, I shoot Raw on my camera and then edit the photo in Adobe Lightroom to achieve Black and White look. In Lightroom it can be easily achieved by going to “Basic Adjustments” tab and toggling On/Off B&W button.
What are your favourite images in the black and white format? (Subjects /Locations)
Photos that I took around Harbourfront on December 10th would be some of my best B&W photos. I specifically shot those photos keeping the Black and White theme in mind. Fog helped me separate the subject from the background and I used surrounding elements(fences, trees, umbrellas, birds) to create the contrast. The photos came out good straight out of the camera so I spent very less time editing them.
Do you have any advice on techniques for black and white photography?
Black and White photos can be shot directly out of the cameras in modern cameras and now even in most smartphones. The important thing to keep in mind is when to use Black and White Photography. The photos would be really impactful when there is certain amount of balance between light and shadow. the smallest amount of light on the subject can make it pop even if the overall image is dark. The contrast is achieved. In other cases when colors are too distracting, converting or editing the photos in Black and White can draw attention towards the subject since all the colors are removed. I am still learning when too shoot and edit Black and White so that I don’t end up overusing it. For me emotions and story takes precedence over the style.
Thanks for your contribution Arpan!
Credits
BW photos by Arpan Parikh / Follow on IG: @archyfy
Portrait photo by Farzad Abdollahi / Follow on IG: @far2ad
