These colorful portraits make you look past skin color

You may be familiar with the work of fine art photographer Tim Tadder. His portraits show human figures that look simple but send a strong message. With his latest project, Black is a Color, Tim has created another beautiful and intriguing series of portraits. They look gorgeous, but they also send a message that there’s much more to every human than what we see on the surface.

Tim enjoys photographing human figures that are almost mannequin-like. He believes that adding other details like hair or clothes would make the photos lose some of their impact. With Black is a Color, the portraits look simple, but Tim notes that they’re complex at the same time – the way the colors mix and drip create a whole little universe on people’s faces.

For this project, the models posed while different colors were poured down their heads. In the video above, you can tell that it wasn’t an easy task. “They’re human beings, they need to breathe,” Tim says, referring to his models whose heads were covered in paint. They had to calm down and act as if they were underwater. But I’d say that the end result was worth the effort.

The message behind Tim’s latest project is that we should look beyond the skin color and race. “At a crucial time for the nation to unite, I hope this collection encourages empathy, unity & a non-binary view of race,” Tim writes.

“Black is a Color challenges one to see past profiling & foresee the beauty that is capable of elevating the human experience. Black is a Color demands that we look past skin tone, & into beautiful, infinitely complex humans.”

Take a look at more photos below. Make sure to visit Tim’s website for more of his work, and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Behance,  and YouTube.