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“I Think In Black and White”: About Kevin Westenberg by Oliver Craske. www.olivercraske.com“I think in black and white,” admits Kevin Westenberg. “If I didn't have to do colour, I probably wouldn't.” This is not what you expect to hear from the purveyor of some of the most striking and vividly-coloured photographic portraits of recent years. Then again, Westenberg's monochrome images are equally powerful. Evidence, certainly, of his versatility and professionalism, but perhaps there is more to it than that.This apparent contradiction is just one of several associated with this rising talent of contemporary photography. He's a North American who fell in love with London. His passion for music drew him towards rock photography, but he never yearned to join a band. He's a consummate technician, but one who has never studied photography and is entirely self-taught. (Instead he spent six years as an architecture student.) At heart a great portraitist, nevertheless his portfolio can boast peerless live shots, and his images have recently illustrated tour programmes for Coldplay, The Corrs, U2 and Dido.Having grown up in Vancouver and Seattle, it was during a 6 month Architecture exchange program in Denmark, which he describes as “a completely transforming experience”, that he had his first meaningful encounters with both photography - he bought his first camera in Copenhagen - and the European music scene. Inspired by punk, he moved to London and tried his hand as a music photographer.It is twenty years now since his first published work appeared, and his images have graced the covers of countless records - by the likes of Sting, BB King, The Pixies, Soundgarden, Jane's Addiction, The Corrs , The Breeders and U2 - and of magazines including Mojo, Rolling Stone, Observer Music Monthly, NME, Time Out, Rockin’On Japan, Studio Magazine, X-Ray and The Daily Telegraph.Westenberg still loves working with musicians, but as his powers increase it is the photography itself that drives him even more than his passion for music. His portfolio has diversified to include sports stars and leading figures in the performing arts, a recent prestigious commission from Studio Magazine in Paris brought the awaited break into the field of Celebrity that Westenberg had been looking for and provided memorable portraits of Hollywood luminaries such as David Lynch, Sean Penn, Billy Bob Thornton, Rhys Ivans, The Coen Brothers, Naomi Watts, Ethan Hawke, Abel Ferrara, Jean Luc Godard, Nicole Kidman and Luc Besson.his influence is now being felt more widely. In 2004 he was invited to Tokyo to adjudicate on Canon's prestigious annual New Cosmos of Photography prize and present the associated annual workshop. Among his fellow judges was the legendary and notorious Nobuyoshi Araki; his predecessors as guest judge have included Robert Frank, William Eggleston and Martin Parr.Westenberg has now ventured into creating exhibitions. His first major collection of works spanning the last 20 years has been recently shown at Blink Gallery in London under the title “Idyll Worship”. Due to the demand and popularity of the show, it’s run was extended by 2 weeks. It is now considered the most successful show in Blink history. Later this year "Idyll Worship" will be opening in Antwerpen and Germany.As a photographer, he says he thinks of himself as a visual historian. At the same time - and here is another link in that chain of contradictions - his stated quest is to create the definitive image of his subject. A lofty ideal, but many would agree that he has attained the mark with his portraits of Massive Attack, Coldplay, Mary J Blige, or The White Stripes. Complexity and paradox make for interesting artists. Long may he continue to intrigue us.