{"id":313820,"date":"2025-10-14T00:33:36","date_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:33:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/?post_type=story&p=313820"},"modified":"2025-10-14T00:33:44","modified_gmt":"2025-10-14T00:33:44","slug":"celebrating-authenticity-monochrome-photography-with-emily-renier","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/stories\/celebrating-authenticity-monochrome-photography-with-emily-renier\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating Authenticity: Monochrome Photography with Emily Renier"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Documentary family photographer Emily Renier explains how she uses black & white to commemorate everyday life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Formerly a deputy head teacher at a primary school, Emily Renier made the transition to become a professional photographer later in life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“As so many people do \u2013 it\u2019s a real clich\u00e9 \u2013 in your mid-30s you start to have a midlife crisis,\u201d she recounts. \u201cI\u2019d worked myself into the ground and realised it was a toxic environment for me. I had a burnout and decided to leave the industry altogether.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Realising that much of her life had become an exercise in keeping up appearances, Emily sought a radical career change \u2013 and in doing so, looked to change people\u2019s perceptions of ordinary life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen I took up photography, I decided I wanted to do something to help other people who might be going through something similar to me \u2013 to make them realise that striving for an appearance that isn\u2019t authentic is harmful to you as a person,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf my images can celebrate life as it is \u2013 especially ordinary, day-to-day life \u2013 and make even the ugly stuff look beautiful, then maybe we can all strive to stop being something we\u2019re not and feel more in harmony with who we really are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1\/1000 sec at F3.2, ISO 1600<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Finding beauty in the everyday<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Turning seemingly mundane moments into beautiful photographs is all about light and storytelling, Emily suggests. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs a photographer, you get obsessed with light,\u201d she explains. \u201cI almost see life in black & white now, and I see light as leaving an imprint on everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf I walk into a room and see light from a window hitting an object, I find it incredibly beautiful \u2013 and intensely moving. There\u2019s a certain element of wanting to print light \u2013 which is exactly what photography is \u2013 and show how any mundane element of life can be made beautiful by the art of photography.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Emily uses the\u00a0Film Simulation<\/a>\u00a0function on her X Series cameras to preview all her photos in black & white \u2013\u00a0despite recording in RAW and making final decisions on the colours of her photos in post-processing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/32,000 sec at F3.6, ISO 1250<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI photograph using ACROS, because I see light better that way. I feel people better that way as well. I do deliver in colour, but if I could choose to only deliver monochrome images, I would,\u201d she asserts. \u201cFamilies like a bit of both though, so that\u2019s more of a commercial decision.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The limitations imposed by black & white photography enforce a more deliberate approach to visual storytelling, Emily claims. \u201cI have a big preference for mono. Working in black & white, composition becomes a lot harder, because you need to have really good separation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t depend on colours to make sense of the picture, so you have to make sure there\u2019s a strong narrative in the photo to give it enough structure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI do a bit of street photography as well, and I find black & white street photography hard for that reason. It\u2019s difficult to tell a story in monochrome, and therefore it challenges you to focus on the narrative of the picture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/500 sec at F4.5, ISO 500<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

A documentary approach<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A unique photographic service offered by Emily is to intermittently work with families over a period of years, creating a far-reaching gallery documenting their daily lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re really good at highlighting the great moments in our life \u2013 like a wedding or the birth of a child \u2013 not realising that what is most beautiful is the hard work we put in every day,\u201d she posits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a writer called Alain de Botton who says that love isn\u2019t an emotion \u2013 it\u2019s a skill. I think that when you work hard at life every day, you become really skilful at loving it \u2013 warts and all. And so, when you\u2019re making a picture of those warts, you\u2019re showing off your skill at being able to appreciate life in all its glory.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/4000 sec at F1.2, ISO 1000<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Inevitably, this kind of session has a very different feel to photographing people at a landmark event like a wedding. A large aspect of that difference is due to the sense of familiarity that can only be attained over a long period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a family I\u2019ve worked with over the course of five years, so the boys are now completely used to me being around with my camera, because they\u2019ve worked with me so often,\u201d Emily describes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn the first session, there\u2019s always a lot of playing up to the camera. The adults too \u2013 they don\u2019t have an established relationship with the camera, so they\u2019re not sure what they\u2019re supposed to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs they learn about me, and they see that actually all I\u2019m doing is coming round for a coffee and a chat \u2013 but I happen to have my camera along with me \u2013 the focus becomes less on performing and more on living.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1\/5000 sec at F4, ISO 1250<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe notion that your camera is going to be completely invisible and people will forget you\u2019re there \u2013 that\u2019s not possible. As photographers, we\u2019re always going to bruise the scene in one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, on rare occasions \u2013 and almost exclusively with clients Emily has built a strong personal connection with \u2013 the camera can become completely invisible to those being photographed. \u201cSometimes, when I work with a family for a long time, they completely buy into what I\u2019m doing,\u201d she explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a really low percentage of the families I work with who absolutely get what I\u2019m trying to do \u2013 lots will perform a bit more, as they want lifestyle photos where their family looks perfect. This is why photographers struggle to make a living just on documentary family photography.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1\/640 sec at F2.5, ISO 640<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Fujifilm kit for documentary photography<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Relying totally on natural light, Emily\u2019s photography set-up consists of three X Series cameras, equipped with wide-aperture prime lenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI use two FUJFILM X-H2Ss<\/a>, one with the FUJINON XF18mmF1.4 R LM WR<\/a> and the other with the FUJINON XF56mmF1.2 R<\/a>,\u201d she lists. \u201cMy third camera is the FUJIFILM X-T5<\/a>, which I use with either the FUJINON XF23mmF1.4 R LM WR<\/a> or the XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s no doubt that the X-T5 is my favourite camera, but I can\u2019t do a job without the X-H2S. When you work with children, they only stay in the decisive moment for half a second.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Designed for uncompromising speed, the FUJIFILM X-H2S\u2019s stacked X-Trans CMOS 5 HS sensor and X-Processor 5 enable high-speed burst photography at up to 40 frames per second, while the in-body image stabilisation (IBIS) system offers up to 7.0 stops of image stabilisation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1\/5000 sec at F2.5, ISO 400<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I work in people\u2019s homes \u2013 often on dark, rainy November afternoons when there\u2019s no light \u2013 thanks to IBIS, I can go down a few stops and let in as much light as possible, but then I\u2019ve still got enough in the camera to get fast photos of toddlers that run at 500 miles per hour,\u201d Emily explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPeople always ask me why I use three cameras when most documentary people only have two. It\u2019s just my set-up \u2013 and it works really well for me. In the past, I\u2019ve tried to scale back down to two, but I always find I\u2019m missing a specific lens.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While a zoom lens would offer more versatility, Emily\u2019s preference is for the wider apertures of her primes. \u201cI\u2019ve never really used zoom lenses. I work at times when there\u2019s a minimal amount of light, and a zoom lens takes out the light that I really need. Primes give you this beautiful outcome as well; for me, there\u2019s no comparison.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-H2S and FUJINON XF56mmF1.2 R, 1\/2000 sec at F4, ISO 500<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The power of empathy<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

While excellent photographic technique is vital for Emily\u2019s work, she believes that the majority of her specialism lies in her ability to communicate with and understand her clients.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could argue that interpersonal skills are 90% of the work, while 10% is the skill of photography,\u201d she claims. \u201cFujifilm has made such amazing cameras that they can make pretty much any picture you want. They can think by themselves and produce these absolutely incredible images.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou could leave it in Auto mode and it would do all the hard work for you. I don\u2019t work like that \u2013 I\u2019m obsessed with it being fully manual \u2013 but I\u2019m saying that you don\u2019t have to worry about the camera so much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Photo 2023 \u00a9 Emily Renier | FUJIFILM X-T5 and FUJINON XF33mmF1.4 R LM WR, 1\/200 sec at F1.4, ISO 2500<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201c90% is left to you working hard at understanding human psychology and behaviour,\u201d Emily asserts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m very interested in human psychology. And because I worked in education for 12 years, I\u2019m used to working with people from all walks of life, who have different needs. You get a feel for how people are feeling in the moment: what\u2019s bothering them, what\u2019s making them happy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt gives you a feeling for how much distance you need to give people and when to stop taking photos. I love the purity of a moment, but I also prioritise people\u2019s need for space over my photographs. It has to be about respecting people\u2019s boundaries, and you can only really do that if you have a deep empathy for them.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Documentary family photographer Emily Renier explains how she uses black & white to commemorate everyday life Formerly a deputy head teacher at a primary school, Emily Renier made the transition to become a professional photographer later in life. “As so many people do \u2013 it\u2019s a real clich\u00e9 \u2013 in your mid-30s you start to have a […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":273,"featured_media":313263,"template":"","category":[2084,1006,1202,1055,3211,3309,320,3162,1986,565,7082,7180,8209,8258,8307,7327],"post_tag":[],"b2b-solutions":[],"class_list":["post-313820","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-be-inspired","category-cameras","category-category","category-lenses","category-x-series-mirrorless","category-x-mount-prime","category-products","category-x-mount","category-x-series","category-stories","category-x-h2s","category-x-t5","category-xf18mmf1-4-r-lm-wr","category-xf23mmf14-r-lm-wr","category-xf33mmf14-r-lm-wr","category-xf56mmf12-r"],"pp_statuses_selecting_workflow":false,"pp_workflow_action":"current","pp_status_selection":"publish","acf":[],"fujifilm_category_label":"XF56mmF1.2 R","publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-09-15 14:50:48","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story\/313820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/story"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/story"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/273"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/313263"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=313820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category?post=313820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_tag?post=313820"},{"taxonomy":"b2b-solutions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fujifilm-x.com\/en-ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/b2b-solutions?post=313820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}