Magic moments in shades of gray

“That picture, that is what it’s all about for me, that connection,’’ Fortin said, pointing to one of the dozen black-and-white photos. In the photo, twin infants sleep soundly in each other’s arms, hands gently touching, legs intertwined.

Fortin is all about black-and-white photography — of children and newborns, to be exact. To her, the subtle gray tones are what are most captivating about a photo, something that elevates her work to more than just a captured childhood moment.

She has come a long way from her days teaching photography to high school students in Georgia. In the past two years, her child-portrait work has grown to include newborns — simple photos of day-old babies against a black background.

Parents take color pictures with digital cameras all the time, she said. “I’m trying to send you something special and different. . . . I want it to be just about the child [without] distractions of color.’’

Fortin uses natural light, a film camera, and darkroom prints. “Everyone is digital now, and I am still film, but that is really, really important to what I do,’’ she said.

Although she has a bachelor of fine arts degree from the University of Florida and a master’s in art education from the University of Georgia, she said she taught herself the intricacies of the camera. “[As a teacher], I was forced to really study how the camera works, and be able to explain it. . . . A lot of people now, with digital photography, you don’t have to know how the camera works to do it.’’

For Fortin, the draw of both film and photographing children is the difficulty in the work, the knowledge and patience it takes to get the perfect shot.

“I wanted the challenge. I easily get bored with things, and easily need to challenge myself with something new. And newborns are really, really hard. I mean, they are little people! You can’t predict what they are going to do,’’ she said.

As a mother of three, Fortin is able to communicate the intrinsic value of capturing a moment that is gone far too quickly.

Still, the simple, elegant photos that adorn the walls of her studio are the result of years of work and hours of thought. Even finding her own style was difficult, Fortin said. It wasn’t until a seminar seven years ago with photographer Cheryl Jacobs that it all really clicked.

“What her whole mission was, was to find who you are as a person and create the type of pictures that are your inner self. Her point was, think about who you are,’’ Fortin said.

“And if you look at my pictures, now I totally get it. My pictures are direct, and I’m direct. They are honest, and I am honest. They are raw, they just — they are what they are. There’s not a lot of props to them. They are simple. And that’s who I am as a person as well.’’

Visit www.alyssafortinphotography.com for more information.