Marc Simon Frei, Altdorf

Black and white photography

In my black-and-white work, I strip the world of color to focus on its essence: light, shadow, structure, tension. Without the distraction of hues, contrasts emerge with greater intensity — architecture, landscapes, and faces gain an additional dimension.

For this series, I relied on my Leica cameras — the Leica M9 Monochrom, a pure black-and-white chronicle sensitive to tonal depth and density, and the Leica M-P (Typ 240), a companion for atmosphere and texture. Together they opened two ways of seeing: one absolute in black and white, the other rooted in color but fading into memory.

Each image you see here is a conscious reduction: a decision about framing, rhythm, and tone. In North Korea, where staging and everyday life often blur, black-and-white photography offered a unique access — revealing what lies between monument and life, between control and fleeting moment.

I invite you to enter these images — and to feel the light that belongs to all.