The word noir was originally coined for the gritty black and white crime films of the 1940’s and ‘50s.



Noir in the french language means black, and noir photography often includes dramatic shadows, rich blacks and high contrast black and white. Noir is not just limited to a single visual style, but includes any medium that captures the grainy imperfections of the world. Jealousy, greed, betrayal, double-crosses, flawed heros and femme fatals are all subjects that reflect the noir vision.