In the Shadows

While “Marimekko Aetheria” was a celebration of color, “In the Shadows” was a celebration of the lack thereof.

Rendered completely in black and white, this shoot amplified the beauty of photography.

In the absence of color, the lens found new things to focus on – light, shadows and movement.

Without pigment or pattern, every shadow carried weight. Every beam of light felt intentional.

Shot in the Hanes Art Center’s lighting studio, the shoot was stripped down in scale but rich in concept. On the surface, everything was minimal, from our cast and location to our makeup and styling.

But this minimalism allowed the studio to become a playground for perspective. Using projectors, cutout shapes and physical props, we let light carve unexpected paths across skin. We used the unconventional – lighters, leather gloves and shawls. Sometimes it fractured the body into abstract parts; other times, it united the figure with the background so seamlessly that the two felt inseparable. It challenged the eye. It made you question what you were really looking at. It blurred the lines between what was real and what was not.

The models – mostly bare and stripped of traditional styling – embodied a quiet kind of power. Their bodies were not just being photographed; they were being transformed into landscapes of texture and tone. They became an art form.

“In the Shadows” was powerful, emotional and intimate. There was something deeply vulnerable about the shoot, but also something very freeing. Without fashion’s usual armor – fabric, accessories and color – what remained felt raw and honest. 

For an issue so deeply inspired by color, “In the Shadows” served as a powerful counterpoint.  By intentionally stripping away hue, we were not rejecting color’s influence but rather reaffirming it. The absence of color sharpened our awareness of its power: how it shapes mood, narrative and perception. In grayscale, we were reminded that color does not define a story through saturation alone but through its absence too.

Photos by Allison Rikard