Emotive Black and White Family Portraits Dublin
- Cara Hodge
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
UPDATED POST July 2026
You will include black & white? I get this question a lot, A LOT!
The answer is always: Yes, of course!
I'm Cara a Dublin Family Photographer, photographing all aspects of family life and celebrations.
Here is a recent selection to hand, from tiny newborns at home to couples in love. From christenings, to graduation and surprise proposal sessions - I cover all the milestones of family life.
As well as photographing families, children and babies, I also do couples, engagements, surprise proposals and small weddings!
You can read more about me, and how I started out on my photography journey on various other pages.
Black and White Family Photography.
I feature black & white pictures on every page of my website as it is an important part of making up any family gallery - from families, to babies, and loved up couples!
Why Black & White?
Black & White is so powerful because it reduces a photo to emotion, light and composition without the distraction of colour. Don't get me wrong, I love colour as well, but there are times when black & right can make a photo really sing!
I am also a vintage inspired family photographer, so as well as timeless black and white, you can expect soft, vintage colours in your gallery.
Black & White Child Portrait.
What parent doesn't want to see their children happy? On the other hand, a genuine expression aside from joy can be very emotive and powerful in black & white.
In black & white, the expression is at the heart of the picture. Below, my eye goes directly to her hands fixing the flower, and her smudged mascara. I am not detracted by the color of her jumper (which is red), and the green bushes behind.
Without the distraction of color, I can focus directly on the flower held to her face and the cute little smile!
Below, I love how the black & white also brings out the simplicity of this baby's white christening clothes. I can focus on his white outfit, and the catch lights in his eyes, rather than the pram he is sitting in!
Lighting that's best for Black & White.
A good black & white family or child portrait tends to come to life in dramatic lighting. Often great in low light where there is strong contrast between light & shade.
Just a slither of window light is all that's needed to illuminate part of a face. Below, the window light on mums face and dad.
Where window light is absent, even an artificial light source can be enough to cast light.
If there is shade, eg from trees, black & white can work well even in dappled midday light.
Black & white can also work very well for documentary family sessions. This allows the viewer of the picture to concentrate on the action in the photo. Black and White, again, works very well in the low lighting conditions of a church. I use a lot of black & white for my christenings and small weddings.
Dimly lit rooms can be a great backdrop...
The Black & White edit - step by step.
After a family session, I look for all the "stand out" photos. From there, I will decide whether a picture will work best as colour or black & white. Often favorite pictures can be converted to both color and black and white.
I shoot in RAW format so that I can preserve all shadows and highlights and make any adjustments in Adobe Camera Raw. After that, I import into Photo shoot and make any further enhancements. I love to use Replichrome film presets and actions.
Back to old post.
You can see more recent Window Light Portraits here.
For Family Sessions in Dublin, including black and white family portraits, Winter Light can be very flattering.
Low light is one of my favorite lighting conditions. The window light in my home in Blackrock, Dublin, offers deep shadows and plenty of options for working with high contrast blacks and whites.
Contact me to set up a family photography session for children, babies & newborns. At home or somewhere special outdoors.
Have a great week, Cara
.
Comments