Capturing Carnival in monochrome

Carnival in the Caribbean is closely associated with music, dancing and color, and it's no different here in Dominica. Our bands are loud, the revelers party for several hours at a time and their costumes are vibrant and colorful.

I don't often cover Carnival parades or bands, but this year I wanted to try my hand at something a bit different.

So I decided to create portraits of revelers in monochrome, ie. black and white.

NB: Monochrome refers to a photograph or picture developed or executed in black and white or in varying tones of only one color.

Why Monochrome?

I don't usually shoot in black and white. In fact, black and white photography is a skill unto itself, and it requires the creator to see the world in light and shadows rather than varying hues of color. However, I did want to take a deep dive into the genre via this project.

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My aim was to remove the distractions that come with seeing in color and allow the viewers to focus on textures of the costumes and the expressions on the revelers' faces.

Further, I sought to capture dark-skinned people, because I love how black skin is represented by so many different shades of gray when images are monochromatic. 

The result

Ultimately I came away with a group of images that I think captures the raw energy of Carnival. Happiness, contentment, bliss, surprise... these are all conveyed on the faces of the revelers. 

I've included some of these images below. Please let me know what you think: