INSPADES MAGAZINE CINQUE | Page 68

It takes a sensitive eye to arrange luminescent light for a black and white image, to capture the various shades of grey and translate them into texture and charisma within the world of two-tones and contrast. Despite the challenges of black and white photography, Austrian artist Joachim Bergauer draws a veil of vibrancy over his monochromatic collection with remarkable aptitude and ease. “Contrast photography is a form that I have preferred for over 30 years,” says Bergauer, whose predilection is made clear by the distinct lighting choices of his portraits. With a “main focus on human photography”, Bergauer spent six years scouring the globe for striking portraiture, finding countless telling faces in places as remote as Fuerteventura, one of the Canary Islands off the North Atlantic coast of Africa. Motivated by the desire to “strengthen the strengths of people,” similar to a painter, Bergauer highlights the greatest attributes of his subjects, extracting an empowering image from the individual with his lens in each transient moment of candid expression. 68 inspadesmag.com