This week on The Collective, we judged Vet Photo Contest 6, which focused entirely on monochrome imagery. Joined by professional photographer Pat Miller and budding photographer Seb Lavoie, we explored how removing colour forces a photographer to rely heavily on contrast, light, shadow, and texture. It was a masterclass in visual storytelling and artistic discipline.
This Week’s Panel:
– Pat Miller: Professional photographer, Veteran, and visual storyteller.
– Seb Lavoie: Retired RCMP ERT Sgt. Major, Veteran, BJJ black belt, and performance coach.
Key Insights from Our “Vet Photo Contest 6” Discussion:
1. The Grind Behind the Shot
Pat opened by sharing his recent experience shooting an off-road race in the desert. He highlighted the brutal reality of professional photography: it’s not just catching one lucky snapshot. It’s waking up at 5 AM, eating dust all day, shooting a thousand photos, and throwing away 997 of them just to find three acceptable frames. Excellence requires an immense tolerance for the grind.
2. Colour Can Be a Distraction
I generally explained how our visual cortex processes imagery. The first pathway identifies contrast, light, shadow, and texture (the black-and-white elements). The secondary pathway fills in the colour. Often, injecting colour into an image dilutes its impact by overwhelming the eye and masking poor structural composition. Black-and-white photography removes that crutch.
3. Start With the Crop
A recurring critique throughout the contest was cropping and horizon lines. My absolute golden rule for editing is this: the very first thing you do in post-production is crop the image. Do not waste an hour playing with contrast and exposure sliders on a photo that fundamentally lacks a cohesive, intentional composition. Frame the house before you paint it.
4. The “Pylon Problem” Dictates the Vibe
While reviewing a military vehicle submission, Pat pointed out a traffic pylon left in the frame. That single, out-of-place detail entirely shifted the photo’s narrative from a gritty, operational “calm before the storm” to a sterile, administrative feel. If you want a specific vibe, check your situational awareness to remove the visual noise that contradicts it.
5. Intentionality vs. Luck
We reviewed a stunning, highly textured photo of a wooden carving that tied for third place. I made the distinction that any random person can stumble into a great photo by sheer luck. True mastery is the intentional manipulation of the scene—whether that’s through adjusting the lighting, your positioning, moving tools, or radically adjusting the angle to purposefully capture contrast. Artistry is more often deliberate, rather than accidental.
6. The Vulnerability of Putting Art in the Arena
We commended the photographer who submitted a candid, slightly unpolished photo of a child. It takes a quick eye to capture a decisive moment, and guts to then willingly throw it into the arena to be judged by a panel of critical eyes. We all loved the photo. That willingness to expose your work to friction is the only way you actually grow as an artist.
7. AI vs. Flawed Authenticity
As AI-generated imagery becomes increasingly flawless, the human element of photography becomes even more vital. We discussed how a photo can be over-processed to the point that it looks like a cardboard cutout, it looks artificial. Sometimes, leaving a highlight slightly blown out or allowing a technical imperfection to remain is what roots the image in reality and gives it an authentic soul.
8. Vibe Over Technicality
By the end of the episode, we agreed that the most important metric isn’t composition, originality, or relevance—it’s the “Stoke.” How does the photo make you feel? Does it punch you in the chest? You can have a technically perfect photo that is entirely forgettable, or a slightly off-kilter photo that haunts you for days. The feeling always overrides the math.
Final Thought: Constraints breed true creativity.
When you take away the vibrant distraction of colour, a photographer has nowhere to hide. They must rely entirely on the foundational pillars of light, shadow, and texture to tell their story. The same is true in life: when you strip away the flashy distractions and the superficial noise, you are forced to rely on the raw integrity of your structure.
If we stripped the colour out of your work, what would the structure look like?
Listen to the full “Vet Photo Contest 6” discussion here: Black & White
Keep focusing,
Shaun & The Collective Crew
