BERLIN IN BLACK AND WHITEEllen & Franz

July 15, 2026

Ellen and Franz walked through Berlin with me for a couple of evening hours, the television tower over one shoulder and the light going down. Everything here is black and white, straight out of camera.

A session like this takes an hour, maybe two. Berlin is close enough to home that I would come back for an evening of it, and the same goes for Vienna, Rome, Copenhagen, or a city I have not photographed yet.

Black and white engagement photo of Ellen and Franz with a bouquet in Berlin

Berlin engagement portrait of a couple against a pale wall in black and white

The best frames come from staying out of the way while two people walk and talk. Short sessions help, since nobody has time to stiffen up.

Ellen and Franz walking a Berlin square beneath the television tower in black and white

Why black and white

I shoot in black and white. It’s my preference, and it’s what you’re looking at in these frames.

Some of that comes from Ingmar Bergman’s films. Bergman was a Swedish director, the man behind The Seventh Seal and Wild Strawberries, and he shot faces in black and white better than anyone. That is the work I keep going back to.

Black and white engagement photograph of a couple laughing on a Berlin street

There’s a name for this, straight out of camera. The camera saves a JPEG, I hand it over as it is, and that’s the photo. No editing, no retouching. It’s close to shooting film.

Monochrome portrait of an engaged couple close together in Berlin

Black and white Berlin engagement photo of a couple holding hands

What I want to start doing

For the couples who want it, I hand over the black and white photos the same day, the evening of the shoot. No three-week wait. You go to dinner with the photos already in your pocket.

Engaged couple framed against a Berlin building in black and white

The camera also saves a RAW file for every shot, and a RAW file can be turned into colour, so if you ever want a frame converted, that’s an easy fix.

Ellen and Franz facing each other with the Berlin television tower between them in black and white

Black and white portrait of a couple embracing during a Berlin engagement session

Monochrome Berlin engagement photograph of a couple looking at each other

Weddings and elopements are still the heart of what I do. This is a smaller thing to book alongside them, or instead of a formal engagement shoot.

Black and white engagement photo of a couple on a Berlin pavement

Berlin engagement portrait of Ellen and Franz in black and white

Tell me where you’ll be

So tell me where you’ll be. Getting married somewhere in Europe, passing through Berlin, or you want an hour of pictures that come home with you the same night. Write to me and we’ll find the light. I’ll bring the camera set to black and white.