I’m gearing up for a new black and white photography series that, for now, I’m calling “Truth.” Truth, in this instance, means: minimal styling, minimal makeup, minimal Photoshop.

Minimal styling means no elaborate, loud, trendy clothing. The word of the day is basic. T-shirts, tanks, jeans, solids, simple skirts or dresses. I want this to be about the subject: their features and expressions, their eyes most of all.

Minimal makeup means just that. Simple, natural makeup that looks like it’s not there. Nothing that alters the subject’s appearance in a big way. Only enough so that the subject feels comfortable in front of the lens. If the subject is comfortable without makeup, that’s great, too.

Minimal Photoshop means I’ll be keeping it to basic darkroom stuff: tinting and toning, dodging and burning, cropping. I will not be removing wrinkles, resurfacing skin, or reshaping bodies. I will remove blemishes, as those are fleeting. No other retouching. I’ll be shooting some film, some digital. All final images will be black and white.

Don’t get me wrong, I love elaborate styling, gorgeous makeup, and heck, Photoshop and I are best friends. But I want a departure from what I shoot on a daily basis.

This photo of my dad is what inspired this project. I’ve photographed him many times in many different ways. But this is my very favorite. One window for light. Simple background. Basic clothing. No Photoshop outside of color and exposure. Within the confines of this frame, I can see everything I love about him. All the different smiles he wears, I hear his laugh, I see his long days and nights working cattle and growing fields of grain. I see the scar on his chin that we always called his Harrison Ford scar. I see my grandma, my grandpa, my uncles, and cousins. I see every Christmas, every Sunday afternoon, every stormy spring day. I see the little boy I know from faded photos. Most of all, I see his eyes. Kind, intelligent, truthful eyes. This photo is about him. It’s much more him more than it is me. And that is what I love best about it.

If you’d like to sit for this series, I’d love to chat with you. Email me here: info(at)silvershadowstudios(dot)com