All images by Erik Witsoe. Used with Creative Commons permission.
While black and white is a popular look not only for street photography but also for any project that calls for a classic or dramatic imagery. From portraits to landscapes, documentary photography, and photo diaries, photographers turn to the simplicity and elegance of black and white for both professional and personal work. Case in point is the beautiful 365 Monochrome Project of Seattle photographer and artist Erik Witsoe, which we’re sure will inspire you if you’re in the mood for monochrome.
Witsoe, who is currently based in Warsaw, took on a 365 project in August 2017, armed with a Canon EOS 6DII, Fujifilm X100f, Olympus OMD, and Nikon D80. He also occasionally snapped using his Samsung Galaxy S8. When he finally finished the project last year, initial reactions were of relief, happiness and accomplishment.
“Relief in the way of being free for a bit from a daily task and now looking back at the work, I am feeling extremely accomplished and proud of the images that I made. From the streets of Poznan to my new home in Warsaw to concluding in Lisbon, the project followed me everywhere in all of the lovely seasons,” he shared in one of his recaps.
Featured here is his Monochrome 365 Highlights, a compilation of some pretty impressive street photography from the first 100 days of the project. Apart from the clean, contrasty, and punchy imagery, there’s also an interesting focus on reflections and singular subjects in this collection. The project is a popular way to improve one’s eye for details, and looks like it helped shape Witsoe’s knack for visual storytelling around halfway through the project.
You can see the entire Monochrome 365 project on his website, but his Behance portfolio also showcases his other street photography sets. He also kept an in-depth commentary on the project here.
